The federal government bought the property in 1939 from the Puyallup Tribe, and guaranteed the site would always be used for the benefit of Indians. Cushman Hospital served as a tuberculosis sanitorium in the 1950's. After tuberculosis was brought under control, instead of returning the property to the tribe or continuing their mission to provide other health services to Native peoples in the Tacoma area, the federal government shut it down and gave the property to the state of Washington who turned it into a juvenile detention center. After a long struggle in which Puyallup Tribe had tried multiple ways to regain their rightful control of the property, Ramona Bennett and Maiselle McCloud Bridges signed a tribal resolution evicting the state from their property. The armed takeover resulted in the imprisoned children being found different arrangements, Ramona Bennett believes they were relocated to areas closer to their families and homes. Two of the imprisoned children were Native and the occupation took immediate custody of the children. Hundreds of people came to support the reclamation of the building renamed CLIMB- Chief Leschi Indian Medical Building. The occupation led to immediate concessions and laid the groundwork for the Puyallup Tribe to eventually negotiate an expansive land claims settlement in 1990. Title to Cushman Hospital was given to the Tribe three years later.