ECKVILLE’s FIRST HOSPITAL TURNS 100 IN 2021
First Hospital in Eckville. It was purchased by the Roy Saari family 1949 after a new hospital was opened.
ECKVILLE’s FIRST HOSPITAL TURNS 100 IN 2021 - As reported by the Western Star
Basic medical care was always a struggle for early pioneer families in rural Alberta. If you were an early pioneer in Eckville and district between 1900 and 1921 your closest medical facility and doctor was Red Deer or Lacombe. Red Deer’s first hospital was started in 1903 but ran out of money. The Town of Red Deer came to the rescue and provided funding so that the hospital could be completed by 1904. The hospital could accommodate a total of 23 patients. Costs to patients was $7 for a public ward and $10 for a private ward. Patients were expected to provide their own medicine and surgical dressings. 1.
In Lacombe a small hospital was started in 1908 by a Mrs. Trotter who was a graduate nurse from the United States. This hospital (called Cottage Hospital) could accommodate 10 patients. It closed in 1909 due to financial difficulties. The Lacombe General was started in 1910 and could accommodate 9 patients. Expansions took place in 1915 and 1922. Total patient capacity was 25 patients in 1925. 2.
With no medical facility close by, Eckville and district residents were faced with a long trek to either Red Deer or Lacombe to receive medical attention. A trip with an ailing patient would be at least a very long day by horse and wagon over extremely rough going to reach Red Deer or Lacombe hospitals.
The Red Deer Advocate of February 7th 1945 describes the efforts made by Eckville and surrounding districts to obtain hospital facilities.
“The history of the attempt at securing a hospital for the Eckville and the surrounding districts covers almost a generation. The first attempt was made in 1921 during the practice of Dr. P.L. Backus in Eckville. But the people willed that it should not be so.
But the desire was not to be crushed. With new hands to take up the torch, so to speak, a fresh effort was made in the fall of 1934 when a number of interested citizens met at the instigation of the Chamber of Commerce to consider ways and means of securing a hospital for this district. Previous to this the only semblance of hospital service was instituted by Dr. Sommerville and Mrs. M.N. Porter, when a nursing home was operated in Eckville in the years 1929-1932. This meeting was of the unanimous opinion that something should be done in the matter, so a committee was appointed to go into ways and means. The first committee was W.S. Ignatius, G.L. Caton, O.M.Forhan (chairman), J. Buresh, H.T. Arnold, H.B. Belt, F. Kinna, John Saari, John Mullarkey and H.S. Mann (secetary). This committee decided that the first thing needed was money, so it was agreed to conduct a canvass of the whole district. Unfortunately, a very bad hail storm visited the district, so the subscriptions amounted to the paltry sum of $321. The Chamber of Commerce had underwritten the expense of circulating the populace as its share in the project.
With this set-back, matters were allowed to ride along quietly until 1936 when a further meeting was called. This meeting was sparsely attended, but apparently it had something that the other meeting didn’t have. It went so far as to name the new hospital, not yet secured, the Medicine Valley Community Hospital; it discharged the old committee with thanks, and appointed a Board, and the members were : O.M. Forhan, chairman; John Saari, G.L. Caton, E.I. Erickson, Dr. S.M. Palmer, with H.S. Mann as secretary. This Board was urged to get busy and do something, which injunction was duly followed out.
The first Board meeting was held on May 7th, 1936, and there was in hand $321.66 from the canvass of two years previous. The names of Chas Raabis and John Mullarkey were added to the Board, and the usual formalities of registering the society were approved and proceeded with. In due time further sums were raised by private and public means, and at the Board meeting of November 19, 1936, the sum of $1,525.22 was in hand. The next job was to spend it, which didn’t prove to be particularly difficult. In the spring of 1937 the old Dr. Backus house was bought for use as a hospital; it was fitted up as well as might be expected, nurses were hired and it was opened in September 1937. Miss M. Jolly was the first Matron; Dr. S.M. Palmer was the first medical superintendent.
The institution ran a varied career until March 1938, when a general meeting of citizens was held on March 10th when the somewhat difficult position of the Hospital was completely reviewed. It appeared that the Hospital owed more money than it could pay or had any likelihood of paying. A new Board was elected, representing a wide area, and comprised H. Meeres, F. Kinna , C. Bardenhagen, John Huseby , Chris Anderson, G.L. Caton, D.W. Hamilton, R.B. Gish, J.L. Selvais, John Saari and O. Uimari. The new board was given a renewed injunction to get busy and do something, but in this case, something with respect to the unpaid accounts and a constitution.
At a later meeting, representatives of the Hospital Aids were admitted to the Board, the first being Mrs. W.J. Hansen, Happy Hill-Central; Mrs. J.T. Marshall and Mrs. L. Kingsep for Eckville. The new Board went to a great deal of trouble in its efforts to effect a remedy for the trouble, but to no avail. On May 16th, 1938, it was decided to close the hospital. The difficulties between hospital staff and medical staff and the combined staff and public, were too great to be overcome, it appeared.
Early in September, 1938, new promise was given towards the opening of the hospital. Dr. Coppock, of Rosthern, Sask, had been directed to Eckville as a prospective opening for a practice. He met with a number of citizens and later with the Hospital board, and advised that if the hospital would reopen, he would come here to practice. The Board agreed to reopen on October 15th, which it did, and from that date there has been no turning back. “3.
The first hospital (now known as the Saari house at 5204-50 St. Eckville) was built by Dr. Backus in 1921 as his family home and medical office. Patients attended the house for examinations and some minor surgery. Dr. Backus sold his practice to Dr. Sommerville in 1924. In 1931 Dr. Sommerville sold the practice to Dr. Claxton, followed by Dr. Schreiber and then to DR. Palmer. The Medicine Valley Community Hospital Association purchased the house in 1937. 4 As a hospital, the former dining room was converted into the operating room. A young Doctor from Edmonton, Dr. Dlin specifically came to work with Dr. Coppock because of Dr. Coppock’s reputation as a “ the top notch G.P. in Alberta. 5. Dr. Coppock was also known as a very competent surgeon. The Doctors and staff handled every kind of medical treatment necessary. Cuts were stitched up, sprains were taped, broken limbs were splinted, tonsils and appendices were removed and more complicated surgeries were performed. (It would be fascinating to know all the different types of surgeries performed in the old dining room.)
The upstairs was converted into a recovery room and a maternity ward for expectant mothers. Babies were delivered on the main floor and Dr. Coppock would carry (if necessary) the new mothers and surgery patients upstairs to the recovery rooms. 6. Not a very efficient procedure but it had to be done. ( Dr. Coppock stood 6 foot 2 inches tall and at 50 years of age was fit and well muscled, obviously an asset for a surgeon at the Eckville hospital). At this time the population of Eckville was 159 people yet the hospital served a district population of 10,000. 6. No wonder the hospital was a busy place. 7.
If the old hospital could talk, what stories could it tell??
The house remained a hospital until 1945 when the new Eckville hospital was opened.
Roy Saari purchased the house in 1949 and it remained the Saari family home until Marg Saari moved into the Manor in 1999. Today the house remains essentially the way it was in 1921. Outside: A metal roof has been installed over the original cedar shingles and vinyl siding covers the original stucco and cedar shingles. The second floor emergency stairs have been removed. Inside: The house remains as it was in 1921, the main floor has 9 foot ceilings and all of the original woodwork remains.
The Historical Society is collecting stories, names of babies born, happy stories, sad stories and anecdotes dealing with happenings at the first Eckville hospital. Anyone with hospital stories and information please contact the Historical Committee, c/o Helen Posti, Box 122 Eckville, AB T0M 0X0 or Phone 403-746-3245
Eckville and District Historical Society
