The town of
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
played an important role in the
history of tuberculosis
Throughout history, the disease tuberculosis has been variously known as consumption, phthisis, and the White Plague. It is generally accepted that the causative agent, ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' originated from other, more primitive organi ...
in the era before
antituberculosis drugs and vaccines.
Tuberculosis management
Tuberculosis management describes the techniques and procedures utilized for treating tuberculosis (TB).
The medical standard for active TB is a short course treatment involving a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin (also known as Rifampin), py ...
before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th century, a movement for tuberculosis treatment in
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
-like facilities called
sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
s became prominent, especially in Europe and North America. Thus people sought tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs because of its dry climate and fresh mountain air. Some people stayed in
boarding houses, while others sought the hospital-like facilities of sanatoriums. In the 1880s and 1890s, it is estimated that one-third of the people living in Colorado Springs had tuberculosis. The number of sanatoriums and hospitals increased into the twentieth century. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, medicines were developed that successfully treated tuberculosis and by the late 1940s specialized tuberculosis treatment facilities were no longer needed.
Several of the facilities evolved into hospitals or medical facilities:
Glockner Tuberculosis Sanatorium evolved into
Penrose Hospital
Penrose Hospital is a 364-bed hospital hospital located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services. The campus includes Penrose Hospital, the Penrose Cancer Center, the E Tower building, the Penrose Pavilion, a ...
. Beth-El Hospital, with the
National Deaconess Sanitarium, evolved into Memorial Hospital.
St. Francis Hospital was a hospital that had a sanatorium in its three building complex.
Union Printers Home
The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th c ...
and the
Modern Woodmen Tuberculosis Sanatorium, now Mount Saint Francis, are going concerns with skilled nursing care. Today, however, the structure's usages are different.
Miramont Castle
Miramont Castle is a museum located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest. Located in the Manitou Springs Historic District, it is ...
, which was the site of the
Montcalm Sanitarium
The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th c ...
, is now a museum.
National Methodist Sanatorium
The National Methodist Sanatorium was a 1926 medical facility on Boulder Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was near the Beth-El Hospital, which is now Memorial Hospital. The Sanatorium was later used as the Air Defense Command and North ...
evolved into a building for the
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Girard ...
and its site is now part of the
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Sprin ...
.
Background
People also came to Colorado for the restorative benefits of its "clean air and sunshine." Starting in the 1860s, when
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
(TB) was a worldwide problem, physicians in the eastern United States recommended that their patients go to Colorado to regain their health. As a result, the number of people with tuberculosis, called "lungers", in the state grew substantially and without the services or facilities to support their needs. Tuberculosis was called consumption "because its symptoms consumed those who had it."
In Denver, not knowing how to manage a population of homeless, ill people, many were taken to jail. In 1878 in Colorado Springs, 25 or more of 73 who were buried at Mount Washington Cemetery had tuberculosis. Of the people that died in the city most of them had come to Colorado Springs so ill that it was not surprising that they died. Because of the number of people with TB flocking to Denver, by the 1880s it was nicknamed the "World's Sanitarium". On March 5, 1888, a specialist in lung diseases, Dr. Frederick I. Knight spoke before the Boston Society of Medical Observation on the benefits of high altitude and the mountain climate of Colorado for patients with tuberculosis, including patients that experienced hemorrhaging. In the 1880s and 1890s more than a third of the city's residents came to Colorado Springs to improve their health. Houses on the
Old North End had large sleeping porches for consumptive boarders. Large houses along North Nevada Avenue were turned into boarding houses for people with tuberculosis. Some stayed in tents and backyard cottages. The area became known as "lungers' row". Some of the famous individuals who came to the area to treat their tuberculosis include novelist
Helen Hunt Jackson
Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans by t ...
, railroad executive
James J. Hagerman, author
Marshall Sprague
Marshall Sprague (March 14, 1909 – September 9, 1994) was an American journalist in New York, Paris, and China and writer of books about western United States history. From Ohio, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to recuperate following a d ...
, and noted potter
Artus Van Briggle.
Cynthia Stout, a history scholar, asserted that by 1900 "one-third of Colorado's population were residents of the state because of tuberculosis." In 1905, Dr. B.P. Anderson recommended open-air treatment in dry climates, like Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The sanatoriums in Colorado Springs adopted a European tuberculosis treatment approach, including rest, open-air, and "disciplined gluttony". People ate twice as much as they would normally eat and might gain up to 50 pounds while in treatment. The Shoshone Spring, one of
Manitou Mineral Springs
Manitou Mineral Springs are natural mineral springs in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Cheyenne Spring House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The springs are located in one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.
Mani ...
, was taken for its laxative effects and the springs in general for their healing effects. The quality of care depended upon one's ability to pay. The poor might stay in open-air tents, some sanatoriums cost $7 per week, and the luxury accommodations were $50 per week. Sanatoriums claimed that about 60% of their patients were cured from their treatment. But the treatment patients received made the illness regress, it did not cure tuberculosis.
Charles H. Boissevain Charles Hercules Boissevain (1893–1946) was a Dutch tuberculosis researcher and botanist in the United States.
Biography
Charles Hercules Boissevain was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Oct. 18, 1893, to Maria Barbera Pijnappel and Charles ...
, a mathematically trained biochemist and professor of biology at
Colorado College
Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...
, was in 1924 appointed the first chief of research and laboratory director of the newly founded Colorado Foundation for Research in Tuberculosis, later renamed the Webb-Waring Institute. In 1940, four sanatoria remained: Cragmor, Glockner, National Methodist, St. Francis, Sunnyrest, and Modern Woodmen Sanatorium. During World War II, the drug
Isoniazid
Isoniazid, also known as isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), is an antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis. For active tuberculosis it is often used together with rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and either streptomycin or ethambutol. For l ...
(INH) began to be used to effectively treat tuberculosis. Then, sanatoriums began to close and the city shifted from a medical destination to one that developed a military presence.
Locations
Battle Creek Sanitarium
The Battle Creek Sanitarium at 230 North Cascade Avenue was a
branch of the Michigan facility that had been at 320 N. Tejon in 1903 and at that time was managed by Frank W. Patterson and K. E. McMillen. Lillian Voorhees was the nurse.
Cascade Villas
Cascade Villas was a short-lived home for the treatment of tuberculosis founded in 1874 by Dr. Thomas G. Horn. It was on Colorado Spring's North Cascade Avenue. Horn became the president of the Colorado State Medical Society in 1877.
Colorado Springs Sanitarium
There was a Colorado Springs Sanitarium and Hotel in the city in 1892. In 1903, the Colorado Springs Sanitarium and the Horn's Mineral Springs and Sanitarium were located at 1210 Lincoln Avenue and run by Dr. Thomas G. Horn. Colorado Springs Sanitarium was located downtown in a mansion one block from Acacia and
Monument Valley Park
Monument Valley Park is a historic, recreational park in Colorado Springs, Colorado through which Monument Creek flows. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and is on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
Geograph ...
s and the
Carnegie Library in 1905. It was well-appointed, three-story building with modern heating and lighting and wide verandas for fresh-air. The building was originally built as a residence by a wealth contractor. Dr. Charles R. Knox was the superintendent of the facility at 126 North Cascade in 1907, one that's principles were in keeping with the
Battle Creek Sanitarium
The Battle Creek Sanitarium was a world-renowned health resort in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. It started in 1866 on health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and from 1876 to 1943 was managed by Dr. John ...
. In 1909, the business manager was W. F. Patterson. It operated in 1912, but by 1916 was the site of the Hallett and Baker Undertaking Company.
Cragmor Sanatorium
![MainHallformerCragmorSanatorium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/MainHallformerCragmorSanatorium.jpg)
The Cragmor Sanatorium was founded by leading tuberculosis specialist Dr. Edwin S. Solly in 1906. It was built in the
Austin Bluffs, or
Cragmor area. General
William Jackson Palmer
William Jackson Palmer (September 18, 1836 – March 13, 1909) was an American civil engineer, veteran of the Civil War, industrialist, and philanthropist. During the American Civil War, he was promoted to brevet brigadier general and receive ...
donated funds toward the construction of the facility for 25 patients. It treated tuberculosis and related diseases. He died shortly after it was built and in 1910 a group of local residents bought the sanatorium. Alexius L. Forster as the Physician-in-Charge and Mary L Whitney RN was the Superintendent in 1916.
Dr. Frank M. Houck, a House Manager at Cragmor, came to Colorado Springs in 1915 to treat his tuberculosis after receiving his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He built a trail from Cragmor through
Austin Bluffs that was called the "Happy Walk". Cragmor was a place where millionaires, musicians, artists, dancers, and poets came to get well and was known for its luxury, easy rules, parties, and sexual affairs among patients. In 1936, the $500,000 facility was reorganized as a non-profit organization for treatment and research of tuberculosis. The Cragmor Sanatorium complex became the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus and two of its former buildings are Cragmor and Main halls.
Glockner Tuberculosis Sanatorium
As a memorial to her husband, Albert Glockner, the 22-year-old widow Marie Gwynne Glockner opened the Glockner Tuberculosis Sanatorium in 1890. Her husband had died of tuberculosis at 31 years of age. Glockner family members supported the development of the sanatorium. Patients were charged $1 () per day. The first superintendent was Dr. Boswell P. Anderson, who was a former
Colorado Midland Railway
The Colorado Midland Railway , Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 786 incorporated in 1883, was the first standard gauge railroad built over the Continental Divide in Colorado. It ran fr ...
physician. His assistant was Dr. Charles Fox Gardiner and the matron and head nurse was Sarah Callahan, RN. It was located at 2200 N. Tejon in the
North End addition.
In 1893, Marie Gwynne Glockner gave the sanatorium to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, who were brought in for their care-giving and professional skills. In 1903, the manager was Sister Xavier Magevney. The Glockner Sanatorium and Training School for Nurses was operated by Sister Rose Alexius, the superioress, in 1916. It had 200 beds by 1921 and was the Glockner Sanatorium and Hospital in 1940.
Glockner evolved over the years into
Penrose Hospital
Penrose Hospital is a 364-bed hospital hospital located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services. The campus includes Penrose Hospital, the Penrose Cancer Center, the E Tower building, the Penrose Pavilion, a ...
. Penrose Hospital won an Excellence in Historic Preservation Stewardship award in 2014 for the fully restored
tuberculosis hut, or tent cottage, and its early 20th century furnishings that was used by people who came to the Colorado Springs area to cure their tuberculosis. The hut is located at the corner of Jackson Street and Cascade Avenue.
Idlewold
![1916 Colorado Springs - Logan Av sanatoria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/1916_Colorado_Springs_-_Logan_Av_sanatoria.png)
The Idlewold, also spelled Idlewild, was located at 311 North Logan. It was established in 1912 and the superintendent was Lois Shardlow, RN. Her sister, also a nurse, assisted in the management of the home. The facility had 10 rooms, all with sleeping porches, and treated patients with tuberculosis. It is now a
Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
RMHC has a global network of c ...
.
Montcalm Sanitarium (Manitou Springs)
Miramont Castle
Miramont Castle is a museum located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest. Located in the Manitou Springs Historic District, it is ...
was built between 1895 and 1897 by Father Francolon, based upon architectural design elements that he picked up in his travels and ideas from his father, a diplomat. He hired brothers Archie and Angus Gillis to design the building, and was involved in the detailed planning meetings. The green sandstone used in the construction of the castle's walls was quarried nearby. It had electricity and indoor plumbing. Father Francolon invited the Sisters of Mercy to use his home for a tuberculosis treatment facility. Their first patient arrived in August 1895 and the next year they built the sanitarium. The offered good food, clean lodging, and care to patients who were not very seriously ill and by 1896 taught music lessons. From 1900 to 1904, Miramont was vacant. That sanitarium was burned down due to an electrical fire in 1907 and patients moved into the Miramont Castle building. It used about a dozen open-air TB huts until about 1923. One of the huts was donated to the museum in 1998 is located on the museum grounds. Between 1928 and 1946, the castle was used by the Sisters as a luxury boarding house, a retreat for clergy, and stood vacant. It is now a museum owned by the Manitou Springs Historical Society.
National Deaconess Sanitarium
![1909 Colorado Springs Benford-Bryan map - Institute Heights](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/1909_Colorado_Springs_Benford-Bryan_map_-_Institute_Heights.png)
The Eleanor Home, run by Eleanor Collier and about 30 women, administered care beginning in 1888 to patients with tuberculosis while the Bellevue Sanitarium was built. The Bellevue Sanitarium opened in 1890 on Institute Street near St. Francis Hospital with five tents. It was founded by a group of physicians and the house physician was Dr. S. Edwin Solly. The matron was Mary E. Dean, RN. In 1900, it became the National Deaconess Sanitarium, sponsored by the Methodist Church. It evolved into the Beth-El Hospital in 1911 and ultimately Memorial Hospital in 1943.
National Methodist Sanatorium
The
National Methodist Sanatorium
The National Methodist Sanatorium was a 1926 medical facility on Boulder Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was near the Beth-El Hospital, which is now Memorial Hospital. The Sanatorium was later used as the Air Defense Command and North ...
was a 1926 building on a tract east of the "Nurse's Home" of the Beth-El General Hospital's medical complex. The City of Colorado Springs bought the Beth-El complex, Sanatorium, its Nutrition Camp, and other buildings in 1943. The Beth-El Hospital became Memorial Hospital. The Sanatorium became the
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Girard ...
, which was the
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
and later
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...
(NORAD) headquarters.
The property and site of the former sanatorium are now the
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Sprin ...
.
Knob Hill Lodge Sanatorium
The Knob Hill Lodge Sanatorium at 319 North Logan was a sanatorium operated by the proprietor and manager, the registered nurse Florence E Standish. Founded in 1912, it treated tuberculosis and had 35 beds.
Nordrach Ranch Sanitarium
![Nordach Sanatorium, Austin Bluffs, Colorado 1906](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Nordach_Sanatorium%2C_Austin_Bluffs%2C_Colorado_1906.jpg)
The Nordrach Ranch Sanitarium was Colorado's first open-air sanatorium in which patients stayed in tents on the grounds of the facility. It operated from 1901 to 1903. Nordrach was founded by Dr. Charles Fox Gardiner. It was northeast of city limits at Austin Bluffs. Dr. E. J. White was president, W. B. Price was vice-president, and M. E. Harper was secretary.
Red Crags Sanatorium (Manitou Springs)
Red Crags Manor was built by Dr. William Bell, a founding father of Manitou Springs. It was made into a sanatorium. It was located one mile east of Manitou Springs. In 1916, the sanatorium was owned and operated by Mrs. Lilia P. Sawin, a nurse. The building is now a bed and breakfast.
St. Francis Sanatorium
The Colorado Midland Railway clinic or St. Francis Hospital, built in 1887, was the city's first hospital. It was located at Pikes Peak Avenue and Prospect Street and among other health issues, it treated tuberculosis. Sisters from the St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration of
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...
, came to Colorado Springs to provide medical aid to the new city. The women were Sisters Mary Huberta Duennebacke, Mary Silveria, Mary Notberga, and Mary Kunigunda Neuhoff. Sister Huberta was the administrator of the hospital from 1887 to 1890, when she went to Denver to build the St. Anthony Hospital, which opened in 1893.
They treated patients at the first small building, which was a clinic for the Colorado Midland Railway, and shortly after their arrival received an influx of patients due to a train accident that injured 60 people and killed several people. Realizing the need for a bigger hospital, Sisters Notberga and Huberta went door-to-door throughout El Paso County asking for donations to build a larger hospital. In October 1887, the Sisters purchased the land and had a larger hospital built for $20,000 () at Pikes Peak Avenue and Institute Street in early 1888. Patients from the Colorado Midland Railway clinic were transferred to the new St. Francis Hospital. It administered care to employees of the
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
and provided medical services to the greater public. Physicians and the Sisters treated a wide range of illness and injuries. The sisters carried on their duties at the hospital and performed fund-raising to support the hospital and programs to provide food for the hungry. Sister Mary Hermana Meschede was the superior from 1890 to 1893.
St. Francis Hospital grew to have three connected buildings. One of the buildings, the 29 building, was built in 1929 as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. It had private rooms with sun porches to provide fresh air and sunlight. A crematorium was located near the
Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) is a K-12 residential school, located on Knob Hill, east of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the famous laboratory of Nikola Tesla. The school was founded in 1874 as ''The Colorado Inst ...
for the dead bodies of people who died of tuberculosis. The hospital complex was renamed St. Francis Health Center when it merged with
Penrose Hospital
Penrose Hospital is a 364-bed hospital hospital located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services. The campus includes Penrose Hospital, the Penrose Cancer Center, the E Tower building, the Penrose Pavilion, a ...
in 1989. The hospital treated trauma patients until 1994 and mentally ill patients until 2010.
Star Ranch Sanatorium
The Star Ranch in the Pines Sanatorium was founded in 1903. H. C. Goodson was the medical director of the 50-bed tuberculosis treatment facility.
Sunnyrest Sanitarium
Sunnyrest Sanitarium Sunnyrest was a sanitarium for men, women, and children run by five Sisters of the Kaiserwerth Deaconesses. Sister Ida Tobschall was the superintendent and there were three nurses and a cook. It was opened in 1910 and had handled 77 patients in three years, many who came to them through Associated Charities. It was a home-like setting with a living room with a fireplace, dining room, and two outdoor porches for men and women. Patients that could contribute paid $8 per week for their care. most of the money came from donations from the community. It was located at 926 E Boulder, and near the Beth-El Hospital. Sunnyrest had 45 beds in 1921.
Union Printers Home
George W. Childs and Anthony J Drexel, philanthropists from Philadelphia, donated a total of $10,000 () towards the cost to establish the Childs-Drexel Home for Union Printers. The city gave the National Typographical Union 80 acres to build the home, which cost $71,144 () to build. It was dedicated on May 12, 1892 and John C. Daley was the superintendent. The initial patients were members of the union who had tuberculosis and
black lung from breathing carbon-based ink that was used in the printing process.
The home raised pigs and chickens. On the grounds were a vegetable garden, 200 acres of wheat, and a dairy farm. Patients resided in tents for open-air treatment in the early 1900s. In 1902, the home changed its name to the Union Printers Home. It has taken in more than 25,000 members of the union.
It now also treats members of the general public and disabled veterans. The home now offers long-term skilled nursing and assisted living for seniors, hospice care, and rehabilitation programs.
The Union Printers Home closed in February 2020.
Woodmen Sanatorium
The Modern Woodmen of America Sanatorium was a facility of the
Modern Woodmen of America
Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is one of the largest (based on assets) fraternal benefit societies in the United States, with more than 750,000 members. Total assets reached US$15.4 billion in 2016. Though it shares the same founder, it is not ...
north of the city for the treatment of tuberculosis that operated from 1909 to 1947.
The Sanatorium had 80 patients in 1909, but the organization estimated that 10,000 of its 1 million members had tuberculosis. According to Head Consul A. R. Talbot, it intended to expand the facility within 10 years to meet the needs of all of its members. At its peak, the open-air facility accommodated 180 people. It was open-air throughout all seasons and patients might find themselves in snow. Its members received treatment free of charge.
Between 1909 and 1947, the facility cared for 12,000 patients. It was the Pikes Peak region's largest sanatorium. The 1400-acre complex had a main building, administration building, auditorium, 24 homes, and a heating plant. Two reservoirs, fed by three mountain streams, supplied water for the Sanatorium and it had a dairy farm. Eighty employees were required to maintain the facility, but in 1947 there were only 18 patients and the sanatorium was sold. When the facility closed, 205 huts were sold and became tool sheds and toy houses.
The property was purchased by
Blevins Davis
Charles Blevins Davis (1903-July 16, 1971) was an American playwright and theatrical producer.
Early life
Charles Blevins Davis, the only son of Charles A. Davis and his wife, grew up in Independence, Missouri. Davis grew up next to the Harry S. ...
in July 1950. His wife,
Marguerite Davis
Marguerite Davis (September 16, 1887 – September 19, 1967) was an American biochemist, co-discoverer of vitamins A and B with Elmer Verner McCollum in 1913. Their research greatly influenced later research on nutrition.
Personal life
Davis ...
, a railroad heiress died in 1948 and wished to have her fortune used for charitable purposes. The Modern Woodmen Sanatorium property and a house in
Broadmoor called Trianon were sold to the Poor Sisters of St. Francis (
Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration) for $1 in 1952. The combined fortune that they received was worth $2,325,000 (). The Catholic order of nuns ran the
St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs and others in Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
In 1954, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration moved from Denver to Colorado Springs and have operated educational facilities and programs, mentoring programs, and Mount Saint Francis skilled nursing facilities on what is now a 110-acre property.
Woodmen Road, a major east–west road for the northern suburbs of Colorado Springs, is named for the sanatorium.
Other
Reverend William R. Stephens from the People's Methodist Episcopal Church of Colorado Springs was a trustee for a sanatorium in Calhan. James K. Polk Taylor, a former slave, and his freeborn wife Elizabeth James Taylor, 71 and 75 years old respectively, donated 480 acres of rich farming land in Calhan for a sanatorium in 1910. They had worked the land for fourteen years and wished to have a tuberculosis sanatorium built for African Americans and other races. Their land, valued at about $4,800 (), was donated to the Charles Sumner National Tuberculosis Association. The Taylors were to live on the farm in a cottage built by the association. The advisory committee for the association included
W. E. B. Du Bois
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...
.
The free clinic for sufferers of tuberculosis was opened in two offices of the Visiting Nurses Association in 1919. It was located at 302 South Wahsatch Avenue and was run by Dr.
Mary Riggs Noble
Mary Riggs Noble (1872 – 1965) was an American physician, hospital administrator, public health educator, and state official. She also served as a Christian medical missionary in Ludhiana, India. She was the first recipient of the Elizabeth Bla ...
. It was open under the auspices of the recently formed local branch of the Colorado Public Health Association.
Notes
References
{{Colorado Springs
Healthcare by city of the United States
Tuberculosis sanatoria in the United States
History of Colorado Springs, Colorado