Early Hospital History in Wallow County

Published 5:26 pm Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Because the Wallowa Memorial hospital is an extraordinary part of Wallowa County, and of great importnacne and even fascination to many of our citizens, a little history of the county’s machinations, multiple hospitals, and past stellar medical facilities might be of interest to our dear readers. Here are a few news snippets and addenda from past issues of The Chieftain.

November 30, 1905

A representative of the Chieftain recently had the pleasure of a visit to Dr. Seely’s new operation room and offices which he has just completed in Lostine. The doctor is equipped with all the latest apparatus for surgical work, having purchased a late model Columbus operating chair, new sterilizer and all the necessary surgical instruments. The operating room is finished exactly the same as that of the St. Vincent Hospital in Portland. Dr. Seely deserves much credit for the work he has done toward helping suffering humanity in this line.

April 24, 1919

A new brick hospital will be erected by Dr. S. D. Taylor this summer at the northeast corner of Main and West Third streets, west of the Mountain Meat company building. The structure will be three stories high, modern in every respect, with special heating and plumbing adapted for hospital use. There will be 22 rooms for patients.

March 3, 1938

All physicians in the county have become members of the staff of the Enterprise hospital and have agreed to take their patients to that institution. At the same time the Enterprise hospital has bought and taken over the equipment of Dr. J. B. Gregory’s hospital at Wallowa which he has closed.

The Enterprise Hospital company is a corporation of which W.J. Ortman is president, George E. Richards is secretary and Dr. C. T. Hockett is treasurer and manager. The company is buying the property on the hill east of town from the county on a payment plan. The building was erected as a county high school and converted into a hospital some years after the county high school had been discontinued. In the boom days, Dr. Hockett started a hospital in the frame building which is now the Wright rooming house. Then Dr. S. D. Taylor built the brick structure, now occupied by C. L. Booth’s undertaking establishment, as a hospital which he operated a few years.