Larimer County Hospital
In 1877 the Colorado State Board of Health was established by Colorado’s first General Assembly. The board was charged with the control of epidemics and contagious disease, the collection and study of vital statistics as a means of determining the causes of illness and death, and advice on proper sources of water supplies and places of sewage disposal. Their first vital statistics report showed that 24.7% of deaths were from consumption-also known as tuberculosis (possibly due to the fact that Colorado had a reputation as a healthful spot for the treatment of that same disease), 7.8% from diphtheria, 5.4% from scarlet fever and pneumonia and 5% from heart disease.
In 1893 local boards of health were established. Public health at local levels was strengthened by public health nursing throughout the state in the late 1880s and early 1900s. The evolution of public health nursing involved the American Red Cross, the Visiting Nurse Association and the Colorado Tuberculosis association.
Despite the existence of a State Board of Health, in 1918 when the flu epidemic hit, the state suffered a lack of funding. In fact, the State Health Department was so underfunded that year that they had to commandeer an appropriation dedicated to controlling venereal disease to fill the gap. In 1918 the state spent more to control livestock disease then they did on the State Board of Health.
It appears the American Red Cross Northern Colorado chapter, which was founded in March, 1917, provided the medical oversight for the response to the epidemic in Larimer County. They had formed to aid families impacted by the war, but their work load doubled in 1918 as they responded to the pandemic. They organized hospitals in cooperation with the Agricultural College. There were also hospitals at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Ft. Collins and in Wellington. In the aftermath they held health clinics and their health programs strengthened through the 1920s.
The Larimer County Public Health Association was organized in 1920, for the sole purpose of aiding those who couldn’t obtain proper medical or dental treatment. In 1920 a Ft. Collins doctor visit cost $1.50, a night visit was $5.00.
In 1925 the Larimer County Hospital was opened, just outside the city limits and was “deeply appreciated by residents when it arrived, following the devastating influenza epidemic of 1918-19”. It cost $175,000 to build and served 14,500 patients in it’s first year of operation. The hospital expanded through the years and became Poudre Valley Hospital in 1950. (Side note-two of our HLC board members were born here!).
I believe this pic is on Lemay. There was a hospital before that with a nursing school I believe on Magnolia. I was told that several doctors also had their own private hospitals. Behind the main hospital, on Lemay, was the pest house. My great Aunt Jane Michie worked & went to school at the Magnolia hospital & later worked at the pest house. This info is in the local history archives. Also my great Aunt Lena Michie who later became a Red Cross nurse.
Thank you
That’s right! This was on what is now called Lemay. Back then it was just hospital road. And it was run by the county. The hospital at Magnolia and Mathews was the Fort Collins hospital. And like you said, there were smaller, private hospitals throughout Fort Collins and surrounding communities. Doctors also often made house calls!
I came across old photos or enlargements of same . Hanging in a hall way there. The caption on the photo? Said Pouder Valley Hospital 1928??? At first I had the impression the photo was taken at that date? But there are cars from 1030s and later parked in front ….
I think I know the picture you’re talking about. It’s not quite straight on like this photo, but shows a bit more of the space to the left and there’s cares parking in a line out front? I do think that one is from around the 1930s.
Meg,
I have an ancestor who died of typhoid fever in F.C. in 1898. He was from Cornwall, England, and our family believes he invested in the Gentleman’s Riding and Driving Club which eventually morphed into City Park. Do you have any knowledge of this racing club?
My ancestor was William Roberts May. We can find no obituary for him; altho he was buried in Fairmont Cemetery, Denver.
I have lived on West Mountain Avenue for over 30 years in a house built in 1898 — local landmark Claude C Coffin House.
Hi Anne,
There’s a fair bit about the horse track that pre-existed City Park in the city’s archives. It was called Prospect Park. There’s some online info — https://fchc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/search/searchterm/prospect%20park — but if you want to see more, I’d recommend going in (The Archive is free and located in the same building as the Discovery Museum.) and the staff might be able to pull out even more information.
I looked up the Coffin house on the City’s preservation website and it looks like your place will have been landmarked for 20 years come tomorrow. Congratulations!
– Meg
I was born in 1960, I know I was born in some catholic hospital. My parent lived in Fort Collins CO.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Catholic Hospital being located in Fort Collins. Do you remember where it was located?
Born in Ft. Collins, February 9th 1946. My father was a history professor at CSC at the time.
question: The history of LCH suggests it turned to Poudre Valley in 1950 but I was born in Larimer County Hospital in 1951. It is on my birth cert.
Hmmm, according to Wikipedia, it became PVH in 1980. That’s significantly later. But I found 1950 mentioned in a Coloradoan article. So maybe Wikipedia is correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poudre_Valley_Hospital
I was born to Japanese parents in 1960 at Larimer County Hospital as well, as shown on my birth certificate. My sister was born there also, in 1958. In going through some of my mother’s things recently, I even found a packet of sugar clearly marked ‘Larimer County Hospital!’ Having lived in Tokyo through the war, she never wasted a thing! And my father was a PhD candidate at CSU at the time.
Good to know. The Coloradoan article must have just gotten it wrong.
Great story about the sugar packet! I think that thriftiness was true of that generation in general. I think many of us today don’t realize how good we’ve got it.
So true! This sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole with Google Gemini and I was able to find some more clarity. The Poudre Valley Hospital District was established in 1960 and ownership and operations of LCH was officially transferred to this entity on May 1, 1962, when the name was officially changed to Poudre Valley Memorial Hospital. Then it appears the ‘Memorial’ was dropped around 1982. Most of that information is found on the About Us page of what is now the Health District of Northern Larimer County (https://www.healthdistrict.org/about-health-district), with a few tidbits found elsewhere courtesy of Gemini. Fun to discover…