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| Image from Western Resources Magazine, 1901 |
The short-lived
St. Paul’s hospital stood at the southeast corner of Gold and Montana Streets,
502 S. Montana; the view here looks southeast. It was only listed in the city
directories from 1900-1902, even though Western Resources Magazine in
1901 reported that “the sum of $500 has recently been spent in the operating
room alone … For a dollar a month … one can have medical treatment, board,
nursing and surgical attendance, and furthermore the choice of thirty doctors.”
A dollar a month was pretty sparse revenue for any business, even in those days
and even if their wards were full, so perhaps those glowing claims were what
made the hospital short-lived.
Rev. J.M. Settle was President and General Manager of the
place and it depended entirely on his personal credit. He lived about five
blocks away, at 103 S. Idaho Street, a small 1-story home that stood on the
south side of St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church (Omar Bradley Church,
Beverly’s Bridal). Rev. Settle reportedly oversaw building of that church but
soon abandoned his post there for the hospital, also known as Johnston House. The
church and the hospital were both built in 1899-1900. The hospital, however,
was “entirely non-sectarian, Jew or Gentile, Christian or unbeliever, all
receiving the same skilled, considerate, conscientious care.” Sisters Hospital,
which became St. James, was already in operation and was much larger, so it may
have forced St. Paul’s hospital out of business.
Today, the entire east side of Montana between Gold and
Platinum Streets is bare ground; a small modern structure stands near the
corner where St. Paul’s Hospital once stood, across from the Corner Bar.
