Crown City History I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N
Caring for the Sick B y C A R O L PA S T O R , C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N V O L U N T E E R
CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
here was a time in the late 1800s when Coronado was primarily known as a place to which one rowed to hunt rabbits. Then came the boom era — the building of the Hotel del Coronado, the sale of building lots, and people settling in. They came to work in construction, while some aspired to open a business. We had the bakery, market, boarding house but medical care was a bit more difficult to find. In 1887, the village saw the arrival of the first physician, Dr. R.E. Armstrong. He treated patients from his home, then from an office location at Orange Avenue and 3rd Street. But patients who needed surgery or overnight care had to be taken to San Diego. Other doctors came during that first 20 years and set up various practices including at the Hotel del Coronado. By 1926, the population had grown to 3,200 residents and the need for longer-term medical facilities was clear. Fortunately for Coronado, Maud Lancaster, a registered nurse, came to town. She first was a tourist, but she fell in love with our community. Maud, who had operated a hospital in North Dakota with her deceased husband, saw a need in Coronado that she could definitely fill. Maud purchased a two-story home on Alameda Boulevard, and a friend, Emma White, who was a nurse, joined her to help take care of the people of Coronado. Doctors were soon referring patients who needed nursing care for overnight or longer to the duo. Maud soon realized they were outgrowing their house. She had witnessed the birth of a baby on the ferry when a woman had been attempting to reach Mercy Hospital in San Diego for the delivery. She soon leased a larger space on Orange Avenue from another well-known name in San Diego, Dr. Paul Wegeforth. The Orange Avenue facility became Coronado Emergency Hospital. In 1938, Maud was looking forward to retiring, having given 12 years to the people of Coronado. That seemed to have been the impetus for Coronado to step up and move forward with a plan to build a bona fide hospital. There were many hurdles to overcome — it was the post-depression era, World War II was pending and much The residence of Dr. Lorini, a long-time house physician for fundraising was needed. That was when the Hotel Del and one of Coronado’s earliest doctors. 1972. Mrs. Paul Wegeforth, her sister-in-law, Mrs. Claus Spreckels, and two other women worked to raise the $75,000 needed to build a 30-bed hospital. Those four also gave generous contributions to the fundraising efforts.
32
CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
|
M AY 2 0 2 1
