GC30XN4 Old Railroad Hospital (Traditional Cache) in California, United States created by TheLostBoyz2010

This cache has been archived.

Nomex: As there's been no cache to find for months, I'm archiving it to keep it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.

GC30XN4 ▼

A cache by TheLostBoyz2010 Message this owner

Hidden : 7/25/2011

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

This is a old Western Pacific Hospital. Construction began in 1911 and the official opening was held on September 8, 1912. Dr. J. Edmund Bennett was the hospital's first Division Physician and Surgeon. In those early years, the staff consisted of just one doctor and a staff of nurses. They would live on the grounds of the hospital. Over the years the hospital grew from one building to a few buildings. While originally intended to serve only employees and, sometimes, immediate family members, many railroad hospitals in remote areas of the west quickly became the only health provider in their regions. According to the Western Pacific records, the hospital at Portola was open to the community as soon as it was built. In 1945 alone, 66 babies were born in the WP Hospital, which may have been a record for the community at the time. Even today, it is not hard to find residents of Portola and Eastern Plumas County who where born in the hospital, including those from families who never worked for the railroad. The staff of the WP Hospital also made house calls. Until the late 1950s, the doctors would maintain a medical bag ready to go at a moments notice. Same as todays paramedic units. Perhaps the most historically significant event at the hospital occurred in September 1943. Seven year old Yvonne Tibbedeaux, daughter of a WP employee, had broken her arm and developed gas gangrene, a dangerous infection commonly seen in battle wounds but rare in civilian life. When amputation did not end the infection that was threatening her life, Chief Physician Dr. W. B. McKnight secured a scarce sample of a new drug: Penicillin. The first non-clinical trail use of the drug had only occurred 18 months before and, while its effectiveness in such cases had been theorized, it had never been used to treat gas gangrene. The treatment was a success and Yvonne survived. Dr. McKnight published his account in the Journal of the American Medical Association just prior to penicillin entering mass-production in 1944. His and other's successes inspired the use of the drug in saving untold numbers from infections that previously would have been fatal. Although many years the railroad kept threatening to shut down the hospital, it wasn't until early 1972 that WP Hospital was finally taken out of service when the new Eastern Plumas District Hospital was opened in the summer of 1971. In early 2001, the Western Pacific Portola Hospital became the only railroad hospital in North America to be slated for historic preservation. The Long-term goal is to complete renovation of the hospital facility and its surrounding property. Eventually, the site will be linked to the adjacent Western Railroad Museum by walkways and landscaping. Which none of this can be done without donations. After you find the cache and carefully put it back, you should head down to the Railroad Museum (which there is another hide down there) and check out all the history. Make sure you bring a pen and maybe something to help get the log out. There is a hand made prize for the First Time Finder!!

Unfortunately the hospital is no longer here due to someone setting the building on fire. It is sad that someone felt that this historical building shouldn't be here. This building was a starting point for this great town of Portola. The person who did this was caught and will face charges for there actions. Please enjoy the cache and always have fun.

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