The Former Canadian Hospital
Canadian, Hemphill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This building, now a residence, was Canadian's first hospital, opened on June 16, 1917. Funds for construction were obtained by public subscription. Dr. H. C. Caylor, first owner, sold to Dr. L. V. Dawson in 1920. From 1924 to 1949, Dr. E. H. Morris was owner. A tornado that killed or hurt some 200 to 260 people in the Glazier-Higgins area (10 to 27 mi. NE) on April 9, 1947, dramatized worth of this hospital - the only one in the immediate vicinity. It was closed in 1949. Recorded Texas Historical Landmark - 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When it opened in 1917, this building was the first hospital in the Panhandle town of Canadian, paid for by public subscription and passing through a succession of local doctors. Its value became tragically clear on April 9, 1947, when one of the deadliest tornadoes in Texas history tore through the nearby Glazier–Higgins area, killing and injuring hundreds — and this small hospital was the only one for miles. It closed in 1949 and is now a private residence.
Why it matters
The hospital illustrates how remote frontier communities pooled their own resources to build the medical institutions that state and market never provided, a vital thread in the settlement of the American West.
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Related people
- · Dr. H. C. Caylor
- · Dr. L. V. Dawson
- · Dr. E. H. Morris
Related events
- · Glazier–Higgins tornado of 1947
Themes & tags
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