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Royal Cariboo General Hospital fonds Cariboo Region (B.C.) Series
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Royal Cariboo Hospital records

Series consists of correspondence and financial records (1864-1870) of the Williams Creek Hospital; correspondence (1934-1935), patient summaries (1935-1936), and reports and proceedings (1935-1946) of the Royal Cariboo General Hospital Association.

In 1863 a typhoid epidemic raged at Williams Creek. In response to this epidemic, the miners petitioned the government for a hospital and in July 1863 the second Grand Jury, with Judge Begbie in the chair, convened at Williams Creek and requested government aid to build a hospital. The government made a small donation and the miners contributed enough so that Judge Begbie could lay the foundation log on 24 August 1863 in the presence of the Honourable Donald Fraser, Judge Peter O'Reilly and Thomas Elwyn. In October the building was completed and Dr. A.W.S. Black became the first resident surgeon of the Cariboo's first hospital. The hospital, most often referred to as the Williams Creek Hospital, was at Maryville, a little settlement across the creek from Cameronton. The original three room hospital contained a ward, kitchen, and doctor's office and served until 1891 when a more spacious facility was erected on a new site. The Royal Cariboo Hospital was the only one in the region and it operated continuously until 1925. A hospital was opened at Wells but proved too small from the outset and the old Barkerville hospital was reconditioned and reopened in 1935. The Royal Cariboo General Hospital Association was incorporated on 14 March 1935 with the aim of establishing, erecting, maintaining, managing and operating a general hospital for the treatment of all diseases of the body and for relief from sickness and injury. The hospital opened on 1 July 1935 and was destroyed by fire on 29 March 1936. The Hospital Board felt that circumstances did not warrant the re-establishment of the hospital, but the board remained in existence and managed hospital funds. The incorporation of the Royal Cariboo General Hospital Association was cancelled on 5 January 1950. MS-2566 consists of early records of the Royal Cariboo Hospital, correspondence (1864-1870), accounts (1865 - when it was known as the Williams Creek Hospital) and later records of the Royal Cariboo General Hospital Association, correspondence (1934-1949), financial records (1935-1946), members (1934-1935), some copies of patient summaries (1935-1936) and reports and proceedings (1935-1946).