Woodruff in Oneida County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb
7-26-1886 - 5-30-1956
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, September 23, 2016
1. Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb Marker
Inscription.
Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb. On this site, Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, a well-respected and loved physician, provided medical care from her office and treatment room during the 1940s and 1950s. One of only two doctors for the vast northern Wisconsin area, she treated local residents and tourists, traveling over 300 square miles to make house calls through blizzards and subzero temperatures. Her modes of transportation included a canoe, her modified Model T car equipped with tracks and skis, on foot or by snowshoe. She delivered over 3,000 babies without ever losing a mother or baby. , By 1949 it became clear that the northern region desperately needed a hospital. Dr. Kate had to travel with her patients to hospitals in bigger communities or as far as Ironwood, MI. The Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Lions Club as well as churches, civic clubs, tourists and residents literally dug in and poured a foundation on land donated by a local couple. After funding resources dwindled in 1952, the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff High School Geometry teacher, Mr. Otto Burich, and his class came up with an idea that caught on nationwide. The goal was to collect a million pennies, and on Memorial Day 1953 The Million Penny Parade was held in Woodruff with 10,000 people in attendance to celebrate the collection of pennies from all 48 states and all continents. The Lakeland Memorial Hospital located in Woodruff opened debt free in March 1954. Community spirit, generosity, hard work, imagination and faith built a hospital for Dr. Kate. , Dr. Kate’s remarkable life has been commemorated in books, articles in Reader’s Digest, LOOK magazine, Woman’s Day magazine, US News, and publications throughout the world. She was a guest on the television show hosted by Ralph Edwards “THIS IS YOUR LIFE” in March 1954. Her unique role as a female physician is taught to today’s students throughout Wisconsin social studies classes. This site commemorates Dr. Kate’s contributions to the medical community in the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff area and in the state of Wisconsin, where her legacy lives on.
On this site, Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, a well-respected and loved physician, provided medical care from her office and treatment room during the 1940s and 1950s. One of only two doctors for the vast northern Wisconsin area, she treated local residents and tourists, traveling over 300 square miles to make house calls through blizzards and subzero temperatures. Her modes of transportation included a canoe, her modified Model T car equipped with tracks and skis, on foot or by snowshoe. She delivered over 3,000 babies without ever losing a mother or baby.
By 1949 it became clear that the northern region desperately needed a hospital. Dr. Kate had to travel with her patients to hospitals in bigger communities or as far as Ironwood, MI. The Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Lions Club as well as churches, civic clubs, tourists and residents literally dug in and poured a foundation on land donated by a local couple. After funding resources dwindled in 1952, the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff High School Geometry teacher, Mr. Otto Burich, and his class came up with an idea that caught on nationwide. The goal was to collect a million pennies, and on Memorial Day 1953 The Million Penny Parade was held in Woodruff with 10,000 people in attendance to celebrate the collection of pennies from all 48 states and all continents. The Lakeland Memorial Hospital located
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in Woodruff opened debt free in March 1954. Community spirit, generosity, hard work, imagination and faith built a hospital for Dr. Kate.
Dr. Kate’s remarkable life has been commemorated in books, articles in Reader’s Digest, LOOK magazine, Woman’s Day magazine, US News, and publications throughout the world. She was a guest on the television show hosted by Ralph Edwards “THIS IS YOUR LIFE” in March 1954. Her unique role as a female physician is taught to today’s students throughout Wisconsin social studies classes. This site commemorates Dr. Kate’s contributions to the medical community in the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff area and in the state of Wisconsin, where her legacy lives on.
Erected 2016 by Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 563.)
Location. 45° 53.737′ N, 89° 41.933′ W. Marker is in Woodruff, Wisconsin, in Oneida County. Marker is at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and U.S. 51, on the right when traveling east on 2nd Avenue. Marker is located on the grounds of the Dr. Kate Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 923 2nd Avenue, Woodruff WI 54568, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers.
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, September 23, 2016
Also see . . . Dr. Kate Museum website. (Submitted on September 29, 2016, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin.)
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, September 23, 2016
3. Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb Marker
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, September 23, 2016
4. Mr. and Mrs. Burich Memorial
next to the Dr. Kate marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2016, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 559 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on November 9, 2021. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 27, 2016, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
