South Side in Billings in Yellowstone County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

St. Vincent Healthcare

The Sisters of Charity Arrive

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 15, 2020

1. St. Vincent Healthcare Marker

Captions: (upper left) In 1930, Ernest Hemingway spent seven weeks at St. Vincent Hospital recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident. Hemingway's story "The Gambler, The Nun and the Radio" is based on this experience.; (bottom left) Print advertisement for the original St. Vincent Hospital, 1919.; (bottom center L) Marillac Hall (foreground left) opened in 1947 to provide classrooms and dormitories for nursing students at the Independent School of Nursing alongside St. Vincent Hospital.; (bottom center R) St. Vincent Cadet Nurses graduation class, 1945. The hospital nursing program trained nurses for Cadet Corp duty during World War II.; (bottom right) St. Vincent Hospital soon after opining its new facility in 1923 on North 30th Street, just north of downtown Billings.; (upper right) A polio pandemic occurred from 1916-1919. St. Vincent responded by opening an Orthopedic School to help treat children.

Inscription. St. Vincent Hospital, Billing's (sic) first hospital, opened in 1899. The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas organized the original hospital at the corner of Division Street and Broadwater Avenue. An early admissions book recorded patients admitted with gunshot wounds, frozen feet and hands, ailments caused by drinking, railroad accidents, and snakebite. Other reasons included "kicked by horse." "run over by wagon." and "morphine fiend." Typhoid and tuberculosis afflicted many in the early years.
Saint Vincent Hospital opened a new facility on N 30th St in 1923. The Hospital campus continues to expand and was named St. Vincent Healthcare in 2000.
From its modest beginnings over 100 years ago, St. Vincent Healthcare has grown into one of Montana's largest comprehensive hospitals, serving the healthcare needs of over 400,000 people in a four-state area.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine.

Location. 45° 47.035′ N, 108° 29.932′ W. Marker is in Billings, Montana, in Yellowstone County. It is in the South Side. Marker can be reached from Montana Avenue (Business Interstate 90) near North 23rd Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is found on the fence paralleling the railroad tracks.

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Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 Montana Avenue, Billings MT 59101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Black Gold (a few steps from this marker); The Iron Horse Comes To Billings (a few steps from this marker); All We Need is Some Water (a few steps from this marker); The People's Mansion (a few steps from this marker); Houses of Ill Repute (a few steps from this marker); Teddy Roosevelt Visits the Depot - 1918 (a few steps from this marker); Parks for the People (within shouting distance of this marker); The Yellowstone Garage - 1920 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Billings.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 15, 2020

2. St. Vincent Healthcare Marker

The marker is located farther down the fence line.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 449 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.