Wisconsin Rapids in Wood County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Our Medical History

150 Years of Caring

— 1855-2007 —

Our Medical History Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

1. Our Medical History Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

A Tribute to our Physicians & Nursing Personnel of the 19th & 20th Centuries
1855 • ”Hospital” — Above Otto Drugs
1855 • Dr. G.W. Whitney — Grand Rapids
1856 • Dr. Patrick Hurley — Centralia

1905 • Physician Owned Hospital — Grand Rapids
Frank D. Humphrey, M.D., Surgeon-in-Chief
Harriett O. Blanchar, Supt. Of Nurses
Wm. O. Blanchar, M.D., First M.D.
W. Melvin Ruckle, M.D., Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

1912 • Community Assocn. formed to ensure healthcare for the future. — “Riverview Hospital Association”
George W. Mead I
Miss Emma Dahlke, R.N.
Riverview Hospital Nurses’ Training School Diploma — 1912-1923

1917 • Hospital Expansion
Agnes Dunigan, R.N.

Nov. 1940 • Three sets of twins at Riverview
Coba Kelly, Norma Markworth, Mildred Demitz

1942 • Hospital Addition

1954 • Hospital Auxiliary Founded
Tele-care program — Mary Rezen
May 12, 1954 — Salk Polio Vaccine
Bonnie Sorensen, R.N., Edna Bach,

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R.N., Joan Muth, R.N.

N.W. Arendt, M.D. • C.J. Arendt, M.D. • F.X. Pomainville, M.D. • L.C. Pomainville, M.D. • H.G. Pomainville, M.D. • W.L. Nelson, M.D. • Rogers Garrison, M.D. • Otto Backus, M.D. • E.E. Debus, M.D. • E.C. Glenn, M.D. • George Handy, M.D. • J.W. Schaller, M.D. • A.W. Hulme, M.D. • J.E. Thompson, M.D. • R.L. Johnson, M.D. • A.M. Lucas, M.D. • L.R. Pfeiffer, M.D. • Cliff Starr, M.D. • A.W. Wittchow, M.D. • C.F. Wood, M.D. • William Allen, M.D. • Hugh Waters, M.D. • Donald Waters, M.D. • George Pomainville, M.D.

1967 • New Hospital

2007 • Riverview Hospital
Today, Riverview Hospital is busy meeting the health-care needs of south Wood County and the surrounding area. We are proud of our long history.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.

Location. 44° 23.415′ N, 89° 49.454′ W. Marker is in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, in Wood County. Marker is at the intersection of 3rd Street South and East Grand Avenue, on the right when traveling north on 3rd Street South. Marker is located on the northwest side of the Wisconsin Rapids Post Office building, facing 3rd Street South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 320 East Grand Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids WI 54494, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker

Our Medical History Marker (<i>left detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

2. Our Medical History Marker (left detail)

. Ho-Chunk 32nd "Red Arrow" Division Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Winnebago Indians (about 500 feet away); Grand Rapids of the Wisconsin River (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wood County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); “The Iron Horse in Grand Rapids” (approx. ¼ mile away); Corenso North America (approx. 0.3 miles away); Myron "Grim" Natwick (approx. 0.3 miles away); Elizabeth Daly House (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wisconsin Rapids.

Also see . . . The history of Riverview Hospital. Wisconsin Rapids Tribune website entry:
Organized medical care in Grand Rapids, now Wisconsin Rapids, began with Dr. C.W. Whitney in 1855. He was a general practitioner and worked alone, as there was no nurse or assistant available. It was not uncommon for surgeries to be performed on the kitchen table. The following year, Dr. Patrick Hurley arrived in Centralia on the west side of the river. He made house calls, traveling by horseback, carrying surgical instruments and medicines in his saddlebags. When streets were made, he bought the area’s first buggy. (Submitted on April 15, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Our Medical History Marker (<i>center-left detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

3. Our Medical History Marker (center-left detail)

Our Medical History Marker (<i>center-right detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

4. Our Medical History Marker (center-right detail)

Our Medical History Marker (<i>right detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

5. Our Medical History Marker (right detail)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 6, 2017

6. Our Medical History Marker

(Wisconsin Rapids Post Office is behind marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 147 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 15, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6. submitted on April 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.