Walthill in Thurston County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2022
1. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital Marker
This hospital is named in honor of the first Native American woman physician. Dr. Picotte (1865-1915) was the daughter of Mary Gale and Iron Eye, also known as Joseph La Flesche, the last traditionally recognized chief of the Omaha tribe. She was educated at the Elizabeth Institute for Young Women (New Jersey), the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (Virginia) and The Womans Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she graduated first in her class in 1889.
She returned to the Omaha Reservation to serve both the Native American and white communities as a physician, civic leader, Native American rights activist, and outspoken advocate of public health and sanitation. A dedicated physician despite a painful disease that diminished her own health, Dr. Picotte was known for keeping a lighted lamp in the window of her home to welcome patients in the night.
In 1913 she fulfilled her goal of establishing a hospital to serve the community of Walthill and surrounding area. The hospital, which now houses the Susan La Flesche Picotte Center, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and named a National Historic
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Erected by Susan LaFlesche Picotte Center, Inc.; and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 385.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Science & Medicine • Women. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.
Location. 42° 9.09′ N, 96° 28.634′ W. Marker is in Walthill, Nebraska, in Thurston County. It is on U.S. 77 Ό mile north of North Main Street (State Highway 94), on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in a pull-out on the west side of the highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Walthill NE 68067, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and on the prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2022
2. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital (approx. 0.9 miles away); Winnebago Scouts (approx. 6½ miles away); Omaha Tribe (approx. 6.6 miles away); Combs School (approx. 9.9 miles away); John G. Neihardt Center (approx. 11 miles away); John G. Neihardt Study (approx. 11 miles away); M60A3 Tank (approx. 11 miles away); Bancroft (approx. 11.2 miles away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital
Also see . . .
1. Susan La Flesche Picotte.
As a young woman, La Flesche applied to the Womans Medical College of Pennsylvania. It was a bold move on her part. At this time, even the most privileged women in America faced enormous backlash when attempting a medical degree. Male doctors wrote that academic stress could make women infertile and having smaller brains made them incapable of medical practice. Despite this, La Flesche graduated a year early and first in her class. Rejecting a potentially comfortable(Submitted on September 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)life on the east coast, she returned to the Omaha reservation and became the sole doctor for more than 1,200 people across 400+ miles. She was 24 years old.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 20223. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital(located 1 mile west of this marker, at 503 Matthewson Street in Walthill)
2. Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte.
Susan La Flesche Picotte was first person to receive federal aid for professional education, and the first American Indian woman in the United States to receive a medical degree. In her remarkable career she served more than 1,300 people over 450 square miles, giving financial advice and resolving family disputes as well as providing medical care at all hours of the day and night.(Submitted on September 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Susan La Flesche Picotte First Native Physician.
The Womans Medical College of Pennsylvania was one of the only medical schools on the East Coast to accept women as students in the late 1800s. There La Flesche studied chemistry, pharmaceutical science, obstetrics, anatomy, and histology, along with general medicine. Overcoming the stigma of women being in higher education, and the racism against her native heritage, La Flesche thrived at the Philadelphia school, becoming valedictorian and graduating at the top of her class on March 14, 1889. She worked an internship for a year in Pennsylvania afterward.(Submitted on September 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 399 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
