Medical advances in the last century, like antibiotics, have saved countless lives. Most though haven’t left a noticeable mark on the landscape, with one exception. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of the region’s foothill tuberculosis sanitariums, and where they are today.
In the early 20th century, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in the United States. It’s caused by a bacteria that attacks the lungs. And in the days before antibiotics, physicians and public health leaders struggled to find treatments and a cure.
One solution was the “sanitarium” – special hospitals for TB patients that would provide an optimum environment to recover. The thinking was that with fresh air and sunlight, as well as isolation, patients could beat the disease. Here in Central California, local counties built sanitariums in the foothills – places that were generally above the blanket of winter fog, retreats for recovery and health.
In 1918, Madera, Merced and Stanislaus Counties built a facility on 480 acres of land in the community of Ahwahnee, near Oakhurst. Tri-County Tuberculosis Sanatorium was reportedly designed by pioneering female architect Julia Morgan. You might have heard of one of her other designs – Casa Grande, better known as Hearst Castle. It closed in 1969, and is now the site of Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park.
In the hills near Auberry, Fresno County leaders built a sanitarium known as Wish-I-Ah in 1928. It closed in 1955, and became a nursing home, and was shuttered in 2014 over allegations of poor patient conditions.
One of the largest facilities was built by Kings and Tulare Counties in Springville. It too was designed by Julia Morgan and operated from 1918 until the 1950s. Today it is the Sequoia Dawn senior housing development.
Perhaps the most famous sanitarium in our region was in the Kern County community of Keene. The Stony Brook Retreat served patients for decades before it was acquired by the United Farm Workers labor union. Renamed La Paz, it is now the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument and is managed by the National Park Service.
So what caused all of these facilities to close? The development of streptomycin in 1943 revolutionized TB treatment, saving countless lives and making these recovery facilities obsolete.
