For The Madera Tribune
Dr. Dow Ransom.
Many of Madera’s old-timers retrieve that brown-stained, shingled-sided gathering connected Yosemite Avenue and I Street. It has a agelong and utile past, acknowledgment to Dr. Dow H. Ransom. It was erstwhile the Madera Sanitarium.
The Madera Sanitarium had its opening erstwhile Dr. Ransom, returning from work arsenic a surgeon successful the Army Medical Corps successful World War I, realized that the City of Madera was successful dire request of a infirmary facility.
The 1906 postgraduate of Cooper Medical School — present Stanford University Medical School — and his wife, Edythe Ransom, a postgraduate caregiver from St. Luke’s Hospital successful San Francisco, were like-minded and labored unneurotic to fulfill a dream. They wanted to crook that gathering connected Yosemite Avenue into a hospital.
Dr. Ransom had travel to Madera successful 1893, the twelvemonth Madera County separated from Fresno County. He was a subordinate of the 4th graduating people of Madera High School, and was nary alien to work. Both earlier and aft schoolhouse and connected holidays and Saturdays, Dr. Ransom was employed successful Fred Barcroft’s hardware store and plumbing shop, which was located successful the Fred Barcroft Building, a 3 communicative ceramic operation that inactive stands connected the southbound broadside of Yosemite Avenue.
Upon graduating from Madera High School, Dr. Ransom went to San Francisco wherever helium attended and graduated from Cooper’s Medical College, which aboriginal became portion of Stanford University. As helium did astatine Madera High, Ransom worked his mode done aesculapian school.
Upon receiving his licence to signifier medicine, Dr. Ransom returned to Madera to bent his shingle. His occurrence successful his location municipality was alternatively antithetic fixed the information that it was mostly accepted that a section lad could not participate the aesculapian tract and beryllium a occurrence successful his ain location town.
When the United States entered World War I, Ransom enlisted and was assigned to a New York infirmary with the fertile of Lieutenant. With the warfare over, helium came location and acceptable retired to crook aged gathering into a infirmary — the Madera Sanitarium.
In the opening the location had been the location of W.C. Maze, a pioneer existent property developer and atom grower successful Madera. He built the operation successful 1 of his atom fields successful 1907 to location his bride. At that time, the spot was astir surrounded by atom fields, which stretched crossed to contiguous time Highway 99.
The location was aboriginal acquired by John M. Griffin, and aged timers could callback each those glorious parties and dances fixed determination by the Griffins and their 3 daughters, Eileen, Maureen, and Dorothy.
The home, with its long, wide porches, spacious rooms, fireplaces, glimmering chandeliers, and abundant plot was 1 of aboriginal Madera’s honest-to-goodness amusement places.
So erstwhile Dr. Ransom returned from the War successful 1919, helium purchased the spot and converted it into a hospital. In 1935, helium remodeled the gathering again. The porches were enclosed to accommodate much backstage rooms for patients. In 1935, the country outgo was $6 per day, with nary other complaint for medication.
On Saturday, April 6, 1946, Madera mislaid the laminitis of the Sanitarium. Death came to Dr. Ransom astatine his beauteous location astatine 301 North C Street. Although helium had not been successful cleanable health, his passing came precise abruptly to each who knew him. He simply went to furniture and didn’t aftermath up.
Private ceremonial services were conducted for Dr. Ransom connected Tuesday, April 9, 1946, astatine Jay Chapel with the Rev. Chester Hill officiating. Interment followed successful Fresno’s Memorial Mausoleum. Flowers were omitted from the services.
Dr. Ransom was survived by his wife, his son, Dow H. Ransom, Jr., MD, his girl Ida Mae Edmonston, 4 brothers, 1 sister, and 5 grandchildren. His daughter, Lucetta who was joined to Judge Philip Conley predeceased him.
He besides near a heart-broken community, galore of whom person not forgotten him to this precise day.
English (US)