Catholic Health Care in the Wild West: A Case Study of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Virginia City, Nevada

Summary

Virginia City, Nevada was a thriving mining boomtown in the late nineteenth century. Saint Mary’s Hospital provided quality health care to the citizens of Virginia City from 1875 to 1897. Administered by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, this private medical institution was greatly influenced by the Catholic Church. Considering its pivotal role as both a religious and social institution, the hospital site can provide great insights into the civic life of a community that was dominated by the mining industry. This poster will present preliminary findings from the 2012 University of Nevada, Reno field school carried out at the Saint Mary’s Hospital site. Analysis will focus on artifacts which reflect the institutional nature of the hospital and which can provide insights into how this particular institution shaped, and was shaped by, the lives of its staff and its patients.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013   •
• Poster Session 2

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Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 527