Early Doctors
Information comes from Treasured Tidbits of Time Volume I by Jens Patrick Wilde
Although three early doctors visited in the Montpelier area they did not become an official part of the valley medical history. Dr. Marcus Whitman lead his first wagon train across the Oregon Trail in 1842 and returned again the following year. They camped in Montpelier where the stream came from the mountain.
Next was Dr. John Ellis who was actually an early settler with the first sixteen families to arrive at Montpelier but he failed to stay and moved on again after spending one winter. The extent of his medical service is unknown and has not been recorded.
The third doctor, Dr. Waid Howard, also a traveler on the Oregon Trail, arrived here in late July 1866 and did spend an extra day in treating several cases of measles before he moved on to the gold fields of Montana. Thus a traveling doctor became the first professional man to provide service in Montpelier.
Montpelier Examiner, Saturday, 16 April 1896, page 1
Dr. J Schefstad, who has permanently located in Montpelier, will extract teeth free of charge on Monday of each week, til May 15th. He makes a specialty of gold crown and bridge work. All work warranted. Office next door to Hunter House.
**************************
Dr. Adolphus Lendon Chilton was born 9 Jan 1888 in Kendall Kansas, the son of George H & Laura L. He was an optometrist who maintained an office in Montpelier. He died 28 Nov 1944 in Pocatello and was buried in Salt Lake City.
Arthur B Clark came from Richville, Utah to St Charles in 1881. He was a dentist, serving surrounding communities. He lived in St Charles with his family until 1885, when they moved to Star Valley, Wyoming-History of Bear Lake Pioneers, page 131
D T Davis, The Pioneer Dentist. All work known to modern dentistry successfully performed. Charges reasonable. Montpelier. Advertisement 1 May 1896.
Dr. Warren West is believed to be the first fully accredited doctor to serve in Paris. He came, either in the fall of 1899 or the spring of 1900 and for a short time he became the county physician. He did not desire to hold that position and it reverted back to Dr. Hoover.
Dr. De Orr Poynter came to Montpelier in 1901 and worked as an assistant to Dr. Hoover and eventually became his assistant. He bought an automobile in 1906 and was credited with being the first person to drive an automobile from Montpelier. He established a third drugstore at the corner of 9th and Washington. He stayed in Bear Lake until 1914 when he replaced Dr. Hoover as administrator of the institution at Blackfoot. When the Idaho Medical Association was organized he was elected as the first president. He helped write the by laws that are still in existence today. In 1917 he transferred to Nampa and later moved to California where he lived out the remainder of his life.
Dr. George West, brother of Warren, was one of the first in Star Valley. The two had attended the same medical schools and often teamed up on major operations. About 1905 Dr. West closed his office on the corner of Main and Center street in Paris and moved to St Anthony where he worked for four years before his brother joined him. Both men later went into the United States Medical Corp and had reached the rank of Captain when World War II broke out. The served in field hospitals in Germany and then returned to establish a practice in California.
Dr. Angus Phillips was a Scottish physician who came to Utah as a convert of the Mormon Church. He served about one year in Salt Lake as a general practitioner and was then called to go to Bear Lake and teach anatomy at the Academy. He arrived in 1901 and taught three house daily at the Academy and then held regular hours. He was considered a well educated man and a good enough doctor, but he was not accepted by the people. He got into trouble because of his liberated instructions in his anatomy classes. It was felt by the parents that he was far too explicit in his lectures. He resigned after his second year and moved to Ogden where he practiced successfully for many years.
Dr. D H Holbrook established his license in 1903 and worked in Montpelier for two years before moving out to Georgetown. He set up practice in 1906 in Georgetown but found the population too small and too healthy to support his services. He moved to Lebanon, Oregon.
Dr. Joseph William Hayward established a practice in June of 1907 in Paris. He served there one year and spent much of 1908 traveling about the country. On August 14, 1908, he came back to Paris where he remained several years and then moved on to Twist, Washington.
Dr. Will Rich arrived in Paris in 1907 but stayed only a few months before moving on to Morgan Utah.
Dr. John A Aulguire was born 4 Oct 1860 in New York, son of John & Elizabeth. He came to Bear Lake in 1888 and married Elizabeth Pugmire in 1892. He died 29 July 1908 in Pocatello and was buried in St Charles Cemetery.
Dr. D G Ashley built Bear Lake's first major hospital in 1912. The building still stands and is known as the Mary K Apartments.
Dr. George Frederick Ashley practiced in Paris and Montpelier. He was born 15 Dec 1875 in Tewkesbury England, son of George & Sarah Jane. He died 14 May 1938 in Montpelier and was buried in the Montpelier Cemetery.
Dr. Leo Paul Gaertner was born 21 Oct 1889 in Wayne Co. Nebraska and married Isabelle Bagley 4 Aug 1921 in Blackfoot Idaho. He was the first hospital's administrator. He died 28 Jan 1962 in Montpelier.
Dr. R B Lindsay came from Lindsayville, the south end of Nounan Valley. He first practiced in Cokeville then moved to Montpelier. He and Dr. Reed Rich needed a place to perform surgery so they started the Bear Lake County Hospital over the Fair Store.
They Hayward brothers, Joseph William and Joseph Clement, earned doctor's degrees and practiced in Bear Lake during the last part of the 1900s.
Dr, Edwin Fernando Guyon came to Montpelier in 1896 and practiced there until he died in 1938.
Dr. Reed J Rich was a native of Bear Lake and came to Montpelier and established an office above the Fair Store. In conjunction with Dr. R B Lindsay, they obtained some adjoining rooms to his office and started the Bear Lake County Hospital. Dr. Reed J Rich 1986 obituary
Dr. G T Parkinson came to Bear Lake on 4 May 1911, and formed a partnership with Dr. Guyon.
Dr. Walter S Hoge practiced dentistry in Paris from 1907 until 1911 when he moved to Idaho Falls.
Dr. Emmett James Howell born 11 May 1874 in Fish Haven, son of Henry & Frances; died 9 June 1930 in Salt Lake City Utah; buried in Fish Haven Cemetery.
Dr. Donald Nielson Meek was a dentist in Paris in 1933. Dr. Meek was born in Salt Lake City and died in Preston.