Edgecliff Sanatorium, a Spokane County tuberculosis hospital, was established in 1914 approximately, at that time, six miles from Spokane, Washington. Opening its doors to patients in 1915, Edgecliff had facilities for 58 adults and 35 children by 1918 when an additional building was under construction. Late in 1919 Dr. Frank Stephenson Miller (1890- ) succeeded Dr. Albert Ernest Stuht (1871- ) as Medical Director for the sanatorium. He was able to direct and oversee the growth of the facility in future decades. By 1920 the hospital had 140 beds and three buildings connected by covered runways. These were the hospital proper, ambulatory cottages and the children's pavilion. In 1932 there were an Administration Building, an Infirmary Building, two pavilions for adults, one pavilion for children, separate powerhouse, laundry and garage buildings plus a concrete vault for the storage of x-ray film. Capacity had increased to 165 patients, while full- and part-time staff totaled 55 persons. By 1950 the sanatorium had increased its patient capacity to 200 beds. Dr. Miller retired sometime after 1956.
Evelyn Joanne Logan, born Evelyn Joanne Horita on 1921 December 25, was the daughter of Wreath Beatrice Larson and Yuhei Horita. Information is scant about her early life but, according to relative Michele Ley, she lived for some time on a farm near Odessa, WA with her mother, siblings, and mother's third husband, Robert Buddrius. Her brother, George Buddrius, attended Whitman College, fought in the Pacific theatre in WWII, and went on to work at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. Evelyn married but the identity of her husband, aside from last name Logan, is not known and they later separated.
George reputedly contracted tuberculosis near the end of his service in WWII and Evelyn possibly caught the disease while visiting him. Evelyn received confirmation of her positive diagnosis in June of 1949. Only a few days later, her mother drove her to Edgecliff Sanitorium in Spokane to begin a course of treatment.
Evelyn died at Edgecliff Sanitorium on 1951 March 11 at the age of 29.
The records of the Edgecliff Sanatorium consist of a small portion of the original files of the hospital. These records are almost entirely correspondence, both incoming and out-going, of the Medical Directors, Albert Ernest Stuht and Frank Stephenson Miller, with prospective patients, county nurses and welfare boards, equipment supply firms, the Spokane County Commissioners and other officials, tuberculosis and medical associations and other physicians. None of the patient case records or the staff personnel records were received. One patient diary, from a private donor, is included. The collection focuses more on the administrative management of the hospital than on the care and treatment of tuberculosis, though this is naturally reflected in the papers.
The Statistical Reports include brief runs of the annual American Medical Association census reports and the monthly statistical reports on county institutions prepared for the Washington State Department of Social Security.
The Administrative Correspondence is mainly that of the Medical Director concerning hospital policies, treatment, fees, reports, donations, and building additions. Letters were received from other physicians, sanatoriums, prospective patients, the Veterans Administration, Washington State University, as well as tuberculosis and medical associations.
The Personnel file refers in part to the filling of staff positions and salaries and contains a sample employment application form. Two sanatorium patients who received National Youth Administration funds are the subject of a brief file of correspondence and NYA policies and regulations.
The Purchasing Correspondence mainly concerns the buying of hospital supplies such as bedding, furniture, mechanical equipment, food and cleaning supplies. Part of the correspondence pertains to the purchasing of medicine and narcotics, as well as games, books, magazines, newspapers, and motion pictures for the patients' recreational needs, the vocational training of the adults and use in the children's school.
Financial Correspondence and Records deal mainly with the Spokane County offices who handled the disbursements for the Sanatorium. Included in this series are ledgers, accounts and receipts.
The Patient Records consist of notices concerning regulations, policy changes for meals and other schedules and a ledger, entitled "Narcotic Book," which is a daily record of the patients' medication.
Patient Diaries consists of a single diary of patient Evelyn Joanne Logan (nee Horita) (1921-1951) who took treatment at Edgecliff between 1949 and 1951. Evelyn's diary begins with her treatment at Edgecliff and concludes shortly before her death on March 11 1951 at the age of 29.
The records are arranged chronologically in consecutively numbered folders in seven series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Edgecliff Sanatorium Records, 1915-1949 (Cage 180)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The records of the Edgecliff Sanatorium were deposited in the Washington State University Library by the sanatorium in 1964. Series 7 acquired by gift of individual donor in 2025 (MS 2025-16).
A preliminary inventory of the papers was prepared following their arrival in 1964. This was superseded when the materials were reprocessed in October 1973 by Cathy A. Bancroft. Series 7 added by Will Gregg in 2025.
This collection does not include the medical records of individual patients or personnel. Some of these are held at the Washington State Archives, as part of the Spokane County Government Records.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.