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Friday, April 11, 2014

THE TWO DOCTOR BATES by Doris McCraw



Before 1900, Denver had two women doctors with the same name: Dr. Mary Bates. Although there is still so much to learn about these two women, their stories so far are still the stuff of legends. The stories can and will lead to so much more.

Putting their stories into context, Colorado became a state in 1876. The early days of Colorado were filled with people seeking gold and other minerals to be found in the high mountains. If they weren’t searching for gold, remember the 1859 “Pikes Peak or Bust” slogan, they were providing services and goods for the searchers. There also was an influx of people who found the Colorado climate beneficial for their health. This combination lead many women to brave the new territory to practice their medical skills.

MINE IN LEADVILLE IN 1908
The first Dr. Bates to arrive was Mary Helen Barker Bates (b.1845-d.1934). She was the daughter of Dr. Ezra Barker who had a practice in New York. This Mary graduated from the Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia. Before she moved to Colorado she practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah, where some of her patients were the family of Mormon leader Brigham Young. (The family site said she was “Brigham Young's Family Physician”. There she met and married George Bates in 1876. Two years later in 1878, at the age of 33, she and George moved to the mining town of Leadville, Colorado where George was an attorney and Mary practiced medicine.

Leadville, for those who don’t know, sits at 10,152 feet above sea level in the Colorado Rockies. During the 1870's- 80's it was a booming town. It was here the Guggenheims, Horace Tabor and others made their fortunes in silver. Even Doc Holliday spent time there.

From the Hayden survey of the Colorado Territory in July of 1869. Two miles south of Georgetown on the Denver road.
While there, one source says Dr. Bates founded the Ladies Relief Hospital. In 1881 she and George moved to Denver for his health. When Colorado started licensing physicians in 1881, Mary was one of the first women licensed by the State. (Her license #271). She took special interest in Woman’s Suffrage, children and education. She introduced the Colorado Law for the Examination and Care of Public School Children which went into effect in 1910.

"Denver in 1898"
Our second Mary, Mary Elizabeth Bates (b.1851 d.1954) arrived in Denver in 1891. Prior to arriving in Colorado she was the first woman intern (1882-1883) at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois after a grueling exam in which she beat out a number of male candidates. She studied in Vienna from 1883-1884. Upon her return she was a professor of anatomy at the Woman’s Medical College in Chicago from 1884-1889. After moving to Colorado she also was involved in the Woman’s Suffrage movement and was part of the group that affected the passage of the 1893 referendum which gave Colorado women the right to vote. This Dr. Mary Bates also was a champion of the strict adherence to the liquor and gambling laws of the state. Her other passion was animal rights and prior to her death in 1954 she created the Mary Elizabeth Bates Foundation for animal care.

32 comments:

  1. DORIS! It's good to see you on the PRP blog, sweetheart. How did this sneak up on me? :-D

    I always enjoy your posts. Your devotion to researching women's history is nothing short of inspiring (you history nerd you ;-) ). Can you just imagine the courage and adventurous spirits (not to mention stubbornness) these women must have had? As contemporary women, I think we often forget how restrictive our foremothers must have found their environment. Thank goodness for these strong ladies who led the way. And thank goodness there are women like you to tell their tales, reminding us all that the battle continues even today. :-)

    BIG HUGS!!!!

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    1. Thank you Kathleen. I stumbled upon one early doctor, Julia E. Loomis, that no one had heard of, and then the rest as they say is history. I am glad to be here and share just a small part of the history with all of you.

      As you say, we sometimes forget what they did and went through. Doris

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  2. Doris, this is such a great post. One of the things to me that is so fascinating is that they both had the same name--and what are the odds of that happening "back then" when so very few women became doctors? I feel a story coming on! LOL

    Great post, and thanks so much for being with us today!
    Cheryl

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    1. Cheryl,
      I am honored to be here and share just a portion of the stories and information about these early pioneers. Like you I found it amazing that not only did they have the same name, but were so involved in the same interests.

      There are so many stories about a number of early women doctors that it keeps me busy trying to find them. Doris

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  3. What a great post Doris! It has all the beginnings of a very good story.

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    1. Thank you so much Jerry. These early women doctors have kinda' taken over my research life. *Smile* Now to find time to write the story. Doris

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  4. What wonderful information! I love learning about strong, brave women who laid such important foundations for our gender. We visited Leadville last October...great history!

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    1. Tanya, Leadville was one hopping town back then. Rich, rich history. You are like me, these women are amazing and they weren't the only ones. It has become a passion to get their stories out. Doris

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  5. Doris,
    Love the info! What amazing women. It's easy to wonder if writers today are imbuing female characters with more gusto than was reasonable for the time period. But research shows that not to be true, as you've shown here. Thanks for sharing.

    So great to have you here at the blog!!

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    1. Kristy, thank you for the welcome. I have found that these women were amazingly strong. You had to be to defy convention, especially the early one, and follow your dream path. So glad you enjoyed the post. Doris

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  6. Doris, I loved reading about the two Mary Bates-es. :) Thanks for posting at PRP today! You always have such interesting tidbits to share.

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    1. Thank you Jacquie and you are welcome. I love sharing the information about these and other early women doctors. Doris

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  7. Hi, Dori,
    There's so much to be learned about these and other intrepid women doctors on the frontier! I hope you continue to write about them and others!

    Carol

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    1. Thank you Carol. I am currently working on a small book about the women who were practicing medicine in the Pikes Peak Region prior to 1900 that are buried in the cemetery here, Evergreen. It is exciting to put their stories down for future generations. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. Doris

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  8. I didn't want to miss this story about the two Dr. Bates. How interesting..I enjoyed their stories and the description of the Pikes Peak region.

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    1. Celia, I was surprised when I realized the truth of their being two with the same name in the same place before 1900. That they went on to do such wonderful things was a plus. Thank you for stopping by. Doris

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  9. Great post...I want to know more. I want details of their cases and their day-to-day lives. Fascinating stuff. Thank you for posting this.

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    1. C. K., You and I are on the same page. Whether I find the day to day info or not, it will be a great chase. Thank you for your kind words and feedback. As I continue researching the women doctors practicing prior to 1900 I'll hopefully be able to share with folks. As I said earlier, working on a book of those in Colorado Springs buried in the cemetery here. Doris

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    2. Doris,
      A book like that will be such a wonderful resource. I think you have a ready-made market right here.

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    3. Kristy, If I do it correctly I hope it will be. These women deserve no less than everything I can give them. Doris

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  10. Doris,
    I have a book called "The Doctor Wore Petticoats" by Chris Enss. It has several stories about 'women physicians of the Old West', but it doesn't mention these two Bates doctors, so your information was doubly (pun intended lol) interesting to read. Thanks. :-)

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    1. Kaye, I have that book also. There are a lot of women doctors here in Colorado prior to 1900 that are not included in that great book. So glad you enjoyed it. (I loved the pun). These women are near and dear to my heart, and not just these two. Doris

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  11. It's so wild and crazy that there were two Dr. Mary Bates in the same place. I think I especially like Dr. Bates #2 because she also wanted better treatment animals.
    Isn't it fun finding these great historical facts. I love research.
    All the best...

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    1. Sarah, so do I love research. I think I am happiest in the special collections and old newspapers, etc.. I agree it is an interesting circumstance and that both were involved with the betterment of people and animals just adds to their mystic.

      Thanks for stopping by and letting me know I'm on the right track. Doris

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  12. Fascinating stories! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by Kathleen. That is great praise coming from you. Love your work.

      I have said and keep saying, these women are so special, and I want people to know more about the pioneering women who came to Colorado to practice medicine in the early days.

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  13. I want to know more! I enjoy history of the 19th century and still I was unaware of these two women and their accomplishments. In a time of male dominated society, both now and then, it is infinitely enlightening to learn of the little known, but integral, foundations of society that are the fairer gender. So many tales of the 19th century, if they even include women, focus on their often less than favorable careers in the "entertainment" business(es). Please continue this line of educational writing and consider expanding it into book form. Thank you so much for sharing. I like the interest point of the same name, that is an excellent "hook".

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    1. Scott, thank you for stopping by. Your insights, especially from the male perspective are always helpful. When I started on this journey with Julia E Loomis I also had no idea there were so many brave souls who were going when men had gone before. Still it makes sense for women have always been caretakers, now they just were doing it professionally. Doris

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  14. Very interesting! You are such a wonderful writer and I know you have done a lot of research on these women. They might yet get their time to shine. So many stories never come to light.
    I look forward to more information about the women doctors! Keep up the good work!

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    1. Thank you for the wonderful words of encouragement and kind words about my skills. I do believe that these women, all of them, and their lives just make telling the story east. (Once I finally find the information) Doris

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  15. Hi Doris,
    I love that you discovered the Drs. Mary Bates. Do you know if they ever met up? I'm imagining their conversation, over tea at the Brown Hotel!

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    1. Arletta, they could well have. They both were involved in women's causes and Denver was not that big yet. It is something I shall hopefully be able to document as I continue researching.

      I hadn't thought of them at the Brown, but what a thought.

      Thanks for stopping by and giving me more ideas and research possibilities. Doris

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