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Growing Beyond Their Dreams

Medical Doctors

From its founding until shortly after the town’s centennial Steamboat Rock, was always served by fine dedicated doctors.

 

Steamboat Rock’s first doctor, Dr. O. G. Fisher, came from Saratoga, New York, and arrived in Steamboat Rock in 1855. In 1858 he moved to Eldora and later moved to the Sioux City, area. Fisher was considered to be only a fair doctor, but maintained a good practice.

 

In 1857, both doctor’s Foster and Orin Peabody came and both remained until 1859.

 

Dr. Myron Underwood came in May of 1858, and in July 1959, he moved his practice to Eldora.

 

Dr. Underwood was followed by Dr. A. E. Wright and Dr. Dyer, who both came in 1860. Wright left in 1863. Dr. Dyer had left in 1862, and was replaced that same year by a Dr. Smith, who stayed two years. It seems the Steamboat Rock was with out a doctor for the next two years.

 

Dr. A. A. Campbell came in 1866, and Dr. W.C. Tracy arrived in 1868, staying until 1872. Dr. Campbell died in 1879. It is not known if he continued his practice until his death.

 

Dr. E. Clark, had arrived in 1873 along with a Dr. Baker. Baker remained until 1877 and Clark until 1883.

 

Dr. E. H. King, had arrived in 1875, and Dr. Winthrop came in 1876. Winthrop only stayed one year. Dr. King remained until 1878.

 

Dr. A. L. Lowe came in 1878, and remained one year, and Dr. Watson Roberts came in 1879, and stayed only one year.

 

Dr. Moab Caldwell, also came in 1879, and practiced medicine for two years, until 1881. Caldwell began a practice that included three generations of Caldwells. He being followed by his son and grandson in practice in Steamboat Rock.

 

There is little information available about many of Steamboat Rock’s early doctors other than one or two. Dr. A. E. Wright came to the area early on, not as a doctor but as a prospector for gold. Doc Wright may well have been one of the more colorful characters of our past not withstanding his being one of the more brilliant medical practitioners to serve the community.

 

Herbert Quick discussed the doctor at great length in his autobiography, One Man’s Life, saying, “Any talk with him (Doc Wright) was sure to be interesting.”

 

When he came to the area seeking gold, he had been misled by mica in the sands of the Iowa River. He didn’t find any gold here but he did succeed in starting gold fever in Hardin County. He had earlier prospected in California with John Royal, one of the town founders, when the gold rush erupted there.

 

His prospecting party encountered a grizzly bear and they shot and wounded the creature. Everyone ran, but Doc Wright was caught between the bear and a corner in the rocks. He emptied his rifle into the already wounded and terribly angry animal, and it still kept coming. He had nothing left with which to fight his foe save a Bowie knife.

 

His companions had returned to their camp and reported that a bear had killed the good doctor. A party was sent to retrieve his remains and found the doctor lying under the body of the bear, still grasping the knife, which was buried in the beast’s heart.

 

John Royal insisted the rest of his life that he had seen Doc Wright’s heart. Before the doctor had killed his foe, the bear had torn two or three of his ribs completely out, which accounts for his heart being on display at the time. One of his ears (the left) was gone with a section of his skull.

Dr. A. E. Wright, "Doc Grizzly"

The doctor’s prognosis was grave, and he himself pronounced it so. He being the only doctor in the camp you might think that they would accept his verdict and dispense the remedy he requested. But the doctor had begged them to put him out of his misery with a bullet through the brain. They refused to do so and the doctor lived, and ended up hale and hearty many years later on a ranch somewhere in the mountains of Colorado.

 

Doc Wright acquired the nicknames of “Doc Grizzly” and “Grizzly Wright.” Herbert Quick remembered his appearance when he later served as Steamboat Rock’s doctor, saying, “I remember him as having a strange naked side to his head, with a smooth place where his ear should have been.”

 

Quick went on to describe his ability as a doctor saying, “He was a doctor with a diploma, and one of the most interesting characters of early Iowa. When I was a little chap smallpox of the virulent type broke out in our community (Steamboat Rock). The first case was correctly diagnosed by Doctor Wright; but the other physicians scouted the idea. The common people are prone to suspicion, and we always believe that the doctors did not desire to stop an epidemic which would give them something to do. I have no doubt now that in this we did them an injustice.”

 

“’They say,’ said Doctor Wright to my parents, ‘that it is not smallpox; but I tell you that if it’s not it’s something just as bad. Keep away from it.’”

 

“At last the profession generally admitted the smallpox. and called upon every one to come and be vaccinated at an expense the amount I have forgotten. Doctor Wright provided himself with vaccine matter, and went all about the country vaccinating all and sundry free of charge. He came to religious services one Sunday, and had Elder Stirickler the Dunkard preacher announce that if the congregation would go to Mr. Quick’s house after the sermon they would be vaccinated free of charge by Doctor Wright. I remember the incident myself, and I have a scar on my arm as a memorandum. There was a good deal of feeling against the doctor on the part of his fellow practitioners; but it led to none of the personal encounters which at one time seemed imminent. I suspect that they remembered the fate of the grizzly.”