A lot has
happened at Mayers Memorial Hospital District since the 1950's and there is a
lot more to come. We invite you to take this historical journey with us over
the next few months. Read more about how it all began:
Mayers
Memorial Hospital was first formed in the hearts and minds of Dr. and Mrs.
Howard Mayers, who arrived in the Intermountain region in 1938. Like many
country doctors, Dr. Mayers received much of his pay in produce and often gave
up his own bed to a patient who needed care. Over the years, Dr. & Mrs.
Mayers began to envision a hospital that would provide the needs of residents
in these rural communities.
In 1951,
Dr. Mayers held a meeting in his home to share his vision with local citizens.
As he presented the benefits a local hospital would bring, it did not take long
for key community leaders to join him in his vision. Enthusiasm spread very
quickly and the community eagerly backed his plan. Only one month later, long
before the hospital could become a reality, Dr. Mayers and his wife were killed
in a tragic automobile accident. Broken hearted by the loss but motivated to
carry on the dream, the residents of Fall River Mills and surrounding
communities began to raise funds to build a rural community hospital in memory
of Dr. and Mrs. Mayers. Anna McArthur, one of the community's local residents,
donated land on which to build the hospital. Numerous residents joined forces
to raise the funds necessary to realize their goal.
A daunting
task for any community, raising enough money to build a hospital would likely
not have been feasible for this rural region if not for Bing Crosby, one of the
part-time residents of the Intermountain area. With help from community
organizers, Mr. Crosby agreed to put on a benefit show to help raise the
necessary funds. What began as a small show in the garden of the Jack Martin's
Rising River Ranch skyrocketed into a gala production at the Intermountain
Fairgrounds. Local residents were the driving force in the planning and
organizing of this incredible event, and Bing Crosby, Phil Harris and other
Hollywood celebrities helped draw crowds from well beyond the region. Needless
to say, the fundraiser was a great success. A year later, at the request of
local community members, Mr. Crosby and friends produced a second show to help
finance the furnishings and equipment for Mayers Memorial Hospital.
Construction of the 10-bed building was completed in March 1956.