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Page last updated January 29, 2013
© Michael Kluckner
Sketched 2004
| "Tranquille"
is
the old King Edward VII tuberculosis sanatorium on the north side
of Kamloops Lake west of Kamloops. It is a fascinating collection
of buildings, established, I think, in 1911 by the provincial
government – the same McBride government, with Henry Esson Young
as minister of health, that created the mental hospital Essondale,
now known as Riverview, in Coquitlam). It was very much a
self-contained agrarian community, with its own power-generating
system, in its early years. The dozens of buildings dotted around
it are in the styles typical of government architecture from the
1910s through the 1950s. The CNR mainline crosses in the
foreground.
2004: The property has been sold, as I understand it, to Ed Nielsen who is exploring redevelopment/resort/retention opportunities. 2009: Ed Nielsen has been dead for a number of years now. Proper contact info would be directed to Troy Blysma at 250-318-6500 or Tim McLeod at 403-709-0032 or at the official website at http://www.tranquille.ca/Notes from Marilyn Bueckert in Ashcroft [2008] about researching former Tranquille residents: First of all, Darie Collins in the Cemetery Department in Kamloops is a very helpful lady as is Elizabeth Duckworth at the Kamloops Museum. The Cemetery was moved from the Provincial Home site (Tranquille) in the early 1960s. Unfortunately the provincial government was not that careful with its records. The bodies were reburied in two long trenches in their coffins in the adjoining Old Mans' Cemetery at 6th and Douglas in Kamloops. That is the northwest corner of the cemetery. This was apparently for the poor and unclaimed persons. Not very nice, is it? Individual graves are not marked and there is no record of who is buried actually, in each spot. The city is planning to build a memorial wall at some point and for $400 you can put the person's name on a memorial plaque. A search link that will help to connect with official Tranquille correspondence: http://search.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/ From Heather Ritchie (Walker), 2013: I would like to know if the "TB San" is still sitting unattended, or if there has been any interested parties involved at this stage. My Grandfather, James C. Walker, worked in the Engine Room at the "San" as he called it, and my father's job at a teenager was to hitch up the horse and drive to the dairy in the early morning to tke the milk and cream to the Sanitorium Kitchen. I spent many summers at the old site in Tranquille, as my Grandparents lived in the row housing, and my Grandmother would have patients stay with her when they were preparing to leave the facility. We would arrive late at night by train, and Grandpa would have arranged for the ambulance to pick us up at the small station to bring my Mother, Dad, and kids to the housing where they lived. I can remember Grandpa taking me to the livestock pens, and seeing baby pigs. This would have been in the late 40's and early 50's. Grandpa retired in the late 50's or very early 60's, then they moved to a home on the Brocklehurst Hwy. in Kamloops. This place in the mountains was next to being in heaven as I remember. It has been many years since I have been in Tranquille. My husband and I did go there in the 70's, but it had already been closed up, and I think the space was being used for something else at the time, we were not able to get int to the Sanitorium as I recall. I am now 69 years old, but will make a point of getting to Tranquille likely this summer or fall. I just need to see it one more time. From Michael Christianson, 2011: Just wondering if you knew where all the iron lungs went when they shut down the facility? Our local Rotary Club has refurbished one for educational road trips but want a few more. There must have been quite a few at the Kamloops facility! Note from Lynn Gilderdale-Turmel,
2010: I found your site very interesting. I
would like to tour around the TranQuille centre and will one
day. My brother went to the TranQuille centre for the mentally
handicap, Wally Gilderdale. My grandfather was a prospector on
TranQuille creek (Fredrick Gilderdale) Rattlesnake claim. He
then supposedly went to the Old Man's Home in Kamloops. He died
and was buried on the hill in Kamloops BC. My grandfather Harry
Seymour Stumbles had claims near Graigmont mines (Merritt BC)
I've been searching information on my grandfathers and have
found interesting stuff. Connecting my heritage. Note from Gary S.A. Haslam, 2009:
I
wanted to thank you immensely for the article you did on
Tranquille - King George VII TB Sanatorium. I had relatives
that were institutionalized there for many years, including my
grandfather, Victor George Haslam, back about early 1920s. He
was my father's father. I am still trying to confirm the dates
he was there. Note from Melody George, 2009: I'm
wondering
if you have come across any records for a Bud Anderton
(Anderson?) who died of tuberculosis in Tranquille sometime in
the forties. His wife's name was Florence Anna, maiden name
Van Atter (my mother) Any information you might have
would be appreciated. I believe he was a First Nations man. Note from Lindsay Harris, Barriere, 2008: I am a descendent of the Cooneys who once lived out at Tranquille. Do you have any information about the Cooneys? The most I have been able to find was a book written by Eric Norfolk called "Cooney and his Clan" My Grandmother used to have a binder full of information on the Cooneys but unfortunatly it was destroyed when her house burnt down in the 2003 wildfires that occured in our area. Apparently we were descended from one of Cooneys sons and a native women from the Lilloet area. They were probably never married legally and there is no records of her that we have ever been able to find. Any help or information that you could provide would be great. My spouse is from a very strong scottish culture and his family heritage has inspired me to research mine as not much is known about it. Note from Tina M. Allen re: Thomas George Kingcote, 2008: The above party, my great-grandfather, was a patient off and on (mostly on) from 1918 or 1919 until just before his death in 1935. I also am looking for old photographs of the sanitorium and in particular any of the patients, hoping that he may be in one of them. He left Ireland in 1907 and was the postmaster at Little Fort from 1913 to 1918. I have not seen any pictures of him newer than 1900. His son, my grandfather, John Kingscote, was the stationary engineer there, while his wife, Christine May Kingscote was a patient, I think in the early '30's. If there is a website or message board on previous patients that you are aware of, would you please let me know. Note from Melinda Iverson: I am wondering if you have any idea how I would get OLD information on my deceased ancestory who (according to my information) spent 12 years at Tranquille, ending in 1941. His name was Frederick "Fred" Maxwell GRIFFIN b. April 15 1890 d. March 1941 He passed away in March of 1941 and is my great grandfather, his son and my grandfather (Edward Joseph GRIFFIN) has also passed away and my mother Madeleine Melanie Myrtle GRIFFIN, does not know very much information that can help me. We do know that he was in a Sanatarium that had an extensive farming facility and "practically ran the farm...". I guess he had a gift for farming. Do you know who I could contact to access the archives of Tranquille and confirm his admittance and attain copies of his medical records??? |
A Gowen-Sutton postcard from c. 1915. Thanks to Rob Skinner of Pescadero, California, for sending it along.
The King Edward VII sanatorium at Tranquille--photo from British Columbia Magazine, June 1912
2010:
Roy Christopherson sent in this photo of Tranquille from his
collection. It must be a very early part of the sanatorium, or else
one of the secondary buildings.
| Note
from Carole Vainio: I live in Kamloops and have been out
a couple of times to see the Tranquille site. Unfortunately
it's no longer accessible. They did use it to film a movie
at a few years back with Harrison Ford in it though. Would be
nice if they could come to a decision about the site and bring it
back to a functional property. There was a book about Tranquille which was called "A Whole Little City by Itself" and can be found at www.plateaupress.com/tranquille.htm Earlier notes from Marilyn Bueckert in Ashcroft, 2007: I found this page while looking for information on a deceased relative who died at Tranquille in the late 1930s. Do you have any idea where "unclaimed" deceased persons were buried then? The lady in question was from an Ojibway tribe, probably in Winnipeg but was brought to Tranquille when she contracted tuberculosis. A cousin wants to find her grave and honour this poor lady who was so badly treated by her husband. A few days later: I found my missing relative. Her last name had been put down as Agnes, not Angus. Anyway, if anyone else inquires, the caskets at Tranquille were moved to a trench dug in where 6th Avenue Cemetery is now. The bad news is that no one is allowed to place a headstone there! And furthermore: That is fine but in place of the last line, you might mention that although headstones are not allowed, next year a memorial wall will be built and for around $400 families can have a bronze plaque mounted there. From Greg Reeve: I am 41 and I live in Vancouver Canada...3 years I lived in Kamloops..having always been deeply interested in the history of abandoned buildings ( tb hospitals etc.). My friend Ashley and myself drove out to Tranquille Hospital oneday just for the fun of it... I knew it had been closed for quite some time and the idea of sneaking around the place was irresistable. Ashley was too scared to get out of the car so I went exploring. My camera wouldnt work ( its on my phone ), I was so choked... The things I saw from old medical equipment rusting away...an operating room with drains blood and stuff, rusted wheel chairs...toys... I was though I had stepped through a portal in time. I was gone probably about 90 minutes when Ashley started beeping the horn, she wanted to go home. Its a creepy place complete with weird underground tunnels...There is a security shack there but if the was security...they weren't around. |
