New doctor in town faces foes, fires in early McCook

Not long ago, I packed up several letters I had found among my mother-in-law’s things and sent them to the daughter of the aunt who had written them. They were the only letters she had ever seen that were written by her mother because by the time she left home, making a phone call was the way that they kept in touch. The letters contained not only family items, but a rich detailed history of the McDonald, Kan., area. Had her daughter not wanted them, they should have gone to a genealogy library or a museum.

Luckily for history, the son of Dr. Byron B. Davis, Dr. John B. Davis, compiled a booklet made of portions of his father’s letters to his soon-to-be wife as he settled in McCook as the town’s fifth physician in May of 1885. Dr. John edited out the personal parts of this journal but what is left behind is a young man’s struggle to establish himself among older professionals in a town that had not yet even entered its teenage years. His observations of life in McCook, written to the woman he loved, are to say the least, openly honest about he felt about his profession and the town.

Here are some passages from that book which is available for research at the Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society’s library:

“There are four physicians in the town. I make the fifth. Two of them about the same as told me that if I came here they would cut my throat-professionally speaking. This of course put me on my mettle and I propose to go to my full length. ..Old Dr. (A.J.) Willey the B & M R.R. surgeon received me in an entirely different manner. He is a rough and ready old fellow and reminds me of Dr. Livingston of Plattsmouth of whom he is a great friend. Both of them are old army surgeons. I make my headquarters with Dr. W. at the B & M Pharmacy.” May 28, 1885

July 29, 1885: “As for Dr. (Zachius L.) Kay, am afraid if you apply the “survival of the fittest” theory, he will keep ahead for I have concluded that he is a good practitioner-though I don’t regard him very highly as a man. He calls on me very frequently of late and tries to be very agreeable.”

(My notes: Dr. Davis had been called in by Dr. Willey to consult on a woman’s case and after examining the patient Dr. Davis advised a surgical operation but Dr. Willey, the woman’s doctor was pretty sure she would die anyway. One day later two more physicians were called in.) “Sunday afternoon Dr. A. J. Shaw of this place and Dr. Moore of Tekamah were called in. They too-at least Shaw-were disposed to procrastinate and I got interested and told them we had no right to put off the operation since the woman was growing weaker every hour. Dr. Shaw fired the “boy just out of college” nonsense at me and said he was going to cure her without the knife.” The story continued: “Dr. Willey, who can saw off legs and arms with great assurance, was absolutely afraid to undertake so delicate an operation as this and informed me that I was to do the operation.” August 18, 1885

October 2, 1885: “The wind is blowing a gale today and it would be dusty were it not for our metropolitan airs-this time in the shape of a street sprinkler. Another brick store was started in McCook this week and did I tell you about the large three story brick hotel upon which work had commenced? It is proposed to completed this fall.”

“This morning about 3 o’clock we were wakened by a severe crash and roar but did not investigate thinking it was thunder. On rising this morning we found that fine new two story brick building two doors from here utterly demolished and piled upon a small wooden building next to it. All this was the result of a defective foundation of soft stone. Loss about $3,000 and a dog. Verily it is about time the McCook builders were learning to build! There will be some terrible loss of life some of these days I fear, for this is the third tumble of brick walls since my residence here.” December 29, 1885

Next week I will cover some more of Dr. Davis’s views from McCook including the building of a home for his bride to be.

SWNGS library is open on Wednesdays from 1-4 PM, 110 West C, Suite M-3.