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   Fort San by Val Moker, 2010, acrylic on canvas About Fort San Nestled in the hills of the Qu’Appelle Valley on 230 sprawling acres of land, the Fort Qu’Appelle Sanatorium, commonly known as Fort San, opened its doors on October 17, 1917 to combat the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic that swept across Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada. The Saskatchewan Anti-Tuberculosis League, now known as The Lung Association of Saskatchewan, operated sanatoria in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatoon, and later Prince Albert. By December 1917 Saskatchewan’s first health care centre had a 60 bed occupancy rate with Dr. George Ferguson as the Medical Superintendent. Fort San was a self-contained community with its own power house, stables, livestock, poultry, an impressive five acre garden and newsletter, the Valley Echo. Fort San grew to meet the emerging needs of its residents. The Red Cross Lodge, built to accommodate visitors, was opened on October 8, 1919. The Children’s Pavilion was opened on October 30, 1919. It was in 1921 that the first school room for children receiving treatment was opened. The Preventorium, an isolation facility for babies born of tuberculosis mothers to prevent them from developing TB, was opened in 1927. Artist Val Moker recounts her childhood memories as she paid regular visits to her grandmother who resided at Fort San for a time. Both she and her grandmother felt that the beauty and grandeur of Fort Qu’Appelle was a salve for the inhabitants who resided at the San while undergoing treatment. Thus Val’s rendering of Fort San captures the main hospital during its zenith, with particular attention to the surrounding countryside. Thanks to the commendable efforts of the Saskatchewan Anti-Tuberculosis League, the number of tuberculosis cases declined steadily and the need for the sanatorium facilities diminished by the 1960’s. Val Moker has immortalized Fort San for The Lung Association of Saskatchewan and the many people and their families who were touched by tuberculosis. |
