Miller Bay Hospital

Does anyone know information about the old Miller Bay Hospital? I’ve searched online for a little while and only found pictures and a date (princerupertarchives.ca/search/d … hp?ID=1262). Since Prince Rupert isn’t the most popular place on earth, information is quite scarse, so I’ll have to depend on the word of mouth. All I know is that it’s an old Tuberculosis hospital. A friend of mine said that in the some-what destroyed tower, is where they burned the bodies of the people who died because of the Tuberculosis. Is this true? Thanks for any information you can provide.

I don’t have any info myself but would try the archives at City Hall as they have volunteers working there and should be able to help you or the library might have info. too ! Keep us posted, sounds interesting !

My brother used to work there as a janitor when he was a teenager. He rode his bike there every day . Try google, I came up with some stuff. Also talk to the local seniors who would have some good information.

I’ve heard in the past that they burned bodies in the stack as well but I’ve never believed it. Seems like one of those old wives tales. I’d go to the library and look for some of Phyllis Bowman’s books. She wrote many books on our local history and I’d be surprised if she didnt include at least a chapter on Miller Bay in one of them.

Just after it was abandoned in the late 60s early 70s we use to wander through the old hospital…it was really creepy with the echoing hallways and left over hospital stuff…as kids it was a lot fu being scared of “ghosts.”

I’ve found this online. There are references to Prince Rupert although not all specify Miller Bay.

lung.ca/tb/tbhistory/sanatoriums/first.html

web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/csafet … notes4.htm

books.google.ca/books?id=ejSqbqX … EQ6AEwATgK

ecommons.usask.ca/bitstream/hand … sequence=1

circle.ubc.ca/bitstream/handle/ … sequence=1

From as far back as I can remember there was only the hospital up near Roosevelt school. I remember my parents saying I was born in the “old” hospital, somewhere on 5th or 6th ave east. I’m assuming that is the same one mentioned in the original post? Or is my memory not as good as I think it is?

The current hospital was built in 1971 I believe. The old hospital was where the current townhouses are on 5th East. Miller Bay TB hospital was at Miller Bay.

[quote=“Crazy Train”]

The current hospital was built in 1971 I believe. The old hospital was where the current townhouses are on 5th East. Miller Bay TB hospital was at Miller Bay.[/quote]

That makes sense since I was born in early '71. I don’t even remember hearing about Miller Bay or where it was.

[quote=“rinkster”]

The current hospital was built in 1971 I believe. The old hospital was where the current townhouses are on 5th East. Miller Bay TB hospital was at Miller Bay.

That makes sense since I was born in early '71. I don’t even remember hearing about Miller Bay or where it was.[/quote]

Really? Miller Bay is the left hand turn on the down slope just before Galloway Rapids. It sat for several years with the main building intact and the land accessible and cleared. In the early 80’s there was a construction camp there for Ridley Island development, coal and grain. In the mid-late 80’s there was a fish farm there and the empty pools are still visible within the trees. For the last 20+ years in has been vacant and nature has taken it back.

I worked there in the mid sixties…no, that is not how or where any deceased persons were dealt with…in fact, not many of our patients died on site. The active TB patients were all sent south for treatment and we got them both before they went south and after they were returned, but not yet discharged from care. Most often the kids of active TB parents were kept at Miller Bay while their parents went south, so there was a school for them on site. The big smoke stack belonged to the heating plant for the hospital…it pretty much worked every day to provide hot water for both the hospital and on-site laundry.When I was there we had several long-term care patients as well and we always had ill patients from the canneries when they were in their busy season.
There were dorm type housing for both women and men employees…we each had a private room; with a lounge, kitchen , and laundry room on each floor; several separate homes for the on- staff doctors and admin staff, along with a large rec hall where we held dances etc.
Miller Bay was run by ‘Health and Welfare Canada’ at that time, but Phyllis Bowman’s books will explain how/why it was originally built.

thanks for the info…

People play paintball there now