Kristin Holt's recent post on her new book, "Isabella's Calico Groom" brought back such great memories of my research on Colorado's woman doctors. In that research, I also located a woman dentist who had graduated dental school. I decided use this post to let you know about her. Of course, you must read Kristin's post, Kristin's Post: Click Here to understand why I loved what she wrote and why it inspired me. Perhaps Anna's story will remind you how important dreams are.
Anna D (Shaw) Chamberlain and her husband Frank C. Chamberlain, according to the city directory, had dental offices in Colorado Springs in 1896. They lived at 1451 N Nevada Ave with offices in one of the bank building in the center part of town. Frank, in addition to being a dentist, also could add M.D. to his name.
Anna was born in 1866 to John and Helen B. Shaw in Harlan, Page County, Iowa. Her father was from Ireland and her mother from Ohio. She married Frank in 1887 and lived in Colorado from that time. The couple had three children by 1900.
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| View of Colorado Springs in 1885 |
She deserves admiration, not only for being a professional woman, but raising three children while doing so. She and her husband were associated with dentistry from at least 1888, having an office in the Pikes Peak region from that date. She was also the first woman to graduate from the University in Denver with a degree in dentistry.
By 1911, the couple had moved to 2016 N Cascade Ave., still in Colorado Springs. They celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary at this address. It was interesting, despite her credentials as a dentist, the paper listed the event as Dr. F.C. and Mrs. Chamberlain.
In addition to all her other duties, Anna was also active in the church and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In the late 1890s was the president of the local chapter of the WCTU. Anna and her husband, with Wm. H Dewey and Oscar J. Fullerton created the Fullerton Consumption Cure Company. The initial investment for the company was $30,000.
As an interesting side note, Frank's brother Fred, who was also a dentist in the Cripple Creek mining district, married a woman by the name of Anna also. The difference, Fred's wife had the middle initial B.
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| Anna's headstone in Evergreen Cemetery (photo by Ron West) |
Anna died in 1914 at the age of forty-eight. According to the death records the cause of death was pernicious anemia. After her death her husband Frank moved to California and remarried. Records show his second wife had worked in his office there. Upon his death, this second wife returned his body to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was buried next to Anna in Evergreen Cemetery.
In the book "Josie's Dream", part of the Grandma's Wedding Quilt series, Josie has the dream of being a doctor in a small town in Colorado. She pursues this dream and get more than she expected.
Since corresponding with Dr.
Harriett Leonard, a past student of her medical school and dear
friend, despite the difference in age, Josie had been dreaming of
coming to Colorado. Dr. Leonard had offered to let her work at the
Spa in Manitou Springs where Harriett was the proprietor, but Josie
wanted to create a practice in a smaller town, where people really
needed her.
Now here she was in Kiowa Wells,
on the eastern plains of Colorado just a few miles from the railhead
at Kit Carson. Her biggest obstacle now was finding a place to set up
her medical practice.
Despite
his reservations, her father gave her a medical bag, equipped with
the basics. “Something to remind you of this commitment, your
Hippocratic oath,” were his parting words.
Her parents, though still in
Iowa, were in her heart. Still, she knew it had been time to leave.
While others of her friends were getting married, she had gone to
medical school, her path clear to her.
“Can
I help you?” The voice behind her asked, a hand reaching around to
grab her bags.
Turning to face the speaker,
Josie took in the disheveled appearance, the look of cunning in the
eyes.
“I can manage, thank you,”
Josie replied, taking a firmer hold on her belongings.
“Now, there is no need to be
rude. I was just tryin’ to be helpful,” the man said as he tugged
at her bag.
Stiffening, Josie sternly
repeated, “I can manage.”
With a hard yank, the man managed
to pull her doctor bag loose and without a thought, Josie swung her
large bag at the man, striking him on the legs as he turned to run
off. Instead, he found himself flat on the ground.
Calmly, Josie bent, retrieved her
property, and knowing he was just stunned, started down the street.
She had only gone a few steps when she heard a bellow behind her.
“Let me get to the point
quickly,” she said as she turned to her tormentor, who stopped so
quickly he almost fell. “I have nothing of value you could use. So,
unless you are in need of medical care, I suggest you stop while you
are ahead.” Now, standing close, she could smell the liquor on him.
Her eye took in his inability to stand upright without swaying. But
to be fair, his fall might have had something do to with that.
“Doctorin’?” he questioned,
“you’re lying.”
The two of them were drawing a
crowd. Not the best way
to start, Josie
thought, but not a bad
one either.
“Yes, as you say doctorin’, I
am a Doctor.”
Doris Gardner-McCraw -
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Member of National League of American Pen Women,
Women Writing the West,
Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners
Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here
