CHERISHING OUR VALLEY 2012
Little or nothing remains of the once strategic Olive View Sanitarium in Sylmar. Most of the structures of the abandoned tuberculosis hospital were destroyed by fire in 1962, and the remainder wiped out in the Sayre Fire years later.
It is hard to imagine that Americans with tuberculosis, when this hospital was built in the 1920s, were required by law to enter sanitariums. Sylmar was once world famous for its olive trees and healthful air.
16 comments:
I lived in Sylmar for several years and it is true that practically every afternoon the air was freshened by a strong breeze out of the north, which in turn would blow the smog away leading to brilliant blue sky, at least as far as San Fernando.
As a little girl in the 50s I was admitted to Oliveview Saniturm for TB. I remeber a few things
My mom was in the sanitariam in the late thirties for about 7 years. I have photos of her and her patient friends along with photos of all the staff and all their names. Also have my mom's diary from when she was in there. She was just 12 when she went in.
I was a patient at Olive View from May 1961 to Sept 1962. I was 12 years old when I went in and on the teen girls unit. The trip to Sylmar was a long distance for my family to visit me. I remember my teachers and my nurses who were kind to me. I wonder if any of the girls I shared the bungalow with are still alive.
I grew up in Sylmar, lived there from 1941-1961. My father worked at Olive View in the laboratory as a medical lab technician/ technologist from 1930 until he retired in 1968
He was chief medical technologist for a number of years when he retired.
He told me that in the early days he and some others who worked in what was called the Bacterological laboratory were doing research to find a cure for TB. In the 1930’s they were using black widow spiders. As these spiders were for some reason prevalent in Sylmar ( I remember them being in places when I as a kid) they would pay people a penney a piece to collect them.
Also outside this laboratory bldg was a chimpanzee name Yahoote I was never allowed to go near him. I do have vivid images of this animal.
Olive View was a city unto itself in those days. It had a fire dept, post office, kitchens, laundry, steam plant , business offices, credit union school , chapel etc.
The grounds were beautiful and also included employee housing for doctors and various personnel. These were positioned around manicured lawns. Some of the kids I knew were either doctors or other employees children. However we did not live on the grounds but just a mile or so away on an unpaved Sylmar street surrounded by fields and even a chicken ranch.
. There was a very large pipe that stuck above the OV steam plant and I think laundry. A at certain times of the day a loud whistle would blow signaling various hours for such as quitting time at 5:00 PM for certain employees. When my father left for the day he would go to a little building in a central location where the time cards were kept and punch out. If we picked him up from work I thought it was great fun to put the card in the machine and pull the lever and punch the card
Many employees that I knew of who worked there had been former patients.
Being associated with that facility for almost 30 years leaves me with many memories. Also contacts with my parents friends who had worked there continued far beyond those 30 years
Having had a connection to that place for almost 30 years leaves me with memories of having been on those those grounds.
Hi, I am seeking information about the Sanatorium during the years of 1941 - 1943 when my grandmother was a patient. I'm curious about medical records, photos, and kind of documentation about her experience. Thank you.
Hello all,
I am also looking for info or photos from the sanitarium. I had an uncle who was a patient there and died there in 1937. There are no known photos of him.
Can anyone help?
Thanks
I too was a patient in the teen bungalow at the age of 11 and 12 in July 1961 until June 1962. It was a beautiful park like setting with vast lawns surrounded by beautiful trees and rose gardens. Healthy meals served in our beds. Lots of medications, shots, blood tests and xrays I probably wouldn't have survived if not for living in the US and TB testing at schools that caught my diagnoses. Los Angeles County Health Department. I'm soon to be 70 years of age.
My mom was at Olive View around 1937 -1938. She had to leave my sister, as a newborn. My Mom would never say she was there for TB, but this is what we think. Her name was Rosemarie N. If you have any photos of her there, please let me know
CM
My great grandmother passed away here in 1947. Lucille Mary Mitchell/Motto.
Does anyone know if there's a group of past patients/family members of past patients on a platform like Facebook or anything similar? My grandmother was there from 1942-1943 and I'd really like to speak to anyone who may have been there or had a family member who was there. Really looking for information of any kind. Thank you!
My grandmother was in and out of Olive View in the 1920s and 1930s, until she died of TB in 1942. Does anyone know what happened to patient records from that period? I know they are not with the Olive View archives at USC.
I was a 5-7 year old patient there (1959-1961. I have few memories as one day blurred into the next.i went in speaking only Spanish. Came out speaking only English. Went home to a family (parents) that didn’t speak English.
I was at OV Sanitarium from 1945-1950 in the children’s ward.
In A corner crib. My crib neighbor was Martha ..
I remember my parents or/and the medical staff speak of ‘Streptomycin’ which was a cure for TB.
I was bedridden for those five years age two through seven yrs of age.
I had to learn how to walk again.
Our family lived in East LA and I attended a ‘special’ school, Pacific Avenue, transported on the ‘short school bus’.
If anyone has medical record or other information regarding those years, please contact me..
Thanks for sharing this post. I'm currently researching Japanese American patients who were treated for tuberculosis at Olive View during the 1930s and 1940s. If anyone has family or friends who were treated at Olive View during this time or were Japanese American TB patients, I would be interested in connecting. I'm currently writing an article, which will hopefully turn into my second book project on Japanese American tuberculosis patients during WWII and can share what preliminary research I've conducted.
Hi Courtney, my maternal grandmother was at Olive View in the early 40s. I would like to speak with you. My email is laurelfleming05@gmail.com. Thank you, Lolli Fleming
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