- Bertha Berry
Bertha Elizabeth (Wikoff) Berry (born 1876, died 1954) was a nurse and the founder of the
Berry Hospital inEkalaka, Montana .Early Life
Bertha Wikoff was born in Ohio to a family of French extraction. cite book| last =Haagenson| first =Heidi| authorlink =Heidi Haagenson| title =The Tenney Quilt: Celebrating the Women of Minnesota’s Tiniest Town| publisher =Mill City Press| date =2007| location =Minneapolis, Minnesota| pages =pp. 127| isbn =978-1934248676] Her parents were Hosea and Anne Belle Wikoff. [ [http://www.old-timers-usa.com/tour.usa/charles-and-bertha-berry.html www.Old-Timers-USA.com ] ] At age 21 Berry moved with her family to Chandler,
Oklahoma Territory . cite book| last =Haagenson| first =Heidi| authorlink =Heidi Haagenson| title =The Tenney Quilt: Celebrating the Women of Minnesota’s Tiniest Town| publisher =Mill City Press| date =2007| location =Minneapolis, Minnesota| pages =pp. 127| isbn =978-1934248676]Marriage
In Oklahoma, Bertha met a sawyer from Colorado, Charles Berry. The two married in 1900 and had three daughters. In 1910 the family moved to Ekalaka in search of lumber, there two more daughters were born.
Education
Berry began studying nursing in 1924, taking a
correspondence course in the subject fromThe Chautauqua School of Nursing . cite book| last =Haagenson| first =Heidi| authorlink =Heidi Haagenson| title =The Tenney Quilt: Celebrating the Women of Minnesota’s Tiniest Town| publisher =Mill City Press| date =2007| location =Minneapolis, Minnesota| pages =pp. 128| isbn =978-1934248676]Berry Hospital
Less than two years after beginning her studies, Bertha Berry purchased a large house in Ekalaka and opened the
Berry Hospital , which was the first hospital to operate in Ekalaka. The Berry Hospital was primarily a maternity hospital, and was the only formal medical facility in the town until 1942, when the Dahl Memorial Hospital, now theDahl Memorial Medical Assistance Facility , was opened. cite book| last =Haagenson| first =Heidi| authorlink =Heidi Haagenson| title =The Tenney Quilt: Celebrating the Women of Minnesota’s Tiniest Town| publisher =Mill City Press| date =2007| location =Minneapolis, Minnesota| pages =pp. 129| isbn =978-1934248676]Death
Charles Berry died in 1943, a year after the Berry Hospital closed its doors. Bertha Berry survived another 11 years, dying at age 77 in 1954. cite book| last =Haagenson| first =Heidi| authorlink =Heidi Haagenson| title =The Tenney Quilt: Celebrating the Women of Minnesota’s Tiniest Town| publisher =Mill City Press| date =2007| location =Minneapolis, Minnesota| pages =pp. 132| isbn =978-1934248676]
Notes
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