So if you are not from Kamloops, you probably have no idea what I am talking about... let me steal a bit of info from the internet on it to help explain....
According to this article about Tranquille’s history, gold was discovered at the site where the buildings now sit around 1857 and the city came to life. Then in 1905 when the British Columbia anti-tuberculosis society began looking for a site to build a provincial hospital, Tranquille turned out to be an ideal location with its dry and mountainous climate.
The plot of land was bought from its original owners, the Fortune family, in 1907 for $57,000. It was used as a tuberculosis sanatorium for 51 years. The sanatorium was nearly self-sufficient, with its own dairy, gardens, water supply, even a newspaper. It only used Kamloops electricity. Underground tunnels connect many of the buildings with pipes in them to distribute the steam for heating.
In 1958 when treatments for TB had changed, the facility was closed as a sanatorium. In 1959 it was converted into a home for mentally handicapped people. At one point it employed up to 600 staff. That part of its history ended in 1985 when the B.C. Government’s policy became to disperse former patients throughout the community into group homes (and onto the streets!).
There are lots of stories of it being haunted- it for sure is a creepy place, but fascinating !
The plot of land was bought from its original owners, the Fortune family, in 1907 for $57,000. It was used as a tuberculosis sanatorium for 51 years. The sanatorium was nearly self-sufficient, with its own dairy, gardens, water supply, even a newspaper. It only used Kamloops electricity. Underground tunnels connect many of the buildings with pipes in them to distribute the steam for heating.
In 1958 when treatments for TB had changed, the facility was closed as a sanatorium. In 1959 it was converted into a home for mentally handicapped people. At one point it employed up to 600 staff. That part of its history ended in 1985 when the B.C. Government’s policy became to disperse former patients throughout the community into group homes (and onto the streets!).
There are lots of stories of it being haunted- it for sure is a creepy place, but fascinating !
Here are some pics from our trip out there on Saturday- with Dyl OF COURSE safely confined and kept outside of buildings!
Very cool pictures!
ReplyDeleteHow did you get in there? Id love to photograph some of the history before it's gone forever....
ReplyDeleteWe were there this weekend, on one of the historical tours that is running. I would have loved to have roamed the building like you did! Wonderful pictures! We were only allowed in the tunnel area below the cafeteria, and in the firehall. I was sad to hear that the property is in the planning stages of a development....
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