Gary Bowen, a retired architect from Omaha, presented the program at Seward Rotary on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. He serves as a volunteer member of the Board for the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center (formerly her hospital) located on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Walthill, Nebraska and was introduced by Clark Kolterman.
Bowen presented a power point presentation on the life of the late Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte. Dr. Picotte (June 17, 1865 – September 18, 1915) was a Nebraskan and a Native American doctor and reformer in the late 19th century. She is widely acknowledged as one of the first Indigenous peoples, and the first Indigenous woman, to earn a medical degree. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha Tribe. She served 1,300 people over a 450 square mile area as the lone physician.
Dr. Picotte, the daughter of Mary and Joseph La Flesche, was born in a teepee in 1865. Her father was the last traditional chief of the Omaha Tribe and felt education was the answer, so he sought education for all of his children. She had three sisters and a brother.
Dr. Picotte traveled to the East Coast for a formal education at the age of 14 and attended Hampton Institute-graduating second in her class, and attended the Philadelphia Women’s Medical School-graduating first in her class in 1889. She returned to serve the people of the Omaha Tribe and was the only doctor for a 400 square mile radius. Bowen pointed out that in 1890 only 4 percent of doctors were women and Dr. Picotte was the only Native American doctor. She practiced medicine for 34 years, until her death in 1915, visiting patients on foot, by buggy and horseback.
Dr. Picotte was an active volunteer, social reformer, as well as a physician. She worked to discourage drinking on the reservation where she worked as the physician. As part of the temperance movement of the 19th century, she also stressed cleanliness and hand washing. Dr. Picotte campaigned to prevent and treat tuberculosis, which then had no cure, as part of a public health campaign. She also worked to help other Omaha Native Americans navigate the bureaucracy of the Office of Indian Affairs.
Dr. Picotte was a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs chapter in Walthill and served as the Chair of the Public Health Committee for the GFWC Nebraska Federation of Women’s Club’s (NFWC) at the turn of the century. She served in that GFWC NFWC Public Heath Chairmanship for many years, promoting healthy living standards for her Omaha Tribe, the members and families of the GFWC Nebraska Federation of Woman’s Clubs, as well as all Nebraskan’s.
She was married to Henry Picotte and had two sons. She built her hospital for $9,000 with many grants and donations in 1913. The hospital is in renovation today. Bowen spoke on the history of the hospital, which had 32 rooms and was in dire need of renovation and repair. It is one of eleven listings on the National Historic sites in Nebraska. In fact it was such a mess, in 2018, it was listed as one of “America’s Most Endangered Buildings in the Country.” A committee was formed and developed a plan and a campaign to raise $3 million for renovation and repair. They almost have raised more than $2 million to date.
He showed photos past and present of the facility and a floor plan for the proposed Center. With the roof and outside complete, they are focusing on inside restoration, creating four functions for the facility - a youth center, a small medical center, a museum featuring Dr. Picotte and a gift shop/art and cultural center. They also hope to develop a garden setting on the grounds and discovered some of the original lilac bushes, Dr. Picotte’s favorite flower, on the Center’s grounds. They also plan to restore the home of Dr. Picotte’s family in Walthill that she built in 1905 and other “Dr. Susan” sites around Walthill.
For more information on the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center, write Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center, Box 36, Walthill, NE 68067 or email info@drsusancenter.org.