Emily Patterson: The Heroic Life of a Milltown Nurse

by Lisa Anne Smith

Literary Nonfiction. When Emily Patterson arrives in the Pacific Northwest with her family in 1862, she finds herself worlds away from Bath, Maine, the staunchly pious township of her birth. Up the remote reaches of Vancouver Island's Alberni Inlet, Emily learns that the nearest doctor is at least a day's travel away, and her extraordinary nursing skills—self-taught from sheer necessity—earn her wide recognition among the pioneer loggers and the native Tseshaht community. In search of their ideal homestead, the Pattersons settle in Oregon's fertile Willamette and Columbia River regions before moving to Burrard Inlet, where the sawmilling communities of Hastings Mill and Moodyville duel for lumber supremacy. Over the course of her nomadic life, Emily is called on day and night for her medical expertise, whether to deliver a newborn, suture an open wound, or prepare a body for burial. Through vivid prose and 70 photos, Lisa Anne Smith brings to life this fascinating era of Pacific Northwest history through the eyes of an intrepid pioneer nurse.

312 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2017

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I borrowed from a coworker, who family is from Vancouver. And it was written by one of her neighbours. She also wrote a book about Joe Forte, who was a famous Vancouverite at the turn of the century and I may just have to read that one some day. Reading this book makes me want to learn more about the history of Vancouver but also of Toronto and my hometown of Richmond Hill. Great writing style and the story is amazing. She was the only medical person when they arrived in BC in 1862 and she had no formal training. Thoroughly enjoyed reading her story.