| Title | View of Mount Morgan and the mine from the hospital ca.1910 |
| Description | The photograph is an early 20th century view of the gold mining town of Mount Morgan from the town’s original hospital, the General, opened in 1890. The hospital was located on Hospital Hill. The Mount Morgan mine and its chimneys can be seen in the back left. The first general manager of the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited (‘Old Company’), James Wesley (‘Wesley’) Hall (1839-1901), was the driving force behind the establishment of the hospital. The Old Company and the hospital were closely connected because mining was a high-risk occupation - injuries were frequent and miners’ phthisis was a common complaint. The Dee River (pictured right), which stems from the Fitzroy River, was a key source of water for the hospital. Water was pumped to the hospital via watermills along the bank of the river. The former Royal Hotel (front centre) was on the corner of Dee Street and Royal Lane. On the centre awning of the hotel, the name, ‘S. Nash’, is written. This seemingly insignificant detail assists in dating the photograph. Charles Nash acquired the hotel licence in 1905. His licence was transferred to his widow, Sarah Nash (aka Mrs Charles Nash), in 1906, and she held the licence until early 1910. The licence dates suggest the photograph was taken between 1906 and 1910. However, the date range of the photograph can be further narrowed. The Mount Morgan Technical College, a distinctive red brick building in Central Street, opened in 1908. Part of the building is visible (far back left). Thus, this author believes that the photograph was taken between 1908 and 1910. The photographer labelled the photograph in red print on the front: Mount Morgan from Hospital. J. H. Lundager, Photo., Mt Morgan, Q
[Description prepared by Catherine McIntosh, great-granddaughter of Thomas Upsell Stubbs (1868 - 1954), original furnace worker at the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited, and foundation member of the Mount Morgan Brass Band in the 1880s, and great-granddaughter of Lillian Elizabeth Stubbs (née Ryder), who passed away from pneumonia at Mount Morgan's first hospital in 1915 (aged 46). This would have been the last view of the town that she saw.] |
| Publisher | Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association Inc. |
| Source (Original) | Photograph by Jens Hansen Lundager (1853-1930) ca. 1911 (State Library of Queensland Image 184848) |
| Subject | Hall, James Wesley, 1839-1901 |
| Format of Original | photographic print: b&w 25.4 x 16.6 cm; scan .tif 30.0 MB 4000 x 2622 pixels |
| Rights | This image is provided for the purpose of private study and research and must not be reproduced without the permission of the Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association Inc. |
