Painting a portrait of a country doctor

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
With Leonard Cash
 
After wrapping up a short series on Sumner Avenue, historian Leonard Cash decided to delve into the history of another building located in that area on Summit Street — the former house of Dr. Nathan E. Wells. Cash said it is two houses up from what used to be the telephone office. 
Before going into the history of the building itself, Cash pulled up his records on Wells and how he started his doctor’s practice in the local area. From a News Letter Journal article dated Jan. 5, 1961, Wells’ obituary from March 15, 1962, and a report from the WPA, Cash was compiled a short biography on Wells’ life. 
He was born on June 12, 1876, in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania. Like his father, Wells became a doctor and graduated from Baltimore Medical college in 1898, later serving as the company doctor for Kilpatrick Bros., whose headquarters was in Clark, Nebraska. 
Before moving to Wyoming, Wells married Beth Mabey (also spelled Maby) in 1903. He suffered from poor health and eventually developed tuberculosis, so he was told to move to a drier climate. 
Temporarily leaving his new bride in Pennsylvania, Wells went to New Mexico in 1904, but he saw little improvement. So he wrote to Kilpatrick Bros. and Collins (he formerly worked for them in Nevada) to see if they had a job opening, but he was unsuccessful. They told him that no one was needed for railroad work, but they did let him know that Cambria needed a temporary mining doctor because the regular doctor, S.W. Johnson, needed to be relieved for a few months. 
And that’s when Wells’ journey began. 
“Fifty-six years ago today (Jan. 5, 1905) Dr. N.E. Wells stepped off the train into the little frontier town of Newcastle, Wyo. He stretched his legs a bit and caught a train on up the canyon to the Cambria mining camp,” the 1961 article said. 
Soon after his arrival, Johnson met with Wells and gave him a list of his duties. 
Wells’ health improved in the new climate, and by the end of March, his wife, Beth, joined him. Her first impression of the Cambria area was less than satisfactory. She
was disgusted with what appeared to be used sheets in the hotel room. Refusing to sleep in them, she slept between tablecloths she retrieved from her trunk.
However, despite the setbacks, the couple was happy to be together again, after being apart for several months.
Mine employees represented 21 nationalities, and Wells “was very well liked by all.” 
By 1911, a new company took over Cambria, so Wells quit his job and visited his relatives back east. However, he and his wife couldn’t stay away for very long. 
“He had planned to enter practice again in Pennsylvania, but he and Beth had lived too long in the West. They loved the country which had given the doctor back his health and after a good visit they returned to Wyoming,” the article says. 
Wells originally intended to move to Casper or Sheridan, but first, he stopped in Newcastle to gather some belongings. 
During his visit, he ran into Johnson, who inquired about where he was headed. Wells replied that he was unsure. Johnson warned Wells that if he stayed in Newcastle, they’d “run you out in three months.” 
That sealed the deal for Wells.
“The little doc’s temper flared, ‘You just made up my mind,’ he told the other man, ‘I’m staying and I’ll be here when all you others are gone.’” the article says. 
And he was true to his word. Wells remained in Newcastle, but Johnson and his wife moved to Sheridan in 1916. 
In 1913, the Wells received an addition to their family — Elmore Horton Wells. If having a newborn wasn’t change enough, Wells had his hands full with World War I and
the flu epidemic. During that time, he and Dr. Fred Horton worked with each other, and Wells said they “almost got to liking each other.”
A couple of years after the war, Wells went back to serving the people in Cambria, traveling there six times a week, until the mines closed in 1928.
Unfortunately, in 1929, his son, Elmore, died at the age of 16, and the couple was said to never fully recover from it. 
Wells also wasn’t doing too well because his health was still doing poorly, but he pressed on and partnered with the young Dr. George Lovelace. Wells liked him; however, Lovelace left Newcastle after a few years because he “didn’t like the mud, snow shoveling, rough roads and other hardships associated with Dr. Wells practice.” 
Shortly after, Wells retired in 1938 and sold his equipment to Dr. Benesh. When he was looking through his ledgers, he found that multiple patients, although paying what they could, were behind in their payments. 
After looking at what they had in savings, he and his wife decided they had enough money to survive as long as “nothing extra-ordinary happened and if they didn’t live too long,” so he canceled all past due accounts.
However, Wells didn’t stay retired because he continued serving the community and aiding his friends. He also helped out during the doctor shortage in World War II
and retired for the second time in 1945. 
In 1953, Wells wrote a memoir called “Only A Country Doctor,” which can be found at the Weston County Library,” and was named Doctor of the Year. 
On the morning of March 12, 1962, Wells died age 85 at Weston County Memorial Hospital. His funeral services were held at the McColley Chapel, and “full Masonic rites will be conducted by Newcastle Lodge No. 13, A.F. & A.M.” at both the chapel and cemetery. 
Rev. Clay Carr Jr. was scheduled to open up the service with a prayer followed by a singing of “The Lord’s Prayer” conducted by Mrs. David Crum, with accompaniment from Mrs. George Olmsted. 
The casket bearers were Dick Morgan, Al Zanoni, Karl and Bob Thoeming, Mike Koski Jr. and Jim Kirkpatrick. 
In addition to being the community’s doctor, Wells “was active in civic affairs,” serving on the school, town council and welfare boards. He was a member of several clubs, including the Lions Club, chamber of commerce, Izaak Walton League, Cambria Knights of Pythias and the Masonic Lodge. He also served many youth groups and was a member of the Episcopal church. 
Next week, Cash plans on backtracking to the beginning to give more details on the country doctor.