The Saranac Lake Association of Private Sanatoria Owners was an association formed to promote Saranac Lake as a health resort. At the time of the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, for example, they proposed erecting an electric sign at the railroad station reading "Saranac Lake. The Pioneer Health Resort. Health. Recreation. Sports." 1
Lake Placid News, April 30, 1937
SARANAC LAKE EMPHASIZES HEALTH ITEM
$7,500 Set Aside in Budget to Publicize Benefits of Resort
The years-old problem, the sales promotion of Saranac Lake's health facilities as against an increased bid for sports and recreation, rose to new heights last week at Sararac Lake to plague Mayor Thomas P. Ward and members of the village board who sat thru a five-hour session at the annual budget hearing.
It resulted in earmarking $7,500 for health advertising, an increase of $2,500 over the estimate originally set and a general increase of $3,000 in the budget which will add 13 cents per thousand to the new tax rate.
A delegation of medical men backed by representative groups from the Saranac Lake Association of Private Sanatoria Owners pressed the request for increased expenditures for advertising and publicizing the health facilities of the community. The board heard Dr. Sidney F. Blanchard [sic] stress the need of carrying to the present generation of doctors the lesson of Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau.
The doctors recommended that the $7,500 be broken down to cover $2,000 for a contact man, $500 for literature, $5,000 for general newspaper and magazine advertising.
Fire Department Loses Out
Although pliable to the requests of the health group, the board withstood the fire council's recommendations for a new fire truck and an additional paid fireman, voting no on both requests.
As a result of the increase $106,403.95 will be raised by taxation this year.
Mayor Ward appointed Dr. Henry Leetch, Dr. Blanchet and Dr. Charles C. Trembley to work with Trustees Louis Kendall and A. W. Currier on the proposed expenditure.
The doctors who addressed the board were Dr. D. M. Brumfield, Dr. J. Woods Price, Dr. Leetch, Dr. Hugh M. Kinghorn, Dr. E. M. Jameson, Dr. Warriner Woodruff, Dr. E. S. Welles and Dr. Blanchet.
All were of the opinion that a great need existed for continued advertising of the health facilities. Figures were quoted to show that in 1933, 373 patients came to the village; 1934, 457; 1935, 405 and 1936, 420. The increase from 1933 to 1934 meant an increase in revenue of more than $75,000, the medical men said.
Once Only U. S. Resort
Dr. Blanchet said: "For years Saranac Lake was the only resort in America whose sole purpose was the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Doctors in different places, keen in diagnosis and informed about the treatment of the disease, sent more and more patients to this village.
"The results obtained with the patients were encouraging and as the fame of Saranac Lake grew the number of patients kept increasing. As time went on state, counties and municipalities took up this work and built and ran sanatoria of their own. Of course, the opening of so many institutions for this treatment began to slow up the stream of patients coming here.
"We should not neglect what has always been our chief industry. We have a record in helping people with tuberculosis of which we should all be proud. Are we going to let this slip from our hands because we are unwilling to spend the money, necessary to keep doctors and patients informed about it?"
Record-Post Au Sable Forks, NY, June 2, 1938
Saranac Lake Health Advertising Plans
Saranac Lake's newly appointed advertising committee named on the recommendation of the Saranac Lake Association of Private Sanatoria Owners met recently to discuss health advertising for the village. The committee studied the plan accepted by the board of trustees and made plans for additional recommendations. The plan was presented to the board by the Campbell Ewald company of New York city. The association originally requested an expenditure of $6,900 for this year but the trustees reduced the figure to $5,000. The committee will devise means of raising more money so that the plan can be augmented this year. Members of the committee are Mayor Thomas P. Ward, John R. Freer, John S. Ridenour, Dr. John N. Hayes and William H. Scopes.
Footnotes
1. Lake Placid News, December 31, 1999
