When St. Mark's Hospital opened in 1872, competition was one thing the staff wasn't worried about.
The staff of Salt Lake City's first hospital - and the first hospital between Denver and the West Coast - was concerned with how to treat all who needed medical attention."On the first day, the hospital had patients stacked back to the door," said Dave Waters, Columbia-St. Mark's director of publicity. "Most of the patients were miners in need of health care because of the (lead) poisoning they received in the mines."
The hospital's only physician admitted 21 patients during the hospital's first month. Episcopalian Bishop Daniel Tuttle rallied support and opened St. Mark's Hospital April 30, 1872. Its first location was in an adobe structure with six beds at 400 East and 600 South.
The number of patients St. Mark's treated increased every month. By 1895, the hospital had outgrown two facilities at different locations and moved to 800 North and 200 West.
In 1896, a new wing at the location gave the hospital more than 70 beds. Shortly after, the hospital began to bring in the latest technology in health care. St. Mark's was the first Utah hospital to use X-ray machines in 1902.
In 1909, the hospital built new wards on land next to the facility. During World War I and the Depression, the hospital saw a decrease in patients. Later, the demand for care grew quickly. In 1973, the hospital moved to a new location at 3900 South and 1300 East.
"I was president of the staff in 1968 when we planned the move," said Robert Lamb, who practiced orthopedics at St. Mark's from 1951 to 1995. "When you look at the structure now, it's astounding to see what is, has become after such meager beginnings."
In 1987, the Episcopal Diocese sold St. Mark's to a national for-profit hospital chain, Hospital Corporation of America. Since then, HCA has been involved in mergers with other national hospital corporations, Columbia Healthcare Corp. and Health-Trust. The local hospital is now called Columbia-St. Mark's Hospital.
The hospital has 306 beds, a staff of 1,664 and 127 volunteers.
Columbia-St. Mark's will continue to change, but at a much faster rate, Lamb said.
"The hospital will change more in the next 10 years than it did in the last 100 because of modern technology, such as genetics," he added. "Genetics research is the wave of the future."
Technology will most likely change Columbia-St. Mark's in some ways, but certain things will stay the same regardless of new discoveries, said John Hanshaw, the hospital's chief executive officer.
"We will still focus on putting the care of the patients first," Hanshaw said. "That is what has made St. Mark's successful for 125 years."
The patients and staff packed the hospital's lobby and ate birthday cake to celebrate Columbia-St. Mark's 125th anniversary Friday. The festivities will continue today when the hospital will give tours of the operating rooms from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.