Name/Title
Dr. H. G. Pugh PapersEntry/Object ID
MS.52Scope and Content
Dr. H. G. Pugh Papers
MS 52
Dr. H. G. Pugh Papers
There's very little known about Dr. H. G. Pugh, one of the earliest physicians to practice in Boulder City. Tracing his name through news articles, we find Dr. Pugh, a chiropractor, was granted a permit in August 1931 to open a chiropractic office in Boulder City. He arrived in October that year and opened a temporary office in cottage no. 1 at the Boulder City Auto Court, which today [2000] is the Nevada Inn at 1009 Nevada Highway. The Nevada Inn is owned by Christy Smith, which is a coincidental fact made evident later. Boulder City's first dentist, Dr. Paul J. McIntosh—who had practiced in Las Vegas since 1906—opened a temporary office in Dr. Pugh's bungalow in February 1932. Later in 1932, Pugh and McIntosh moved into separate offices closer to Boulder City's uptown business district. Pugh moved into a building at 1404 Wyoming Street where he practiced until January 1935 when he followed construction of Grand Coulee Dam and opened an office in Coulee City, Washington.
Fast forward to February 1990. The building at 1404 Wyoming Street had been sold in 1968 to Christy Smith's father, real estate broker and builder G. A. "Curley" Smith. Christy had the building demolished in February 1990, and the demolition crew found a box of Dr. Pugh's letters and papers buried in sand in the attic [see the Boulder City News, February 15, 1990, p. 36]. The papers were turned over to historian Virginia "Teddy" Fenton, who gave them to the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association in 1999.
The papers themselves consist mostly of pamphlets and brochures advertising chiropractic equipment Pugh probably used in his practice. Booklets about the virtues of chiropractic medicine remind of a time when this field was new and struggling for legitimacy.
* * *Collection
ManuscriptsArchive Items Details
Notes
MS 52
Dr. H. G. Pugh Papers
inventory
[1 box]
Box 1 of 1
ff no.
1. novelty brochure [c. 1920s]
2. publication - "Achievement" [Burton Shields Co.
(subscription form, c. 1931-32)]
3. publication - "C. C. A. Bulletin" [California Chiropractic
Association, v. 1:2 (November 1931)]
4. publication - "Chiropractic—What Is It?" [n. d., c. 1920s]
5. publication - "Facing Facts" [by W. H. Rafferty, n. d. (c. 1920s)]
6. publication -"Health and Love a la Chiropractic" [by W. H.
Rafferty, n. d. (c. 1920s)]
7. publication - "The Middle Path" [by W. H. Rafferty, n. d.
(c. 1920s)]
8. publication - "A Principle and a Major" [by W. H. Rafferty, D. C.,
n. d. (c. 1920s)]
9. publication - "Right About Face" [by W. H. Rafferty, n. d.
(c. 1920s)
10. publication - "The Right of the Sick to Get Well Still Stands
Unchallenged" [by Palmer (1922)]
11. publication - "Vaccination: Does Prevention Prevent?"
[1921]
12. receipt book - Electreat [electrical treatment device,
c. 1920s-30s]
13. supplies and equipment - catalogs and fliers [c. 1931-32]
14. supplies and equipment - Alfa-Vege [c. 1931-32]
15. supplies and equipment - chiropractic lantern slides catalog
[Palmer School of Chiropractic, c. 1920s]
16. supplies and equipment - Coleman radiant heater [c. 1931-32]
17. supplies and equipment - White, George Starr [1931
correspondence]
* * *Location
Location
* Untyped Location
Basement ArchivesDate
March 13, 2025Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 7, 2002Updated By
bcmha.archives@gmail.comUpdate Date
September 4, 2025