From Tim McLeod, Development Manager for the Tranquille On the Lake project, 2013: I wanted to let you know that we run Heritage Tours each weekend throughout the summer, June 1 to Oct 15. If you are interested, please direct people wanting to visit the site to www.tranquillefarmfresh.ca where they can learn more about the many activities going on at the site all summer long. The main site for the project, including the heritage preservation details, is here. That information is found in the Neighbourhood Plan under the Heritage section. We have already restored 14 buildings including 3 staff homes, one of which we live in. We are partners with TRU and the Kamloops Heritage Society in a major heritage project interviewing past staff and patients. About 100 have been interviewed so far. 600 more are on our list.

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From Linda Fleury, 2023: Below are photos from my grandmother’s collection plus 3 Tranquille postcards she came home with.
 
My grandmother, Ellen Nordman spent approximately 2 years at Tranquille from about 1936 – 1938.  Their family doctor told her she would likely die from the disease and suggested to my grandfather to prepare, as they had two young daughters under the age of three at that time.  Their doctor did send her to a specialist, who looked at her X-rays, and told her that he was sending her to Tranquille, and he believed she would come back home and thank him.  I believe her anger at the first doctor may have given her the drive to recover.  She was one of the lucky ones.  She always said good things about Tranquille, and that the doctors and nurses, and her specialist, saved her life.  When we would ask her to tell us about it, she always said she was treated well, and ate well.  Exercise and fresh air were a huge part of daily life.  She wore out several pairs of shoes in those two years as they spend most of their day outside walking.  She also recalled sleeping in the cold, under wool blankets, sometimes with snow drifting in.
 

Photo 1 – Ellen on the left (sorry, I don’t know the names of the other ladies in the photos).  The only time in her life she ever golfed. 

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From Jamie Frazer, 2022: My Aunt, Juliette Frazer and her brother, my Uncle Don Frazer,  were both at the Tranquille Sanitarium. My Aunt was there for three months, she survived, my Uncle Don died from TB in 1929.

From Alisa Ouellette, 2021: I have just discovered today that my cousin ended up here. I found him on a voters list in Sept 1972 , Home Tranquille, which I had assumed was a small town, and have learned today it was (when he was there) basically a mental [actually, a tuberculosis] institution. By any chance do you know where people who were here, where did they end up being buried? I have sent an email to the City of Kamloops for more information as well.

From Dave Morgan, 2021: I did a search for medical records of patients at Tranquille around 1939 to 1941. I did get into the Vancouver Medical Archives only to be told they have all been destroyed. My search is for any info and/or medical records of one Hubert John Morgan who went into Tranquille around 1939. He was my father who died from TB in 1944. The information I’m looking for is the date he was admitted to Tranquille and the date he was released from Tranquille. Also, any information as to why he was released while he still had TB. He was essentially sent home to die.

2021, a new book on Tranquille's labour history:

Tranquility Lost: The Occupation of Tranquille & Battle for Community Care in BC
by Gary Steeves

reviewed in The Ormsby Review.

From Anna-Marie Eckhart, 2018: My father Peter White was a patient at King Edward Sanitarium. He was being treated for TB. He survived and is 81 years old  now. He has stories to share if anyone is interested.  My Father was admitted the Fall of 1954. Discharged Fall of 1955. He  volunteered to deliver incoming mail to the other Patients. [Use the "Contact Me" link at the bottom of the page and I will forward your email to Anna-Marie.]

From Warren Smith, 2016: I lived in Tranquille, as a child (2-12 years of age) from about 1947 to 1957.  My Dad was a chef in the hospital kitchen and my Mom worked at the Canteen.  It was a phenomenal place for kids as we could go everywhere and learned a lot about the origins of food.  Tranquille had a cattle ranch, a dairy ranch and dairy, a piggery, vegetable gardens, grain crops, bakery……. everything but chickens.  We were even allowed in the slaughterhouse during the processing of pork and beef, from slaughter to prepared meat cuts.  We had a one-room schoolhouse with 12-18 students in 8 grades, taught by Mrs. Stewart.  My family lived on “lower road” right next to the lake.  We would troll for Kamloops trout routinely in our 10-foot boat with a 3-horse outboard, sometimes getting caught in a storm and having to creep near the shore past Battle Bluff to get home safely.  We couldn’t swim on the Tranquille side of the lake as I recall that the sewage outfall was too close.  There was an old gold miner (Paddy) living in a cabin with a dirt roof, eking out a living on gold.  This was across the railroad tracks (which we weren’t supposed to cross).  We would skate on the huge shallow pond at the east side of town and, even better, the firemen would flood the sunken bowling green near the building the kitchens were in, right across from the Recreation Hall.  We would find a lot of pucks in the spring as they were lost in the snow banks around the perimeter. 
 
I was forwarded an article by Alice DeMarni, from The Connector, September 2000 edition, entitled “Tranquille on the Lake project aims to preserve area history” (attached).  You probably already have that.  Several of my elementary school mates had been on a tour of Tranquille as it was in 2000 and are quoted in that article. 

From Eunice Robinson, 2016: My husband’s aunt was a patient of the San from about 1945 to 1947.  She was one of the lucky ones and survived the treatment she received, and lived to a ripe old age.  She passed away November 30, 2015.  Going through her old photos, she has several of Tranquille. The photos below were donated by Joyce Robinson Johnson.

From Elinor Florence, 2015, www.elinorflorence.com: I write a regular blog called Wartime Wednesdays (true stories of Canadians during wartime). Last month I interviewed a lovely old lady named Jessie Lee Middleton, about her service as an army nurse in WW2. She is 98 now, and her memory is failing, but I was able to piece together her story with the help of some documents and photos.

I have two images from her collection that I could not identify. She trained as a nurse through the Royal Columbian Hospital nursing program, graduating on the same day that Canada declared war in 1939. She then served at the military hospitals in both Nanaimo and Prince Rupert before being sent overseas.

But I can’t find any reference, and she didn’t tell me, why she would have been in Kamloops.

Can you tell me whether it was affiliated with the Royal Columbian? Or do you have any other ideas? [MK: Sorry, no. Anybody else have information?]

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Note from Lynn Gilderdale-Turmel, 2010: I found your site very interesting. I would like to tour around the TranQuille centre and will one day. My brother went to the TranQuille centre for the mentally handicap, Wally Gilderdale. My grandfather was a prospector on TranQuille creek (Fredrick Gilderdale) Rattlesnake claim. He then supposedly went to the Old Man's Home in Kamloops. He died and was buried on the hill in Kamloops BC. My grandfather Harry Seymour Stumbles had claims near Graigmont mines (Merritt BC) I've been searching information on my grandfathers and have found interesting stuff. Connecting my heritage.

Note from Gary S.A. Haslam, 2009: I wanted to thank you immensely for the article you did on Tranquille - King George VII TB Sanatorium. I had relatives that were institutionalized there for many years, including my grandfather, Victor George Haslam, back about early 1920s. He was my father's father. I am still trying to confirm the dates he was there.
 
Also, my great-grandfather, E. Hugh McMillan, died in the "Provincial Home" in Kamloops on September 18, 1919 (1919-09-252533), which I though was just a home for seniors who were down and out, poor and homeless, mostly former pioneers and prospectors. Now I read that the Provincial Home Cemetery was actually Tranquille. Hugh McMillan was my father's mother's father (Victor's father-in-law). Now I am left thinking that perhaps Hugh had TB too. They all lived together in Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs.
 
It is most regrettable, unfortunate, annoying, and disgraceful that "no" records of any kind have survived. That is no records regarding the patients at Tranquille/King George Sanatorium or the Provincial Home, or for the funeral home that handled the burials in the Provincial Home Cemetery, or for the Provincial Government who were supposed to manage and oversee the Cemetery Records as it was operated by the Province, and the local Kamloops Government that was responsible for the bodies that were desecrated and relocated. I think they just dug up a bunch of bones and threw them all into a long pit, and said that was that, all in the absence of any records or documentation. Can you tell such disregard for the elderly, fellow human beings, frustrates me?
 
I would be eager to learn of any other articles you may have done on this subject matter, or good resources for information. Thank you for doing the story and caring about this matter.
 

Note from Melody George, 2009: I'm wondering if you have come across any records for a Bud Anderton (Anderson?) who died of tuberculosis in Tranquille sometime in the forties. His wife's name was Florence Anna, maiden name Van Atter (my mother) Any information you might have would be appreciated. I believe he was a First Nations man.

Note from Lindsay Harris, Barriere, 2008: I am a descendent of the Cooneys who once lived out at Tranquille.  Do you have any information about the Cooneys?  The most I have been able to find was a book written by Eric Norfolk called "Cooney and his Clan"  My Grandmother used to have a binder full of information on the Cooneys but unfortunatly it was destroyed when her house burnt down in the 2003 wildfires that occured in our area.  Apparently we were descended from one of Cooneys sons and a native women from the Lilloet area.  They were probably never married legally and there is no records of her that we have ever been able to find.  Any help or information that you could provide would be great.  My spouse is from a very strong scottish culture and his family heritage has inspired me to research mine as not much is known about it.

Note from Tina M. Allen re: Thomas George Kingcote, 2008: The above party, my great-grandfather, was a patient off and on (mostly on) from 1918 or 1919 until just before his death in 1935.  I also am looking for old photographs of the sanitorium and in particular any of the patients, hoping that he may be in one of them.  He left Ireland in 1907 and was the postmaster at Little Fort from 1913 to 1918. I have not seen any pictures of him newer than 1900.  His son, my grandfather, John Kingscote, was the stationary engineer there, while his wife, Christine May Kingscote was a patient, I think in the early '30's.  If there is a website or message board on previous patients that you are aware of, would you please let me know.

Note from Melinda Iverson: I am wondering if you have any idea how I would get OLD information on my deceased ancestory who (according to my information) spent 12 years at Tranquille, ending in 1941. His name was Frederick "Fred" Maxwell GRIFFIN b. April 15 1890 d. March 1941 He passed away in March of 1941 and is my great grandfather, his son and my grandfather (Edward Joseph GRIFFIN) has also passed away and my mother Madeleine Melanie Myrtle GRIFFIN, does not know very much information that can help me. We do know that he was in a Sanatarium that had an extensive farming facility and "practically ran the farm...". I guess he had a gift for farming. Do you know who I could contact to access the archives of Tranquille and confirm his admittance and attain copies of his medical records???