Soon after the log cabin was built, JP Morgan Jr. and his family were in Jackson Hole on vacation, when Mrs. Morgan broke her leg on a backcountry pack trip. Dr. Huff, the first doctor in the community, went in on horseback, put her leg in a splint, and brought her to St. John’s Hospital to care for her. Meanwhile, JP Morgan had his private railroad car sent to Victor, ID. He requested that Dr. Huff accompany his wife on the train back to New York.
When Dr. Huff arrived in New York, he was taken to a beautiful brownstone mansion where he found a suite prepared for him, including his own monogrammed pajamas. JP Morgan asked Dr. Huff to move to New York and become their family physician, and offered any additional schooling that Huff wanted.
Dr.Huff declined, saying his place was in the valley of Jackson Hole.
St. John’s Medical Center has long benefited from the world class expertise of physicians who remain committed to our patients and community, despite being qualified to practice medicine anywhere they choose. Their legacy is a high level of quality care in Jackson Hole that is rare for a remote, rural town such as ours.