A portion of a display at First Lutheran Church details aspects of the 100-year history of Trinity Hospital.

Celebrating 100 years of healthcare in 2022, Trinity Health traces its roots to the efforts of Minot’s Lutheran congregations to establish a hospital in the community.

A committee with First Lutheran recently gleaned from the church’s historical records to develop a display commemorating the linkage between the church and the hospital. 

“The Evolution of Trinity Hospital” tells the early history of Trinity Hospital and Trinity Homes. 

Planning for a hospital began in 1916. First Lutheran Pastor Thaddaeus Gullixson, who spearheaded efforts to establish the hospital, served as first president of the hospital board of trustees in 1922.

The first hospital opened in the C.A. Johnson home on Sept. 4, 1922, according to the history. The location later was excavated with the help of horses to become the site of construction on a new 100-bed hospital. The women of First Lutheran raised $1,000 and also provided many sheets and pillow cases used to make hats and uniforms for the nurses.

The hospital’s lower west wing was completed on May 15, 1923. The north wing and entrance was completed and dedicated on Sept. 7, 1924, and the first class of six nursing students graduated in 1925.

A three-story unit was added to the north wing, opening in April 1926. A fourth unit of three stories was added to the west wing in 1929.

The Rev. Reinhardt Ulvilden was the first chairman of the board of the Lutheran Home, a forerunner of Trinity Homes. Five acres of land had been purchased in September 1945 to build a home for 100-125 residents, which was dedicated in 1948. The hospital and home merged in 1971.

Rev. H.B. Kildahl, who served First Lutheran from 1954-72, was known as “the builder” for the 18 years of construction activity that occurred in relation to the home, hospital and church under his leadership.

In 1959, a fifth unit was added to Trinity Hospital, with 83 new beds, operating rooms and other services. A sixth unit of three stories was added on the east side in 1967. In 1968, Trinity became among the first hospitals in the country to acquire a medical helicopter. A seventh unit, the south entrance, was completed in 1984.

The display of historical information and photos is expected to remain set up in the church for several weeks. The display can be viewed during church office hours, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m.-noon.