Grant Application - Outreach

Historic Saranac Lake (HSL) maintains a local history wiki website that includes thousands of pages documenting the history of the tuberculosis (TB) industry in our community. The wiki is available for free to the public, and anyone can contribute information and photographs. The wiki has been featured in AASLH magazine, many in-person and virtual presentations, and several conference sessions. HSL proposes to migrate the wiki website to a more secure, sustainable in-house hosting solution to continue to provide free access to this important medical history resource. Saranac Lake has a unique history in tuberculosis science, and people came to our community from all over the world as a result. Dr. Edward L. Trudeau originated the fresh air cure for TB in the United States in Saranac Lake, and his work launched a 70+ year industry of TB treatment and research in the community. His laboratory, the Saranac Laboratory, was the first research institution in the country for the study of TB, and was on the cutting edge of research on the disease. This project supports the mission of NNLM by guaranteeing continued free access to information for researchers and the general public alike about the history of medical treatment for tuberculosis, the doctors and scientists who worked here, and the nearly 100,000 people who came here seeking a cure for this widespread disease.