Himalaya Hotel at end of 19th century
The extended walk took us beyond clock tower up the hill to the Himalaya Hotel. This is likely one of the places where my great great grandparents stayed in 1910. The owners of what is now two hotels (Castle and Club) did not have records prior to 1928. But they had some old pictures.In a recently discovered journal written by my great great grandmother, she writes:
"Since our return [from Germany] in December 1906, the dear father suffered often. The hardships of the journeys in Germany with the many speeches and sermons at mission festivals were too much after all for his strength. In addition, he caught a bad cold on one of his last trips which became the basis for his bronchial and asthma troubles, which revisited him again and again until the end. Already in the first year while he was substituting for Dr. Nottrott in Ranchi, he had to spend the hot time in the mountains and according to Dr. Maynard’s counsel, not in Darjeeling but in Mussourie. Through Missionary Stoll’s arrangement, he found lodging in the so-called Himalaya Hotel, the same boarding house in which he died three years later!"
"Since our return [from Germany] in December 1906, the dear father suffered often. The hardships of the journeys in Germany with the many speeches and sermons at mission festivals were too much after all for his strength. In addition, he caught a bad cold on one of his last trips which became the basis for his bronchial and asthma troubles, which revisited him again and again until the end. Already in the first year while he was substituting for Dr. Nottrott in Ranchi, he had to spend the hot time in the mountains and according to Dr. Maynard’s counsel, not in Darjeeling but in Mussourie. Through Missionary Stoll’s arrangement, he found lodging in the so-called Himalaya Hotel, the same boarding house in which he died three years later!"
She continues by describing the trip to Mussoorie: " the Lord helped us through the dust and heat of the following day and the second night, all the way to Dehra Dun, the terminal
of the train, from where one can see already the houses of Mussourie standing on the mountains. Oh, how glad we wer when also the trip by wagon to Rajpur lay behind us, and we, after several hours of rest, could begin the dandy trip to Mussourie. Yet even this was more difficult than we had imagined, and even though it lasted only three hours, we arrived tired and exhausted in our lodging, that father went straight to
bed, and we did not want to see any one. We had found lodging in the house of Dr. Symington, a Presbyterian missionary originally from America."
of the train, from where one can see already the houses of Mussourie standing on the mountains. Oh, how glad we wer when also the trip by wagon to Rajpur lay behind us, and we, after several hours of rest, could begin the dandy trip to Mussourie. Yet even this was more difficult than we had imagined, and even though it lasted only three hours, we arrived tired and exhausted in our lodging, that father went straight to
bed, and we did not want to see any one. We had found lodging in the house of Dr. Symington, a Presbyterian missionary originally from America."
She further describes where they stayed under the care if this doctor: "
Because of his weak health he had given up missionary work and set up a private medical practice in Mussourie by turning his house into a kind of sanatorium. That turned out good for our father, and I asked the doctor to receive him as his patient. Stolls stayed in the same house, and also sister Marie had found a small room. We had arrived April 15. "
Because of his weak health he had given up missionary work and set up a private medical practice in Mussourie by turning his house into a kind of sanatorium. That turned out good for our father, and I asked the doctor to receive him as his patient. Stolls stayed in the same house, and also sister Marie had found a small room. We had arrived April 15. "
I still am not clear where the Sanatorium is. But it seems to be nearby. I was thilled to be at the very spot where my grandparents were 103 years ago.
Again from the journal: " The weather was wonderfully warm and friendly, and he recovered rapidly, so that we were able to take daily long walks and enjoy thoroughly the glorious views up the mountains and down the slopes."
it seems to be much the same as a century ago
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