Article by Diana Kitagawa and Rod Hendry
A life devoted to the well-being of others, Dr. June McCarroll is best known for her solution to the perilous collisions caused by a new type of transportation, the automobile. How did this happen?
June Adeline Whittlesey was born in the Adirondack Mountains of New York on June 30, 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War. June's mother, Adeline Parsons Whittlesey, passed away five months after June was born. Her father eventually remarried, and, ultimately, moved to Los Angeles. June attended Allopathic Medical College of Chicago and graduated in 1888 at the age of 21. After college, June joined her father in California. At age 29, she met and married James Preston Hill in 1896, but the marriage only lasted four years (California, County Marriages, 1850-1952).
June moved back to Chicago and married John Robertson in 1900 (United States Census, 1910). She built up her medical practice during this time. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, her husband came down with tuberculosis. Determined to cure John of one of the world's most fatal diseases of the time, they headed for the warmer, drier climate of Southern California.
It was 1904 when June and her husband traveled west. Along the way, they decided to stop at a tuberculosis health camp near Indio, California. The camp was founded by N.O. Nelson, an Illinois manufacturer and philanthropist. Job Harriman managed the camp. Harriman hired John to supervise the sixty-acre farm linked to the camp. Later that year, Harriman decided to run for Mayor of Los Angeles, and left the day-to-day operations to the Robertsons. Doc June, as she was known, cared for the patients of the camp and for residents in the surrounding area. She was skilled and able to perform surgery, primarily the removal of tonsils. Doc June would generally travel by horse, carrying her instruments with her, working in primitive conditions. According to Cecilia Rasmussen (Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2003), Doc June once explained, "I would clear off the kitchen table, tie the patient down, and administer anesthetic."
Doc June founded the Coachella Valley's first library in 1907 (Rasmussen). Her motivation was to care for her tuberculosis patients by providing reading material while they were quarantined in the middle of the desert. During this time, the Bureau of Indian Affairs assigned her to care for the Cahuilla Indian, thousands of them on five reservations ranging from Imperial County to Coachella Valley. The reservations had no hospitals, no nurses, no electricity, and no medical equipment.
With a six-shooter strapped on, this straight-talking frontier doctor went about her business of helping others. In 1908, a measles epidemic initially caused conflict between her and the tribes' powerful medicine men. At that time, the Cahuilla children were sent to school off the reservation. Sadly, the children would return, infected with tuberculosis and measles. Over time, Doc June's endless energy, medical skills, compassion, and direct manner won over the local tribes.
Doc June was also civic minded. In 1912, she was helpful in establishing the Woman's Club of Indio, the oldest woman's service club in the Coachella Valley.
Unfortunately, John Robertson passed away in 1914, succumbing to his tuberculosis. After two years passed, Doc June married the Southern Pacific Railroad station agent in Indio, Frank McCarroll. During this time, more doctors were moving into the area, so June could semi-retire.
In the fall of 1917, while driving her Model T Ford on one of her road trips between Indio and Palm Springs, a truck drove onto June's side of the road, forcing her into the sand. This event caused her to try to solve the problem of cars sharing the same roadway. A later trip over Highway 99 to Kane Springs, helped move her thinking along. The road had been expanded from eight feet to sixteen feet. The joint between the two surfaces provided a guide, separating the two sides, helping drivers stay on their side of the road. The idea came to her that a painted line would serve the same purpose (Rasmussen, C.).
Initially, she spoke to local officials about her idea of a painted line down the center of the road. Many liked the idea but lacked the funding. She spoke to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, whose members also showed interest, but no action. There are varying accounts of what happened next. A four-inch, white line was painted for two miles, extending from the junction of Grapefruit Boulevard and Harrison Street, southbound on Harrison Street. The white line passed in front of June's ranch. Some accounts say she painted the line herself, on her hands and knees, no less. Other accounts say she paid to have it painted. Some say her husband, Frank, helped. Most say it was two miles, one source says one mile, another says five miles. Either way, all agree, it ran in front of her ranch and that it was the first painted line in California.
Having stalled in her initial efforts, June enlisted the help of the Indio Woman's Club and the California Federation of Women's Clubs to conduct a letter writing campaign to sway the opinion of state law makers. It took seven years before the California Legislature authorized the State Highway Commission to paint center lines on California roadways. Though this effort shows June's tenacity, it also shows her understanding of the community.
In 2003, the Billy Holcomb chapter of E. Clampus Vitus, a fraternal organization dedicated to preservation of the heritage of the American West, along with the City of Indio, dedicated a plaque to Dr. June Robertson McCarroll. Additionally, in 2002, a five mile stretch of freeway along Interstate 10 was named to honor her contribution to California.
Nationally, the first white line was painted in 1911 by Edward Hines from Wayne County, Michigan. Even so, June summarized it best by saying, "When I gave this idea to an accident-ridden world, it was with no thought of honors-only safety for drivers of automobiles." (Rasmussen, C.).
Doctor June McCarroll passed away on March 30, 1954.
DR. JUNE ROBERTSON CARROLL WAS BORN JUNE 30. 1967. IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND BEGAN HER MEDICAL CAREER IN CHICAGO SHE LEFT A PROMISING PRACTICE FOR INDIO IN 1904, BECOMING THE SOLL PRACTICING PHYSICIAN FOR THE ENTIRE COACHELLA VALLEY. SHE TRAVELED BY HORSEBACK. HORSE AND BUGGY. AND AUTOMOBILE, TO PROVIDE MEDICAL CARZ THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY UNDER VERY PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A LARGE TROCK ON A WARROW ROAD IN 1917 RESULTED IN HER MODEL T ABANDONING THE ROAD FOR A SANDY DITCH THIS LED DR. JUNE TO THE IDEA THAT A WHITE STRIPE PAINTED IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD WOULD MAKE AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL SAFER. SHE PERSONALLY PAINTED THE FIRST KNOWN STRIPE IN CALIFORNIA ON INDO BOULEVARD, THEN PART OF HIGHWAY 92 DURING 1917. A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN INITIATED BY THE INDIO WOMEN'S CLUB EVENTUALLY LED TO ADOPTION OF THE PRACTICE BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY COMMISSION IN 1924.
DR. JUNE ALSO STARTED THE FIRST LIBRARY IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY SHL DIED ON MARCH 30. 1954. A NEARBY PORTION OF THE FREEWAY WAS NAMED IN HER HONOR ON APRIL 24, 2002.
(Dedication Plaque located at Indio Boulevard and Smurr Street, Indio, California.)
The Periscope, a series available on Amazon:
The Periscope includes a series of engaging publications that detail the rich history of the Coachella Valley. From life as a pioneer, the growth of the date industry, all the way to the Salton Sea saga, and much more, the stories bring to life the desert region of Southern California. Written under the umbrella of the Coachella Valley Historical Society (dba Coachella Valley History Museum), books in the series tell the stories of the innovators who helped to make the vibrant region what it is today.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Priscilla Porter is the Co-Director of the Porter History-Social Science Resource Center at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University San Bernardino and a volunteer at the Coachella Valley History Museum. A former elementary school teacher, she is the author of many popular curriculum guides for teachers.
Professional gratitude is extended to the contributing authors: Patricia Korzec, Renee Brown, Diana P. Kitagawa, Rod Hendry, Julia Sizek, and Patricia Laflin. Credit is extended to Eduardo Contreras for the cover design.
This is the first book in The Periscope series from the Coachella Valley Historical Society (dba Coachella Valley History Museum). Additional books in the series will be available SOON. To hear about the latest books, sign up for the exclusive New Release Mailing List by sending an email to prisporter@aol.com. You’ll be glad you did!
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