Excerpt:
In 1925, when Mary Breckinridge established the Frontier Nursing Service and built Wendover, this marked the first effort to professionalize midwifery in the United States. Within the thematic framework of the National Historic Landmark Program, Wendover, the national headquarters of the Frontier Nursing Service, has national significance under theme XIII. Science: (F) Medicine (1.) Clinical Specialties.
Up until the 1930s, an American woman was more likely to die in childbirth than from any other disease, except tuberculosis. The mortality rate was particularly high for pregnant women in rural areas where hospitals and qualified medical care were scarce. Breckinridge recognized this concern and succeeded in one of the pioneering attempts to bring professionalized health care to rural-America.