William Pratt

William Pratt, with his wife and family, had responded to the preaching of J. N. Loughborough and I. D. Van Horn at St. Helena in 1873 and had become charter members of the St. Helena church. Three years later he gave land on the side of the mountain near Crystal Spring for a medical institution, the Rural Health Retreat. The spring, which yielded a bountiful supply of pure, soft water, was shared with his brother Robert and was just above and to the east of the institution. William Pratt’s gift of land had also included his half share of the spring. At the time the Sanitarium was opened, this seemed an adequate water supply.