Brinkley’s status as perpetual benefactor to his community is a big part of the image he cultivated, for obvious reasons. There are loads of period newspaper references to how much Brinkley “built up” Milford (“the Milford [Little League baseball] team wears uniforms furnished by Dr. Brinkley” said The Junction City Daily Union in 1922, and “[Brinkley] gave the town a $25,000 Methodist church in memory of his mother” claimd The San Bernardino County Sun in 1933) but they’re all pretty hard to substantiate. He certainly made many improvements to his own property, and spared no expense (“Brinkley built electrical, water and sewage systems for his hospital, and soon his power plant supplied Milford businesses, then the Methodist church, then residences. He expanded the water and sewer systems also, and sidewalks were built,” wrote Lee). And there’s little doubt that Milford benefitted from its new status as rejuvenation destination (“trains stop regularly at Milford and electric lights and asphalt streets have supplanted kerosene lamps and mud roads” said the Wilmington News-Journal in 1923, and “the town is planning a new hotel” said The San Bernardino County Sun in 1923).
But remember that he’s got a paid staff of PR people working for him to place stories just like these in newspapers!
References
"In August 1919, a fire destroyed the Milford business block, including the drugstore, and John had failed to insure the contents. Undaunted, he borrowed more money to make the 'Brinkley Block.' The main building, costing $30,000, was made of fireproof brick and tile and accomodated his drug store, a post office, a barber shop, a restaurant, and a butcher shop." Lee, 37 (Source: Minnie Wilson Notes, Juction City Union, 14 August, 28 August, 25 September 1919.)
"Brinkley built electrical, water and sewage systems for his hospital, and soon his power plant supplied Milford businesses, then the Methodist church, then residences. He expanded the water and sewer systems also, and sidewalks were built... The village was enjoying great improvements." (Lee, 38)
". . . and now the Milford post office (Brinkley, by the way, is postmaster too) is flooded with letters" ("Milford on the Map," The Junction City Daily Union, 7 Feb 1920, Page 8)
" . . . trains stop regularly at Milford and electric lights and asphalt streets have supplanted kerosene lamps and mud roads" ("Goat Glands Rejuvenate Decrepit Kansas Village" Wilmington News-Journal, 18 Jan 1923, Thu, Page 1)
"town is planning a new hotel" ("Goat Glands Rejuvenate Village" The San Bernardino County Sun, 11 Feb 1923, Sun, Page 22)
"The Milford [Little League baseball] team wears uniforms furnished by Dr. Brinkley" (The Junction City Daily Union, Mon, Sep 4, 1922, Page 3).
"Goat Glands May Make Great City of Milford" The Topeka Daily Capital, 22 Sep 1922, Fri, Page 5.
"[Brinkley] gave the town a $25,000 Methodist church in memory of his mother" ("Brinkley to Establish His Hospital in Texas" The San Bernardino County Sun, 8 Oct 1933, Sun, Page 4)
