Re: MtMan-List: 1837 Smallpox

[Rick Williams <ERWillia@admrec.byu.edu>]

> Date:          Mon, 16 Jun 1997 20:23:00 +0000
> From:          KWesten@wyellowstone.com (Kurt Westenbarger)
> Subject:       MtMan-List: 1837 Smallpox
> To:            hist_text@xmission.com
> Reply-to:      hist_text@xmission.com

> Hi.  I've been wondering for some time about the smallpox outbreak of
> 1837 along the Missouri River.  According to David Wishart (The Fur
> Trade of the American West 1807-1840) the American Fur Company
> steamboat  St Peters brought smallpox up the Missouri that year but how
> is not exactly clear.  According to John Ewers in his book the Blackfeet
> Raiders on the Northwestern Plains diseased clothing was placed aboard
> an American Fur Company steamer - he doesn't mention the name. 
> 
> Any input would be welcome and interesting.
> 
> Kurt Westenbarger
> West Yellowstone MT
> 
> 
I've got a paper written by David L. Ferch titled  "fighting the 
Smallpox Epidemic of  1837-38"  In it he states "Smallpox came to 
tthe Upper Missouri  aboard the American Fur Company steamboat, St. 
Peter.  On its supply voyage north to Fort Clark and Fort Union in 
the spring of 1837, smallpox broke out among the ship's crew.  By the 
time the St. Peter reached the government's agency for the Sioux near 
Fort Pierre in early June, three Arikaras passengers traveling north 
to Fort Clark  were in the advanced stages of the disease.  Theough 
they had recoved before disembarking at Fort Clark on June 19, the 
Arikaras remained infectious and introduced the disease to the 
villages near the post.  Meanwhile, Jacob Halsey had boarded the 
steamboat at Fort Pierre to make the journey to Fort Uion where he 
was leaving fort Clark, Halsey came down with smallpox.  His case 
however was not a serious one, for he was recovering  by the time the 
St. Peter reached Fort Union on June 24.  Nevertheless, Halsy 
remained infectious, thereby bringing the virus to the Norhtern 
post."  Which he lists as coming from Dallar,  "High plains smallpox 
epidemic,: 18-22
    This article apparently apeared in the Museum of the Fur Trade 
Quarterly , Vol 20  No, 1 (Spring 1984) p.4-9
The article details the whole epidemic and is good reading.

Rick