Smallpox Scare Drives Indigenous Families from Port Townsend
After learning of a smallpox outbreak in British Columbia, a group of Kuyoquot Indians preparing to work the canneries turns back to protect their communities from contagion.
A party of Kuyoquot Indians, numbering fifty men, women and children, from the west coast of Vancouver Island, had been camped on the beach at Port Townsend. They were bound for the Fraser River canneries when they learned of smallpox cases in Vancouver and New Westminster. They sought advice from Judge James G. Swan, who contacted the Indian Commissioner. M. H. Moffatt of the Indian office confirmed the outbreak and strongly recommended the party not proceed. Judge Swan interpreted the letter to the group, advising them to stay away until the danger passed. Queen Victoria, widow of the Duke of York, urged her people not to bring sickness to their homes, leading many to pack their canoes and depart for home.
“You King George Indians mustn't come here and bring sick.”
This 1892 account highlights the historical vulnerability of Indigenous communities to introduced diseases and the agency of tribal members in coordinating public health responses. Today, Port Townsend and the surrounding region continue to navigate the complexities of regional public health and the preservation of Indigenous health sovereignty.
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