Smallpox Fears Disrupt Trains and Border Crossings
As smallpox cases spiked in British Columbia, Seattleites feared the contagion was crossing the border via Indian canoes and passenger trains.
The story, cleaned up
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Victoria's supreme court refused to dissolve an injunction blocking the city of Vancouver from preventing passengers from landing, while in Port Townsend, federal authorities ordered customs collectors to refuse entry to any vessel from a foreign port lacking a U.S. quarantine certificate. Meanwhile, at Port Angeles, officials discovered two cases of smallpox after two men allegedly crossed the Straits of Fuca from Victoria in Indian canoes, sparking a local panic. In Seattle, the Great Northern train arriving from the north was detained and the cars locked after a passenger appeared to have smallpox symptoms; doctors eventually determined the marks were merely flea bites, much to the irritation of the 200 passengers held in the sweltering cars.
“The passengers kicked and some of them jumped out of the windows, while those who were expecting friends on the train stood on the street and condoled with the prisoners.”
This 1892 contagion scare mirrors modern concerns over border closures and public health mandates. Just as 19th-century authorities used the threat of 'smallpox' to justify restricting movement and targeting specific populations, similar arguments regarding public safety often dictate the boundaries of regional cooperation.
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