The Hop-Picker's Smallpox Scare
A panic at the Meeker ranch over a supposed smallpox outbreak threatened to upend the harvest—but the sickness was not what it seemed.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Considerable alarm developed Friday among the hop pickers who are waiting to begin work at the upper Meeker ranch. Two children were taken somewhat ill this morning and eruptions appeared about the neck and face. Some one imagined that it was an outbreak of smallpox. The news came to the ears of Supt. Ben Myers and he immediately summoned a physician. The doctor at once allayed all apprehension by saying that there were no symptoms of the disease. The report spread rapidly around town, however, and there was quite a scare for a while. It is hinted that the report was first started by parties who desired to create a stampede among the pickers in order to make places for others. Work in this yard will not begin until the 15th, and the hops being of good quality and yield it will be a desirable place for pickers. Plenty of help has been engaged to harvest the crop in short order.
“It is hinted that the report was first started by parties who desired to create a stampede among the pickers in order to make places for others.”
Rumors weaponized to displace workers or suppress wages remain a staple of labor conflict. This 1892 scare illustrates how fragile, seasonal employment in industries like agriculture has long been susceptible to exploitation through fear-mongering.
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