Smallpox Outbreak in Port Townsend
The port faces a health crisis after an Indian crew member is landed ashore with smallpox, sparking panic and strict quarantine measures.
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.
Port Townsend, September 20: The smallpox has reached this place. An Indian, one of the crew of the Dakota, was landed here yesterday suffering from that disease. The barkentine Victor was towed back here from Port Gamble this morning, having one case of varioloid on board. Another of the crew was taken down this forenoon. The vessel is in quarantine at the head of the bay. Intense excitement prevails on account of the Dakota putting the Indian crew ashore here that had been exposed.
“Intense excitement prevails on account of the Dakota putting the Indian crew ashore here.”
This 1876 report highlights how maritime trade and public health have been inextricably linked in Washington’s coastal towns for over a century. The anxiety over quarantine measures mirrors the intense civic debates we still have regarding public health mandates and regional border control.
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