|
I'm a Proud Member of the
Colorado GenWeb Project
Home
About The US GenWeb Project
Communities
Grand Army of the Republic
Weld County Schools
Useful Weld, CO Addresses
Weld Co. Cemeteries
Surnames
1861 colorado Territorial Election
E-mail Me
Epidemics
Useful Links
Look Ups
Mailing List/Message Board
Newspaper Articles
Photo Submissions
Sons of Confederate Veterans
We Won an Award!
This page is
owned and maintained by Pauli Driver Smith (Hollyhockfarms.com). Please report
any broken links or problems with this page to
pauli1028@msn.com
Weld County Coordinator. Be
sure to include the URL of the page you are referring to!
This site was last updated on:
October 28, 2009
| |
Epidemics In Our Ancestors' Lives
Seventy-five years ago, on January 20, Dr. Curtis
Welch telegraphed Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward, and Juneau, Alaska, requesting
help to fight a diphtheria epidemic that threatened to decimate the population
of Nome, Alaska. Nome
was in desperate need of more antitoxin, but the nearest supply was in
Anchorage, 955 miles away. The serum traveled by rail to Nenana, and the
rest of the distance by a relay of dog teams. On 2 February 1925, Gunner Kassen
and his team, led by the legendary Balto, delivered the much-needed antitoxin to
Nome, saving many lives.
Throughout history, people have been ravaged by epidemics that, in many cases,
wiped out entire families. In 1841, yellow fever sweep through the South,
and in 1918, the Spanish flu spread quickly throughout the world, leaving an
estimated 25 to 40 million dead. These are only a few examples of widespread
illnesses that affected the lives of our ancestors. Many died in these
outbreaks and others fled to other areas, hoping to save their families.
Below are some links to Web sites with timelines
and information about these epidemics and the havoc they wreaked.
EPIDEMIC TIMELINES AND CHRONOLOGIES
U.S. Epidemics
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001460.html
Plagues & Epidemics
http://www.theplumber.com/plague.html
The American Experience: Influenza 1918
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/
Plague and Epidemic in Renaissance Europe
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/osheim/
|
