Before the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, or the coronavirus of 2020, North Dakotans dealt with other outbreaks of illness. On this date in 1887, the St. Paul Globe reported that John Richards, the Burleigh County Registrar of Deeds, was seriously ill with typhoid fever. The late 1880s and early 1890s were particularly bad for outbreaks of typhoid, which was also known as mountain fever.
Typhoid is a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by salmonella. A fever is typically accompanied by weakness, headaches, and abdominal pain. Symptoms can last for weeks. People with typhoid can spread the disease to others even if they have no symptoms. It’s spread by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water, and other means linked to poor hygiene and sanitation.
Conditions in Dakota Territory had laid the groundwork for typhoid fever. There was drought from 1886 to 1891, followed by heavy snows in 1891 that relieved the drought and filled empty riverbeds. According to one observer, “That summer there were wonderful crops. Vegetables looked like pictures from seed catalogs.”
The moisture was a welcome respite from the drought, but paradoxically, it may also have been the cause of the typhoid outbreak. While some towns provided city wells for drinking water, many people still relied on river water, which may have been the source of the bacteria.
In 1888, when typhoid arrived in Dakota Territory, among the first to die was the daughter of a Burlington couple. A priest who ministered to the family also contracted the disease and passed away. More cases were reported in the following years. Those who didn’t die were still affected. Families had to shelter in place, sometimes for weeks as one family member after another became sick. Doctors and nurses traveled throughout the territory making house calls.
The typhoid problem persisted for 11 years, finally subsiding in 1909 as improved sanitation, availability of clean water, and better medical care finally put an end to the threat.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
State Historical Society of North Dakota. “It Happened in Bismarck.” http://www.bismarckhistory.org/it-happened-in-bismarck/?&offset=900 Accessed 11/17/2020.
North Dakota State Government. “Typhoid Fever.” https://www.health.nd.gov/diseases-conditions/foodborne-and-gastrointestinal-illness/typhoid-fever Accessed 11/17/2020.
Minot News. “Typhoid Fever Once Gripped Minot.” 4/20/2020. https://www.minotdailynews.com/opinion/letters/2020/04/typhoid-fever-once-gripped-minot/ Accessed 11/17/20.
