In 1872, the economy of North America was threatened by an epizootic (animal epidemic) of equine influenza (horse flu), known as “The Great Epizootic of 1872.” The outbreak is believed to have been the most destructive recorded episode of equine influenza in history.
The virus was highly contagious among horses, spread mainly through droplets made when the animal coughs or sneezes.
In 1870, three fourths of Americans lived in rural areas (towns under 2,500 population, and farms). Horse and mule power was used for moving wagons and carriages, and pulling plows and farm equipment.
The census of 1870 counted 7.1 million horses and 1.1 million mules, as well as 39 million humans. With most urban horses and mules incapacitated for a week or two, humans used wheelbarrows and pulled the wagons. About 1% of the animals died, although the rest fully recovered. (Read more about life in cities with horses here.)
The first cases of the disease were reported in Ontario, Canada and by October 1, 1872, had spread to Toronto, where all the streetcar horses and major livery stables were affected within three days. By the middle of October, the disease had reached Montreal, Detroit, and New England.
On October 25, 1872, The New York Times reported on the extent of the outbreak, claiming that nearly all public stables in the city had been affected, and that the majority of the horses owned privately had been rendered useless.
Days later, the Times reported that 95% of all horses in Rochester, NY, had been affected, and the disease was also affecting the state of Maine, after having affected all the fire department horses in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.
On October 30, 1872, The New York Times reported that there had been a complete halt of travel in New York State and that large freight backups were occurring due as cities such as Buffalo and New York were left without effective ways to move merchandise through the streets. The street railway industry ground to a halt.
The Erie Canal was left with boats full of goods idling in its waters as life along the State’s canals seemed to have ground to a halt.
In the city of New York, 7,000 of the city’s approximately 11,000 horses fell ill, with mortality rates ranging between 1% and 10%. Many horses were unable to stand in their stalls; those that could stand coughed violently and were too weak to pull loads or support riders.
In December 1872, Mexico sent aid to the United States in the form of live horses.
The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host a talk a free virtual talk by Travis Bowman, senior curator at the New York State Bureau of Historic Sites, about the 19th century horse flu epizootic’s impact on Erie Canal communities on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 7 pm via Webex.
For a link to the presentation, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov.
Illustrations, from above: Horses haul a canal boat under a low bridge on the Erie Canal at Vischer Ferry in Clifton Park; and a map of North America showing the spread of the 1872 epizootic of horse influenza.
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