7 - Experiences of Influenza

Summary

A world-changing influenza came to the Mackenzie River in 1928, killing up to 10 per cent of the population in less than two months. A century later, stories about 1928 continue to be shared in the North and are combined here with archival materials that detail state, medical, and community responses. This chapter tells the story of the 1928 epidemic in depth. The narrative follows the spread of the influenza virus aboard the main trade post supply ship, the SS Distributor, and then out on the land through treaty gatherings and the normal social life of summer, all irrevocably disrupted.