Historedia
Person

Joseph Trutch

Events
1
Episodes
5
Years
1862–1864

Every event in Historedia whose sources name Joseph Trutch, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. Smallpox epidemic spreads from San Francisco to British Columbia

    1862–1864

    Role: Chief Commissioner of Land and Works

    1. 1862–1863 · Haida GwaiiDevastation of the Haida

      Smallpox circulated among Haida villages for over a year, killing approximately 72% of the population.

    2. March 1862 · Victoria, British ColumbiaArrival of Smallpox in Victoria

      Smallpox arrived in Victoria via steamships from San Francisco in March 1862, with infected passengers reported shortly after arrival.

    3. May–June 1862 · Victoria, British ColumbiaEviction of Indigenous Communities

      Infected First Nations were evicted from Victoria and forced to return to their homelands, spreading the disease along the coast.

    4. June 1862 · Fort SimpsonTsimshian Transmission at Fort Simpson

      Evicted Tsimshian brought smallpox to Fort Simpson, causing widespread transmission starting in June 1862.

    5. 1864 · British ColumbiaShift in Land Tenure Policy

      Following the epidemic, colonial authorities abandoned treaty processes, establishing a precedent for taking Indigenous land by fiat.

Sources

  1. 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-15