1709-10 — Smallpox Epidemic, Native Americans, lower CA –>2,000

— >2,000  Thornton, Russell.  American Indian Holocaust and Survival.  1990, p. 80.

Narrative Information

Thornton: “A severe 1709-10 smallpox epidemic broke out among the Indians of lower California, ‘sweeping away most of the children and many of the adults in all the missions….This was followed by another epidemic in 1729-32, bringing with it horror and affliction” (Stearn and Stearn, 1945:37[1]). The first epidemic alone reportedly killed at least 2,000 of 8,000 California Indians (Stearn and Stearn, 1945:37[2]).” (Thornton, R. American Indian Holocaust and Survival: A Population History Since 1492. Univ. of OK Press, 1990, p. 80.)

Source

Thornton, Russell.  American Indian Holocaust and Survival:  A Population History Since 1492.  University of Oklahoma Press, 1990, p. 80.  Partially Google digitized at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=9iQYSQ9y60MC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[1] Stearn, E. Wagner and Allen E. Stearn. The Effect of Smallpox on the Destiny of the Amerindian. Boston: Bruce Humphries, Inc., 1945. See also, Stearn and Stearn. “Smallpox Immunization of the Amerindian.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Vol. 13, pp. 601-163, 1943.

[2] Stearn, E. Wagner and Allen E. Stearn.  The Effect of Smallpox on the Destiny of the Amerindian.  Boston: Bruce Humphries, 1945.