Missouri State Museum hosts virtual 1849 Cholera Outbreak program

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri State Museum will highlight the 1849 Cholera Outbreak as part of its ongoing “Landing After Hours” series. The virtual program will be held at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 5  on the Missouri State Museum Facebook page.

Author Gary Elliott recently published a book about the 1849 outbreak and will discuss the history and its far-reaching effects when a steamship named after President James Monroe headed from St. Louis to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The passengers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Philadelphia. At St. Louis they were joined with a group of California gold diggers from Jeffersonville, Indiana. Their trip was interrupted when cholera broke out on board. A 14-year-old boy named James McHenry discovered the steamship when it landed at Jefferson City, observing dead and dying victims along the riverbank.

The Missouri State Museum’s “Landing After Hours” events are held the first Wednesday of each month.

For more information about the event, call the Missouri State Museum at 573-751-2854.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *