In this activity students will slowly uncover clues in the form of photographs, artwork and a number of primary and secondary text sources, about the smallpox epidemic of 1862 that began in Victoria and spread up the coast of what is now British Columbia. The epidemic devastated the communities of the northern First Nations along the coast. The Southern Ts'msyen and Haida were particularly hard hit, with 67% and 72% respectively perishing due to Smallpox.

Note: This activity was originally created in SD52 (Prince Rupert) for students living on Ts'msyen Territory.

• Lesson 
• Source Clips
• Slides
• Excerpt from Persistence and Change: A History of the Ts'msyen Nation

The companion resource: Disease Transmission Lab is highly recommended to go alongside this activity.

• Disease Transmission Lab