In April, 1899, just eight short years after Concordia's founding, an epidemic broke out at the school. When the sickness was confirmed to be Typhoid fever, Concordia's staff sought out the cause, knowing it was usually spread through food or drink. They discovered a broken sewer pipe that ran underground between the kitchen and dining hall. Because of the pipe's fractured state, kitchen slop water had been running under the dining room floor and the staff deemed this to be the cause of the Typhoid fever breakout. After consulting the Moorhead board of health, Concordia was deemed safe enough to remain open, but the boarding department was required to close. To help alleviate rooming issues, Mr. and Mrs. Rasmus Bogstad opened their home's doors to Ms. Helga Fjelstad and her boarders. This situation worked smoothly for a few weeks, until Rasmus Bogstad came down with the fever. The family had been careful to not bring contaminated food into the house from the school, but it was discovered that a jar of butter was the cause of the second breakout. Professor Bogstad became very ill and contracted pneumonia in addition to typhoid fever; he was in and out of consciousness for weeks. The youngest Bogstad son was sent away to avoid contamination, but daughter Huldah Johanne Marie was less fortunate. She fell ill to the fever and both Bogstad family members spent weeks convalescing in their rooms. The pair recovered by mid-summer and spent the rest of their vacation in Ashby, Minnesota, soaking in the sun and gaining their strength. |
Archives
September 2018
Categories
All
|