Porter Island

Like all major cities, Ottawa has seen many disease outbreaks and epidemics throughout its history. With many of these outbreaks came the need to isolate the contagious people. If someone was unfortunate to catch smallpox, they might have been isolated on the dreaded Porter Island. In this video, Forgotten Ottawa delves into the island's infamous past.

NOTE: In researching this story, I came across a doctor named Dr. Peter Bryce who reported to the City of Ottawa of the terrible conditions on Porter Island. Unfortunately his report was ignored. It turns out he is the same doctor who reported to the Canadian Government in 1907 of the horrid conditions at Residential Schools when he was Chief Medical Officer of the federal Departments of the Interior and Indian Affairs. Again his report was ignored. It's too bad in both cases the authorities did not listen to him. For more information on Bryce: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.c...

#Ottawa #OttawaHistory #OttawaPast #PeterBryce

Created and narrated by:
Kevin Ballantyne
   / @kevinballantyne9371  
https://www.kballantyne.ca/

Sources:
Since Porter Island came up a lot in the news during its time, many articles from the Ottawa Journal and the Ottawa Citizen between June 16, 1893 to November 7, 1945 were used as research for this video. The ones specifically referenced in this video are:
1. "Another View of Porter's Island", The Ottawa Journal, 8 Jul 1893, p. 6 - accessed Jun 12 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4336...
2. "Things Look Serious", The Ottawa Journal, 12 Mar 1894, p. 1 - accessed June 12, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4324...
3. "Ald. MacLean's Opinion", The Ottawa Journal, 9 Apr 1894, p. 8 - accessed June 12, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4324...
4. "Notes and Comments", The Ottawa Journal, 25 Feb 1904, p. 4 - accessed June 13, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4215...
5. "Small City Items - Smallpox", The Ottawa Journal, 30 Jun 1902, p. 9 - accessed June 13, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4574...
6. "Tented Hospital", The Ottawa Citizen, 22 Feb 1902, p. 14 - accessed June 13, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4560...
7. "Tumbling Down.", The Ottawa Citizen, 28 Apr 1904, p. 4 - accessed June 13, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4562...
8. "Free of Smallpox", The Ottawa Citizen, 24 Jul 1912, p. 7 - accessed June 18, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4555...
9. "Rats, Neglect and Filth Features of a Sojourn on Porter's Island, The Ottawa Journal, 21 Jun 1911, p. 1 - accessed June 19, 2021 at https://www.newspapers.com/image/4237...

10. THE SMALLPOX HOSPITAL, PORTER'S ISLAND - FRANK'S FIRST FORAY, http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2014/07/t...

Image Sources:
1. Library & Archives Canada
2. THE SMALLPOX HOSPITAL, PORTER'S ISLAND - FRANK'S FIRST FORAY, http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2014/07/t...
3. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ma...