Monday Memories: When ‘epizooty’ brought Toledo, the nation, to a standstill

In the fall of 1872, an equine plague came down the rails from Canada, eventually sickening horses all over the country.

They didn’t know what caused it, but there were a variety of names for it: The epizooty, epizootic evil, malarial Incubus, typhoid laryngite, and hippopathic embarrassment, among others. Whatever they called it, the virus's impact brought transportation and production to a standstill in Toledo and the nation, since horsepower fueled the economy. Extremely infectious, it quickly sickened horses in crowded trolley and fire stables across the city. Symptoms could take weeks to clear; horse deaths were reported in The Blade.

Shipping disruptions caused prices of necessities such as coal to skyrocket. The loss of public transportation caused chaos in the streets as people s