Events

1915 Foot And Mouth Disease Outbreak

The 1915 foot and mouth disease outbreak created significant anxiety among dairy farmers in the Dundee, Illinois area. At least one local farmer, Theodore Wagner, reportedly suffered a severe mental breakdown as a result of fear that his dairy herd would become infected. The incident reflects the broader agricultural crisis posed by the disease across the Midwest during the Progressive Era.

Date & Context

The incident involving Theodore Wagner was reported on January 27, 1915, in a dispatch originating from Elgin, Illinois, and published in The Day Book (Chicago, Ill.), Last Edition. (Source: The Day Book (Chicago), January 27, 1915 (Chronicling America))

The foot and mouth disease outbreak of 1915 was a widespread crisis affecting livestock operations throughout the United States, with particular concern among dairy farmers who stood to lose their entire herds to quarantine or destruction. The farming region east of East Dundee, Illinois|Dundee was home to active dairy operations, and the threat of infection appears to have weighed heavily on those dependent on their herds for their livelihoods.

Participants

Theodore Wagner was a farmer located east of Dundee, Illinois. According to the Day Book report, Wagner reportedly became insane through fear of foot and mouth disease infecting his dairy herd. The brief newspaper account does not elaborate on the specific circumstances of his breakdown, the size or status of his herd, or the subsequent outcome for Wagner or his farm. (Source: The Day Book (Chicago), January 27, 1915 (Chronicling America))

No other named participants are identified in the available source material.

Significance

Wagner's case, as briefly noted in the Chicago press, illustrates the psychological toll the 1915 outbreak took on individual farming families in the Dundee area. Dairy farming was central to the local agricultural economy, and the threat of foot and mouth disease — which could result in mandatory slaughter of infected animals and strict quarantine measures — posed an existential risk to small operators.

The mention of Wagner's condition in a multi-item Chicago newspaper column suggests the story was considered newsworthy beyond the immediate locality, likely because it captured the human dimension of a regional agricultural emergency. The dispatch originating from Elgin, Illinois indicates the story circulated within the broader Kane County news network.

Note on sourcing: The sole source for this event is a brief item in a multi-topic column in The Day Book, January 27, 1915. Details are sparse and the account is secondhand. Further local records — such as Kane County farm bureau reports, Elgin newspaper archives, or county health department records from 1915 — may provide additional context regarding the extent of the outbreak in this area and the outcome for Wagner and his farm.

Sources