Heartbreaking Story

The heart-wrenching backstory that led to the widowed status of Lucas McCain’s character revolves around a tragic event in the 1870s when Mark’s mother succumbed to the devastating grip of smallpox. In those times, smallpox was a pervasive and well-recognized menace, akin to the familiarity with cancer in our contemporary era.

Tracing the history of this dreadful disease, it’s astonishing to discover its presence even in the ancient mummies of Egypt. During the show’s setting, smallpox was among a slew of grave afflictions sweeping across America, including Yellow and Scarlet fever, as well as Typhus. As viewers tuned in, there might well have been families who could empathize with their own ancestral tales of grappling with these dire health conditions.