I don’t have any verified homesteaders in my family tree  –  well, maybe a few  –  but it is always tempting in times like these to compare the current challenges to what our pioneer fore-fathers actually endured. I’ve always taken solace from historical comparisons,  but as a historian,  I have to admit we’ve never seen anything like this. Since the first ill-fated cruise ship arrived in port with quarantined passengers,  I’ve been collecting clippings and scouring the inter