Community faced pandemic together 102 years ago

More than 100 years ago an influenza pandemic had made its way to Whitefish, and the response then appears to be much the same as today as the community faces the coronavirus pandemic.

A headline in the Pilot on Oct. 11, 1918 proclaims “Influenza strikes Whitefish” and details the closing of schools, theaters, churches and saloons in towns.

“Owing to the appearance of Spanish Influenza in Whitefish, when it became definitely known that such was the fact on Wednesday evening the school board promptly gave orders that the public schools be closed until the epidemic can be checked and stamped out,” the Pilot wrote.

The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu pandemic, spread worldwide during 1918 and 1919. In the United States, it was first identified in the spring of 1918 in military personnel and about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“With no vaccine to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that can be associated with influenza infections, control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings, which were applied unevenly,” the CDC says on its website.

Once influenza had been discovered in Whitefish, the city took immediate action closing all theaters, saloons, pool halls, churches and other public gathering places. A dance scheduled for the same night was canceled.

Several business owners announced their closures to the public as a result of the flu. L.J. Sissel of the Orpheum theater, said, “However, as soon as conditions warrant, we will again come before the public with the same strong features as before.”

Similar to precautions about the coronavirus today, in 1918 folks were being reminded to cover each cough and sneeze, wash their hands and stay away from crowded places. Also, “plenty of fresh air and sunlight” were considered infallible insurance against the disease.

J.S. Flett was the first influenza victim, dying at the Whitefish hospital. At age 38, he had come to Whitefish from Conrad a “short time ago” accompanied by his wife, the Pilot reported on Oct. 18, 1918.

The first death from the flu in Columbia Falls was reported the same week. Helen Caroll, 16, appeared to have contracted the virus after traveling to Libby to visit with friends. The girl with a sunny disposition, seemed to recover from the virus sitting up, but pneumonia set in and she died the next day.

By Oct. 25, the city was in the grip of the Spanish flu and health authorities reported that the epidemic showed no signs of abating.

City physicians were reporting that more than 125 cases had been identified with seven deaths reported and many others in serious condition.

The one thing that was making it difficult to stamp out the virus, the Pilot reported, was the lack of nursing facilities. The hospital was filled to the limit and the city teachers placed their time and domestic science house at the disposal of health authorities for an overflow hospital.

Volunteers were coming forward to care for the sick.

“Unlike many other towns, this city has a large percentage of unmarried men, and it is cases like these that those in charge of the temporary hospital have undertaken to look after — people without any permanent residence, and who therefore cannot secure any professional or home nursing,” the Pilot said.

The original order closing saloons was rescinded before the end of October 1918 permitting them to reopen, but regulations against congregating were being strictly enforced by the saloon keepers themselves.

By November, the Red Cross was making an appeal for volunteers to help care for the sick, but also to provide support such as cooking meals or making influenza masks. There was also a need for donations of bedding and food for the sick.

The local board of health said that there was about 300 cases in the city, a number of whom were seriously ill.

Brief obituaries for those who died from the flu ran on the front page of the Pilot providing a eulogy for their lives.

George Belmar Young, who died at the home of his parents, was a prominent citizen and was held in high esteem by all who knew him.

Those who had recovered or were on the mend were also mentioned.

As the impact of the flu continued, there was a pronounced difference in the business district as orders went into effect closing businesses. The most docile of cows could have ambled the length of the main thoroughfares and not be in the least bit of danger from being assassinated by automobiles, the Pilot said.

Great Northern railway was also feeling the impact. The loss of manpower was causing difficulty in keeping the train service going and the moving of freight was being threated with serious impairment. Several former employees stepped forward to keep operations moving.

By mid-November 1918, the number of deaths from influenza had slowed and the severity of the disease seemed to be lessening. However, in December a renewed appearance of the virus was reported.

The increase in cases was so alarming that it became the main topic of discussion at city council, and the school board decided the opening of schools was out of the question. One of the most effective ways to combat the virus, reports said, was to quarantine the sick and prevent the gathering of crowds.

Near the end of December 1918 it was decided that the most danger from the epidemic had passed and gradual improvement was likely to be the situation moving forward.

Churches were allowed to reopen ahead of the Christmas holiday.

After 11 weeks of closures due to the epidemic, the ban was lifted from theaters and dances. Whitefish public schools were set to reopen in early January of 1919.

“The fact that public gatherings have been forbidden had considerable to do with the progress made in the fight against the disease in the city,” the Pilot surmised. “In a number of neighboring cities where the ban was lifted after four or five weeks of quarantine, the situation is worse than it has ever been.”

While residents had many reasons to celebrate, they were still having a hard time wetting their whistle as the state began to enter into prohibition. Though prohibition took effect nationwide on Jan. 17, 1920, Montana began enforcing the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Jan. 1, 1919.

Thus, on the eve of the state’s ban on alcohol, liquor stocks were already at “low ebb” and a grand finale for the saloons would not to be had as most had already closed and many owners had moved on to other businesses or from Whitefish.