100th anniversary of Spanish Influenza approaches

MARQUETTE — It’s flu season again, and while this may not scare you now, nearly a century ago, the Spanish Influenza of 1918 was responsible for devastating over half a million people around the country. Between flu-related deaths and casualties from the First World War, a U.P. county lost a portion of their young population.

“There literally was a whole generation, particularly between the ones who died in the war and the ones who died of influenza, there was just a whole generation that was gone,” said Rebecca Peterson, secretary of the Schoolcraft County Historical Society.

Resounding noises of relief and rejoice should have echoed around the globe as November 11th, 1918 dawned and an armistice was signed, officially ending WWI. But instead, the world was preparing for another war, a war against a deadly pandemic that couldn’t be won with armies and weapons.

The Spanish Influenza was a deadly mystery to the people of 1918.

While the flu is a common ailment now, the Spanish Influenza was the first H1N1-related strain and it was unusually deadly. In the United States alone, it killed 675,000 people and decreased life expectancy by 12 years.

“The thing about the Spanish Influenza was that it primarily hit those people that were young and healthy. Most of the victims of the flu died when they were on their way to recovery when they developed pneumonia. It was the pneumonia that ended up being fatal,” said Larry Peterson, president of the Schoolcraft County Historical Society.

Larry and his wife Rebecca are members of the Schoolcraft County Historical Society and have researched the impact of World War One and the Spanish Influenza on the county. In all, Schoolcraft County lost 27 young men to the war and 21 residents to the flu. Thirteen of those 21 were in their 20s and 30s while eight were under the age of 10.

“I’m stunned, really, just thinking of any community, if kind of out of the clear blue sky you lose over fifty of your young people, the ones that are your future,” said Rebecca. “I can see how it would have just brought it to a halt and it did.”

The flu only claimed the lives of two in November, but as time passed the cases became much more serious and exceedingly prevalent. By December 6, over 300 cases of flu had been reported, sending the city of Manistique into a frenzy.

The Spanish Influenza had become so widespread and severe that the area was under an influenza ban that closed all public places like churches, schools and theaters and outlawed all public gatherings. Local hospitals were overwhelmed and just too small to deal with the plethora of flu cases to the point where the third floor of a hardware store was converted into a make-shift hospital wing. On top of all of this, there was a nursing shortage since many were still overseas tending to the wounded of the war.

“If you violated the influenza ban, you were subject to arrest, so they took it very seriously,” said Larry. “And I think the fact that they did shut down all public gatherings, helped to stop the spread.”

The quarantine remained in effect until December 31, putting a damper on the Christmas spirit. This had an incredibly negative economic impact on the area as stores were forced to stay closed through the holiday season.

The Peterson’s said they hope this event brings thankfulness to the table as we close in on the one hundredth anniversary of the deadly pandemic.