The War With Nature
1918 Influenza Pandemic
The Flu in Durango
1918 Influenza Pandemic
The Flu in Durango
By October 23, Colorado reported 9,000 cases of flu, including 250 cases in Durango. The Red Cross issued a plea for able-bodied men and women to volunteer as nurses for the community. Local teachers, idled by school closure, answered the call and worked helping stricken families, some becoming ill themselves. To help Silverton, the women of Durango made gallons of soup to send north on the train.
Durango city leaders recognized the gravity of the situation and ordered public places closed to slow the transmission of the flu. No more than five people were allowed in a store at the same time.
Newspaper clippings from the Durango Public Library's digitized copies of the Durango Democrat, Fall 1918.