Facing a deadly pandemic one century ago

By Lois Glewwe | Contributor | May 2020

Just as today’s South St. Paul residents have experienced stay-at-home requirements and a ban on public gatherings, city residents in 1918 did the same. The first incidence of the so-called Spanish Flu or Spanish Influenza in the U.S. was diagnosed in Kansas in the spring of 1918. As far as researchers can tell, the first case in Minnesota was discovered on Sept. 25 in Wells, a little town between Mankato and Albert Lea. The virus was traced to soldiers and other military personnel, and it was only a matter of weeks before it spread rapidly across the country.

One of the major challenges the entire country faced is that thousands of doctors and nurses were at that time in Europe, supporting the troops during World War I. Local hospitals weren’t prepared to handle the influx of patients seeking medical attention as they developed symptoms. Minneapolis closed public schools in October and St. Paul followed on Nov. 6. The closing order affected schools, theaters, houses of worship and dance halls. People were advised to cover sneezes and coughs with a handkerchief and to get plenty of fresh air. Then as now, police broke up large gatherings, including a football game played in defiance one November afternoon in Minneapolis.

Mail carriers were recruited to deliver educational materials on their routes, while Boy Scouts distributed posters to stores, offices and factories. Laid-off teachers were asked to volunteer for an educational campaign to get rid of shared drinking cups, as well as cloth roller towels, which were used to dry hands after washing. St. Paul set up a public kitchen, a children’s home, and an emergency hospital for children who were orphaned or alone and adults unable to care for themselves.

It’s unclear whether South St. Paul schools closed but people began to die here in October. At least three city residents died from the flu on Oct. 11, and four more had succumbed by Oct. 21. Twenty-five deaths occurred in the city during November, and at least three more in December. Victims ranged from infancy to old age. Some obituaries indicated they died of pneumonia, but pneumonia was often brought on by exposure to the virus. Many families lost more than one member to the deadly epidemic. Louis Ballance and his 15-month-old son both died on Nov. 22. Filip Cioban lost his wife and child on Nov. 5, and he died two days later. The flu was not declared gone from Minnesota until 1920.

To get a small sense of the impact that the deaths of so many local residents had on the community, today’s residents can simply walk through Oak Hill Cemetery and see the number of tombstones and grave markers of individuals who died in 1918 and 1919. One such stone commemorates Carl and Lizzie Maurer. They emigrated to Minnesota from Hungary in 1907, and although they lived on Thomas Street in St. Paul, they are buried in Oak Hill. Both died on Jan. 12, 1919, leaving behind their two children, Paul, 7, and Anna, 5. It’s likely that the family had relatives in South St. Paul, which would explain why they were buried at Oak Hill. 

Gradually the flu virus passed, leaving in its path more than 75,000 Minnesotans who had been sickened and nearly 12,000 who had died over the course of 18 months. Over 50 million people died from the flu around the world, with approximately 675,000 deaths in the United States.

Carl and Lizzie Maurer emigrated to the United States from Hungary in 1907. Carl worked for the Great Northern Railroad and registered for the draft when America entered World War I. The couple’s 2-year-old son Mathias died in 1910. Carl and Lizzie both died of the flu on Jan. 12, 1919, leaving behind children Paul and Anna.

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