03/25/2020
I decided to read into how the Influenza of 1918 affected Humboldt County. A well-researched Humboldt Historian article by Matina Kilkenny provides an excellent look into what occurred. The influenza which swept across the world did not reach Humboldt County for some time. However, newspapers such as the Arcata Union, Blue Lake Advocate, and Ferndale Enterprise all reported on the influenza by (early) October 1918. All of which contained reports of citizens around the country succumbing to the epidemic. It was anticipated that the same conditions would reach behind the veil of the Redwood Curtain but it was not known how severe it would be.
When it did arrive, the epidemic “struck like rain” according to Mrs. Paul Borup, who was an active Red Cross member in Eureka. By 14 October 1918, Eureka’s Board of Health reported 19 cases within the county. Not even a week passed before the number of cases skyrocketed. Hundreds of infected individuals became 1,282 within two weeks; of which 45 died within that time. Doctors and nurses were ill-equipped to combat the influx of patients.
Similar precautions to what we are seeing today were implemented. Including mask ordinances in key populations centers such as Arcata, Eureka, Blue Lake, and Ferndale. The individual city ordinances became a county-wide order on 6 November 1918. County newspapers supported this, one reporter for the Ferndale Enterprise wrote “Wear a gauze mask and thus show your true Humboldt Spirt. The mask is not a sign of fear - it is a badge of honor that you are helping your city and county stamp out an epidemic. So wear one today.” There was also an attempt to curb large gatherings in public as we have done now.
Activities which would be considered “non-essential” today were cancelled. Boards of Health within the county ordered public venues such as libraries, schools, theaters, churches, and lodges to close. However, logging camps throughout the county remained occupied by large groups. Kilkenny explained that each logging camp had varying experiences with the outbreak. In Scotia, the Pacific Lumber Company had made the Scotia’s Men’s Club into an emergency hospital for their employees. Unfortunately, 13 workers died from “pneumonic complications of influenza” between 27 October and 13 November 1918.
Methods of quarantine were executed throughout the county. Carl Munther, superintendent of the California Barrel Company took such action. He ordered every person in the McKinleyville worksite returning to the area after traveling to self-quarantine for four days in tents outside the main community. The tactic worked, “very few men chose to leave the camp and not one case of influenza occurred there.” Other locations were not as lucky, in total at least 200 residents of Humboldt County lost their lives. Including nurses who were exposed to the contagion while attempting to save the lives of those around them. 91 residents who lived in Humboldt County died from the epidemic despite being between the age of 20-40.
As we go about our lives during these uncertain times we should consider this history as we implement new tactics to stop its spread. We have been here before and we will be here again in the future. Now is the time to come together as a community, as a state, and as a nation to combat this virus. While this means putting everything on hold this is not being done without precedent. The outcome of this event will remain dependent upon the choices we make as individuals. We are lucky to have historians such as Matina Kilkenny; who have researched past events so that we can navigate new events equipped with the knowledge needed to keep us more safe than we were. We will get through this!
Source:
Kilkenny, Matina. Missing Faces: The Effect of the 1918-1919 Spanish Influenza on Humboldt County. The Humboldt Historian. Winter, 1994.
The information used for this summary is part of a much more extensive article written for the Humboldt Historian magazine. The magazine is published by the Humboldt County Historical Society (HCHS) located in Eureka, CA. I highly recommend the (quarterly) magazine as it is full of enlightening and well-researched material. Used copies of the Historian can normally be found at the HCHS or on Ebay. You can find more material on the history of Humboldt County here:
https://www.humboldthistory.org
