The Spanish Flu in Yellowstone County

The spreading of the Spanish Flu devastated Montana during 1918 through 1919. The pandemic coincidentally happened during no ordinary time. By a twist of fate, the United States joined World War 1 in April 1917, and the war concluded in November 1918. As the war was concluding and many began recovering from it, Montana suffered deaths by the influenza pandemic. People who became infected by the flu were described as being "blue as huckleberries". The flu was very severe due to it being at its height of its mutations. In this time frame, Dr. Louis W. Allard possessed a position as city-county health officer for Yellowstone County. Dr. Allard was also recognized for serving as a physician in Billings, Montana, where the flu would have a major impact on medical practices. Schools and churches would open hospitals to help ease those ill from the flu. Dr. Allard would soon receive the virus and be hospitalized. Although a fever is a natural and an effective defense when the body has a virus, Dr. Allard’s fever put him into a state of delirium. In a miraculous turn of events he would fully recover and continue in his passion of medical practices. 

Red Cross nurses and volunteers assembled masks for the epidemic of the Spanish Flu. The masks were an effort to suppress the influenza as it resembled wild fire and dispersed rapidly and dangerously. These masks were worn in Montana by streetcar operators, policemen, and some public servants. This includes the Yellowstone County area in Montana. The first victim of the flu recorded in Montana during the epidemic, was located on a farm in Red Lodge. After four more deaths across the state, the influence of the influenza was realized by the citizens of Montana.

The image above exhibits how Yellowstone County responded to the influenza. The citizens of Billings were in terror. In order to ease the concerns, it was decided to shut down public gatherings. Any location that could be populated in Billings was temporarily closed. A few examples are theaters, churches, and saloons. Due to schools residing under the department of health, they remained unaffected. In October, schools caved in and shut their doors.