No doctor within forty miles: influenza at Arbon, autumn 1918

In October 1918 the Spanish influenza reached Arbon Valley, part of Oneida County until 1913 and of Power County since. The American Falls Press, the county paper, followed it week by week, on its front page and in the Arbon Valley News column sent in from the valley. On October 22 its front page put the valley's position plainly: "The disease has gotten a start in the Arbon country with no doctor within forty miles."

The doctor gone

When Dr. L. F. Castle of Pocatello toured the valley in the fall of 1917 looking for a place to practise, the Press noted, "The valley at present is without a doctor." By January 1918 Dr. Leo Castle, formerly of Pocatello and probably the same man, had opened an office and drug store near Pauline, the first doctor this site has found living in the valley. On September 27, 1918, the Arbon column reported that he had closed his Pauline office and returned to Pocatello. The paper gave no reason.

October

The column of October 22 reported two deaths. Charles C. Myler, a pioneer of the Pauline district a mile north of Arbon, died in a Pocatello hospital on October 16; he had been in poor health for months and caught the Spanish influenza a few days before he died. The Press printed his age as 75 and the Ogden Daily Standard as 57; 57 agrees with the birth year this site records. That Saturday the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Young, who lived a few miles northeast of Arbon, died of influenza in a Pocatello hospital.

The Central school, opened two weeks earlier with Perry H. Howell as teacher, was closed "until further notice," although there were no cases in the school yet. The Press column dates the closing Friday, October 18; the Ogden Standard, October 21. Richard Bandy and the J. R. Bailey children came home from Pocatello, where the schools had closed too.

At American Falls Dr. R. F. Noth was himself so ill on the night of October 23 that hope for his life was given up, and his brother at Arbon was sent for. The doctor rallied. Dr. C. F. Schiltz, with a driver for his car, was "virtually sleeping on the road between patients." That Wednesday the Cotant threshing crew of eight men was brought in from Arbon, all ill with influenza; they had fallen sick at the Bullock place.

"An influenza epidemic here in Arbon"

The Arbon Valley News of November 1 began:

There is an influenza epidemic here in Arbon. Several families of six and eight to a family, are all down.

In lines scrambled in the digitized page, the column seems to say that the doctors, busy with influenza at Rockland, American Falls and Malad, could not come when first called, and that Dr. Schiltz and Dr. Ray of Malad came out whenever they could. Dr. Ray came over on Sunday morning to the home of George Bandy, whose son Richard was seriously ill with pneumonia, his left lung badly affected. A Dr. Hartviggen, as the paper spelled it, had been summoned from McCammon to attend Mrs. Floyd and several others. The column reported:

Mrs. Mable Catherine Floyd wife of E. L. Floyd, of Arbon, died last Thursday at their home here of pneumonia, after an illness of short duration. Remains were taken to Pocatello, where funeral services were held Friday afternoon. Deceased was a lovable woman, wife and mother and is survived by her husband and five small children: also a brother, Harry Hill of this place.

The Thursday was probably October 24.

Household after household was down. All of Frank C. Turner's family were sick at once, and Mrs. Arbon and, it seems, a Mrs. Davis were doing what they could for them. At the Porter home Mrs. Porter, ill in bed herself, had to get up and nurse the others. The family of E. H. Davis were "taking turns with the 'flu'," and the Davis store was closed until they recovered. The Paynes, the Brahmstadts and Emmett Lee's children were ill, and so was Perry Howell, probably the teacher.

Heber Wood had taken over the mail route from Pocatello to Arbon by way of Crystal by mid-September. Now all of his family had the flu, so Rennie Evans took the U.S. mail to Pocatello. Mr. Cotant brought two of his threshing crew back, recovered, but the machine had stood idle for two weeks, with farmers still waiting for it.

From outside came word that T. B. and L. B. Evans's brother I. B. had died of pneumonia at Preston, and that John Daniels of Pauline had died of influenza at Camp Fremont, California (his story). On its front page that day the Press summed up: "In the Arbon country there are several entire families ill, and single cases in many others."

Election day and after

On election day, November 5, the Press reported that sickness had more than halved the expected vote in many places, and that "in Arbon and Pauline reports at 4 o'clock indicated that not a third of the vote would be polled."

On November 19 the Press reported that Bert Noble, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Noble, had died at home of pneumonia and was buried in the Pauline cemetery. The paper called him eleven (the Pauline and West Fork history gives nine) and the "third child in the Noble family to die in a little less than two years."

A week later the valley was mending. Dr. Schiltz was in Arbon on professional business. Mr. Fallon had influenza but was not seriously ill, "having taken precaution in time by calling a physician and staying in bed." Rennie and Joey Evans, the two eldest boys of L. B. Evans, were a little better, and Newell Leishman and Richard Bandy were out again after "a long siege of pneumonia." Now the epidemic was serious at Malad, and Mrs. John Lusk and her daughter had come out from there because of it. The county commissioners decided to "keep the lid on for a few days more," because new cases had developed.

At Crystal families were still recovering from weeks of flu at the end of January 1919, as the influenza of 1918–19 tells. When influenza came round again in February 1920, the Arbon items reported "very little sickness." When John Bullock's little son had pneumonia that month, Dr. Schiltz was again called out from American Falls.

The article as printed

American Falls Press, November 1, 1918, page 5. Transcribed from the page scan.

ARBON VALLEY NEWS.
There is an influenza epidemic here in Arbon. Several families of six and eight to a family, are all down. There have been several calls for physicians but due to the influenza at Rockland, American Falls, Malad and vicinity, the doctors can not come when first called, but Dr. Schiltz of American Falls and Dr. Ray are doing their best for the sufferers, coming out and whenever they possibly can. There is an urgent call for doctors here every day.
Mr Perry Howell came down with the influenza Saturday.
Mrs. Mable Catherine Floyd wife of E. L. Floyd, of Arbon, died last Thursday at their home here of pneumonia, after an illness of short duration. Remains were taken to Pocatello, where funeral services were held Friday afternoon. Deceased was a lovable woman, wife and mother and is survived by her husband and five small children: also a brother, Harry Hill of this place.
The family of Frank C. Turner have been seriously ill with influenza, all being down at once. Mrs. Arbon and Mrs. Davis are doing what they can for them.
Rennie Evans took the U. S. mail to Pocatello last Friday, as all of Heber Wood's family were ill with the Spanish flu.
Dr. Ray, of Malad, came over Sunday morning to the home of Mr. Geo. Bandy. His son, Richard, was seriously ill with pneumonia, but Dr. Ray thinks he has a chance to recover now, although his left lung is badly affected.
Mr. C. D. Porter, Orville Porter and one [illegible] are quite ill at the Porter home with influenza. Mrs. Porter, who had been ill in bed with the same thing, had to get up and nurse the others.
Mrs. Melvin Bailey has been quite ill with influenza, but is recovering now.
Mrs. James Payne, who had been ill with influenza, is reported much better. Her husband and little daughter are now ill in bed.
The family of E. H. Davis are all taking turns with the "flu," two or three being down in bed at a time. Dr. Davis is away on a hunting trip and doesn't know of the sickness at home.
Mr. Newell Leishemann is slowly recovering from a severe attack of influenza.
Mr. Cotant of American Falls, brot two of his thresher crew back Friday, they having recovered from a slight attack of influenza. All of the crew took sick and had to be taken to town for medical aid, the thresher having to lay idle for two weeks. There are several waiting to have their grain threshed as soon as the Cotant machine can resume work.
Messrs. T. B. and L. B. Evans received word of the death of their brother, I. B. Evans, at Preston, Saturday morning of pneumonia. They left Saturday to attend the funeral. I. B. Evans was well known by many of the old timers here. His daughter, Miss Mary Evans, taught at the Pauline school here last term. A sister, Mrs. John Noble, resides at Pauline.
The Davis store is closed until the family of E. H. Davis recover from their seige of sickness.
Mr. and Mrs. Gus Brahmstadt are ill with influenza. Also the children of Emmett Lee.
Miss Mae Ripley received a letter from her brother, Ralph, who is in training at the university at Moscow, that there were forty cases of the flu there. He has escaped it so far.
Brig Bowen of Arbon, and Richard Thomas and Wm Abrams of Pauline, left Tuesday for Fort Rosecrans, California, to go into training for Uncle Sam.
Residents of the valley awoke Friday morning to find the ground covered with snow.
Mr [illegible] of American Falls, returned from American Falls Friday night, where he went to recover from the influenza.
Mr. and Mrs. D. Daniels of Pauline, received word Sunday of the death of their son, John, at Camp Fremont, California. His death was due to the Spanish influenza. The young man left here about six weeks ago, on draft call. The body was sent to Malad for burial. About seven weeks ago Mr. and Mrs. [illegible] daughter died. The sympathy of their many friends is extended to the bereaved family.
Dr. Hartviggen, of McCammon, was summoned here last week to attend Mrs. Floyd also several other people who were afflicted with severe cases of la grippe or Spanish influenza.
E. H. Davis, Lucien McLarry, Roy Lindley and Joe Arbon left last week, for the wilds of Wyoming in search of big game.
Mr. Wm. Allard motored to Rockland via American Falls, on a business trip last Wednesday.

On this site: the Evans family and the Bailey family.