Gunnison

View north of Main Street from New York Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado, circa 1930.

Gunnison, Colorado was identified as a potential escape community through our readings of several of the secondary sources. After conducting primary source research (mostly newspapers), we quickly learned that Gunnison officials enacted one of the most ambitious and successful protective sequestrations of all U.S. communities.

At a Glance:

Type of Site: Mountain town and county.
Population: 1,329 in town; 5,590 in Gunnison County.
Pop. Density: 414 pp./sq mi in town; 1.8 ppl./sq. mi in county.
Geographical Considerations: Gunnison was a small mountain town, far removed from Colorado’s major population centers, but on a major rail line.
Influenza Cases: 0 in town; 2 in county.
Influenza Deaths: 0 in town; 1 in county.
First Reported Case: Uncertain, but late October/early November.
NPI Implemented: protective sequestration with barricades of roads; rail travel restricted; quarantine of arrivals to county; isolation of suspected cases; closure of schools; prohibition on public gatherings (as per state law).

Case Study

Historical Background

Gunnison, Colorado, was first settled by whites in the 1870s, as the native Ute Indians were forced off of their land. Ranchers, farmers, and miners came to the area to take advantage of the surrounding valley’s open land and vast coal deposits. On May 22, 1877, the town of Gunnison became the seat of Gunnison County. Three years later, in 1880, the railroad came to Gunnison. By the mid-1880s there were two railroads operating in Gunnison, linking the town with Denver, Salida, Durango, Montrose, Grand Junction, Crested Butte, Lake City, and even Salt Lake City.

Despite its diminutive size, Gunnison’s location and natural resources made it an important cultural, educational, and economic center for the area. In 1909 the Colorado Normal School was founded; its name changed to Western State College in 1915. The county was rich in silver and coal deposits, and Gunnison began its early years as something of a boom and bust town. As in other towns in the area, silver mining was an important economic activity. In the early 20th century, however, the dominance of silver mining began to give way to coal mining. In addition, ranching and farming were also widespread in the county’s vast valleys. In 1918, most of the area’s residents were employed in one of these three sectors.

Gunnison is located in southwest Colorado. It is a mountain town, sitting at approximately 7,600 feet in a high valley at the base of three mountain ranges. According to 1920 census data, the population of the town of Gunnison was 1,329, and that of Gunnison County 5,590. The population density of the county was one of the lowest (although not the lowest) for all Colorado, with only 1.8 people per square mile. The town of Gunnison had a population density of 414 persons per square mile. It is reasonable to assume that, given the low influenza death rate for the county, the change in population from the 1918/1919 period until the 1920 census was taken was minimal. Therefore the numbers above most likely provide an accurate demographic representation of the county and town in 1918.

Colorado’s Response to the Influenza Pandemic

According to a State Board of Health report, influenza arrived in Colorado on or about September 20, 1918, when 250 Montana soldiers arrived in Boulder for special training at Colorado University. Thirteen of the soldiers arrived seriously ill, and from them the disease spread quickly across the campus and the town. By the end of the first week 91 cases had developed. At the same time, a small detachment of 200 Montana soldiers arrived in Colorado Springs for training there; 25 of them were ill with influenza. From these two areas, according to the report, influenza spread across Colorado.

On October 7, the State Board of Health and Governor Julius C. Gunter issued an executive order calling upon all health officers and members of the press to advise citizens of the danger of public gatherings, and to urge city and town officials to take appropriate action to halt the spread of the disease by closing public places. On October 16, Governor Gunter proclaimed all public and private gatherings prohibited across the state. In addition to these measures, the Board of Heath asked the press to issue requests for physicians and nurses, and the US Public Health Service was called upon for aid. Dr. Erlo Kennedy, Executive Secretary of the State Board of Health, was made the Public Health Service representative for Colorado during the pandemic.

Gunnison’s Response

Unlike most other western Colorado towns, Gunnison took a very early and active interest in the spread of influenza across the United States in 1918. If newspaper reportage is any indicator of a more general concern, Gunnison’s residents took the threat of the pandemic reaching their county quite seriously. The first article on influenza appeared in the September 27, 1918, issue of the Gunnison News-Champion, in advance of the pandemic reaching that part of the state. From this point until January 1919, the News-Champion included at least one front-page article on influenza in each of its weekly issues.

Gunnison took immediate action. On October 8, immediately after the first precautionary warning from the State Board of Health, the schools were closed across the county, with the order that they would remain so until at least October 21. County officials also implemented social distancing measures, decreeing places in the county closed for at least four weeks. Lest its readers take the situation too lightly, the local newspaper reported on the seriousness of the pandemic, adding that the disease was rapidly spreading to nearby towns. New cases were appearing in Sargents, although on a reduced scale; the News-Champion surmised that nearly everyone in the town had already been stricken with influenza. Rail workers reported that Salida, a mountain pass town 65 miles to the east, had 200 cases, with 40 of them appearing on October 15 alone. Two weeks later that number had reached 500. The newspaper acknowledged that this information was merely rumor, but nonetheless added that it indicated just how dangerous the disease was.

With news from nearby towns that were being hard hit by the pandemic, Gunnison residents had plenty of reason to worry that the disease might soon wend its way into their county. On October 31, Dr. Hanson, the county physician, enacted a strict protective sequestration of the entire county. We do know, as discussed below, that for the time being rail passengers were allowed to travel to Gunnison, but were required to enter a two-day quarantine period once they disembarked. Barricades (cordon sanitaire) were erected on the main highways near the county lines, and lanterns and signs were used to warn automobiles to go through the county without stopping or passengers would be forced to submit to quarantine. Residents were allowed to leave the county freely, but no one was allowed to enter unless he or she first went into quarantine. Travel between points within the county was also temporarily prohibited. Violators, Dr. Hanson added, would face the full force of the law, “and to this we promise our personal attention.” Gunnison, at least, took its protective sequestration very seriously, as two Nebraskan motorists found out when they tried to bypass the barricade and enter Gunnison County en route to Delta. They were promptly arrested and jailed. A Pitkin man was later fined for attempting to evade the quarantine.

Local politics and legal matters quickly, if only temporarily, interfered with the effort, however, as it was determined that Dr. Hanson’s authority as county physician did not extend to the county’s incorporated towns, namely Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Pitkin. Believing in the ability of strict measures to keep Gunnison County safe, on November 1 local officials placed Dr. J. W. Rockefeller of Crested Butte in charge of the protective sequestration/quarantine policy, with full authority to enforce it across the county. It seemed to all a necessary and timely measure, as there were two cases of influenza in the county already, the result of a woman, Mrs. Ellen Gavette, meeting her infected sister at the train station as the latter returned from a recent trip. The two ill sisters had retired to their ranch above the tiny town of Parlin to rest and recover. A few days later, on November 4, the 25-year-old Ellen Gavette died of influenza.

In mid-January, after consulting with a State Board of Health physician called to Gunnison to review the situation, the decision was made to re-open all the county’s schools on January 20. Attendance would not be mandatory, however, to appease those parents who feared for their children’s safety. Because the quarantine order would remain in effect, all students who had to enter the county to attend school would be required to spend two days in quarantine.

Finally, on Monday, February 3, 1919, Dr. Hyatt called for an end to the protective sequestration and closure order for the town of Gunnison. On February 4, the town council met and agreed to lift the measures. The rest of the county was kept under the order for an additional two days by Dr. Hanson. The protective sequestration ended across Gunnison County on the morning of Wednesday, February 5. The county’s incorporated towns, as well other camps and settlements so desiring, were given the authority to continue the NPI if they saw fit to do so. After almost four months under protective sequestration, Gunnison residents could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

In mid-March 1919, the third wave of the influenza pandemic did reach Gunnison County, with at least 100 cases in Gunnison, 40 more in Pitkin, and and unknown number in other parts of the county. This time, however, no additional NPI were enacted. In the end, at least 5 young residents of Gunnison County died from pneumonia.

Research Materials

Because Gunnison’s handling of the influenza epidemic was predicated in large part on the news it received from nearby mining communities and their struggles with the disease, we collected information on those towns as well. In addition, two communities—Lake City in adjacent Hinsdale County, and Walsenburg in Huerfano County (south of Pueblo)—were identified as possible escape communuties. Ultimately, however, not enough information could be found to make this determination. Digitized sources include:

Archival Material:

Governor Julius C. Gunter Papers, Colorado State Archives, Denver, CO
Historical Board of Health Meeting Minutes, Colorado State Department of Health and Environment, Denver, CO

Gunnison News-Champion

Date	Title	PDF
9/27/1918	David A. Anderson Dies at Camp Dix, New Jersey	gnc01
10/11/1918	Spanish Fly Close By	gnc02
10/18/1918	The ‘Flu’ Is After Us	gnc03
10/25/1918	Flu Epidemic Rages Everywhere	gnc04
11/1/1918	Death Roll Is Long One	gnc05
11/1/1918	Quarantine Proclamation by the County Physician	gnc05
11/1/1918	Rockefeller In Charge	gnc05
11/1/1918	‘Flu” Toll is Terrific	gnc05
11/8/1918	Death List Still Grows	gnc06
11/15/1918	Flu Situation Very Encouraging. No Deaths	gnc07
11/22/1918	Ban Raised Tomorrow	gnc08
11/29/1918	Quarantine Not Raised But No More Flu Cases	gnc09
11/29/1918	Flu Rampant in State	gnc09
12/6/1918	No Flu in County	gnc10
12/13/1918	Additional Quarantine Regulations	gnc11
12/13/1918	Report as to Quarantine Appeal for Cooperation by Physician in Charge	gnc11
12/20/1918	Mayo Vaccine Seems Success	gnc12
12/27/1918	Schools Will Open?	gnc13
12/27/1918	How the Flu Progresses in Nearby Towns	gnc14
12/27/1918	No Cure for Influenza	gnc14
12/27/1918	Flu Ban Partly Off	gnc14
12/27/1918	Flu Ban Lifted at Canon City	gnc14
1/3/1919	Flu News	gnc15
1/3/1919	A Measure of Precaution	gnc16
1/10/1919	All Schools top Open Again January 20th	gnc17
1/10/1919	State Board Inspector Advises Opening Schools	gnc18
2/7/1919	Quarantine Is Lifted	gnc19
2/7/1919	Flu at Hotchkiss and Trinidad Very Bad	gnc19
2/21/1919	Flu Bad in Salida	gnc20
3/14/1919	Flu Gets Us at Last	gnc21
3/21/1919	Grim Hand of Death Clutches Our Community	gnc22
3/21/1919	Epidemic Situation Improves; Few New Cases Reported	gnc23
4/4/1919	Outbreak of Flu At Cimarron Again	gnc24

Durango Evening Herald

Date	Title	PDF
10/5/1918	Influenza Cases Reported Here	deh01
10/8/1918	All Public Places Are Ordered Closed	deh02
10/8/1918	Loisa Bass Is First Influenza Victim	deh03
10/23/1918	Influenza Residences Bear Cards	deh04
10/24/1918	Serious Conditions at Silverton Worse	deh05
10/26/1918	Silverton Terror Slightly Abated	deh06
11/1/1918	Help Stop Influenza Epidemic, Individual Responsibility Great	deh07
11/4/1918	Grim Reaper Takes Heavy Toll in City Since Saturday	deh08
11/6/1918	La Plata County Placed Under Quarantine to Control Influenza	deh09
11/7/1918	Notice of Quarantine	deh10
11/11/1918	Help Stop the Flu	deh11
11/29/1918	‘Flu’ Restrictions Slightly Removed	deh12
11/30/1918	Quarantine Rules Made More Strict	deh13
12/11/1918	Quarantine Rules Are Changed Slightly	deh14
12/13/1918	150 Cases of Flu Reported at Ouray	deh15

Grand Junction News

Date	Title	PDF
10/12/1918	Spanish Influenza	gjn01
10/12/1918	Churches of City to Be Closed Sunday	gjn02
10/26/1918	Seventeen New Cases of Flu Yesterday Shows Decrease in Its Spread	gjn03
10/26/1918	Influenza Is Thing of the Past in Some Camps	gjn03
11/2/1918	Quarantine Should Be More Strict Says Defense Council	gjn04
11/23/1918	Flu Ban Lifted Here; Theaters, Churches and Schools to Open	gjn05
11/23/1918	City Schools Will Open on Tuesday Next	gjn06
11/23/1918	‘Flu’ Office Doubles Its Activities	gjn07
12/4/1918	Flu Office Makes Good in Handling Spanish Influenza	gjn08
12/28/1918	Uncle Sam’s Advice on Flu	gjn09

Lake City Times

Date	Title	PDF
10/3/1918	Dread Malady Sweeps Camps	lct01
10/3/1918	Boulder Students Die of Influenza	lct01
10/3/1918	Centennial State Items	lct02
10/10/1918	Centennial State Items	lct03
10/10/1918	Colorado Schools Closed	lct03
10/17/1918	Nation Combats ‘Flu’ Spread	lct04
10/17/1918	Quarantine Declared	lct05
10/31/1918	Influenza Abates in Naval Stations	lct06
10/31/1918	Scourge Takes Way Westward	lct06
10/31/1918	Centennial State Items	lct07
11/14/1918	Health Talk: Spanish Influenza or Grip [advertisement in form of article]	lct08
11/28/1918	New Uses of ‘Flu’ Masks	lct09
12/26/1918	Centennial State Items	lct10
1/2/1919	Colorado News Notes	lct11
1/9/1919	How You Feel When You Have the Flu [poem]	lct12
1/9/1919	After the ‘Flu’ – Fever or Cold [advertisement for flu medication]	lct13
1/23/1919	Schools Will Open	lct14
2/6/1919	The Schools Will Open – When?	lct15

Montrose Daily Press

Date	Title	PDF
9/24/1918	US Fighting Influenza Hard; Rules Issued By Government to Stop Spread of Noxious Disease	mdp01
10/8/1918	Grand Junction Closes Schools, Churches, Theaters and Stops All Gatherings Due to Influenza	mdp02
10/9/1918	City Council and Health Dept. Warning About ‘Flu’	mdp03
10/14/1918	Quarantine on Tight, Montrose Closed Up	mdp04
10/22/1918	Press Hard Hit by Flu Epidemic	mdp05
10/22/1918	Influenza Victims Piled On Ground: Not Enuf [sic] Coffins	mdp05
10/22/1918	Influenza Spreading, 60 to 70 Cases Here	mdp05
10/24/1918	Epidemic Still Forceful Here; About 120 Cases	mdp06
10/26/1918	52 Deaths in 10 Days in Silverton; 500 Cases of the Dreaded Influenza	mdp07
11/14/1918	Although Flu Epidemic Is About Ended the Quarantine is Extended for One More Week	mdp08
11/20/1918	Quarantine Will Be Lifted Tomorrow; On 39 Days	mdp09
11/20/1918	Picture Shows To Open Friday	mdp09
11/22/1918	Here’s All the Facts on the Influenza Epidemic Here	mdp10
11/23/1918	Denver Slams Quarantine on Again; 109 Deaths in 11 Days; People Must Mask	mdp11
11/25/1918	Influenza Situation Growing Better All the Time Says Knott	mdp12
11/26/1918	Complete Influenza Record; 13 New Cases in City in 24 Hours	mdp13
11/29/1918	Only 9 New Cases Influenza in Two Days; Three Deaths	mdp14
11/30/1918	School Open on Monday	mdp15
12/5/1918	26 New Cases Influenza in Last Five Days	mdp16
12/5/1918	High School Closed Again Due to Fear of Influenza; Will Open Again on Dec. 30	mdp16
12/12/1918	Influenza Shows Gain in City in Last Few Days; Looks Bad	mdp17
12/12/1918	Influenza Is on Increase	mdp17
12/12/1918	Will Get Mayo Vaccine to Fight ‘Flu’ Epidemic	mdp17
12/13/1918	What Shall We Do? Doctors Talk Over the Epidemic Here	mdp18
12/16/1918	‘Small-Pox-Like’ Quarantine Has Been Established by City; Special Officer Hired	mdp19
12/17/1918	Dr. Knott Speaks of Influenza Outlooks	mdp20
12/20/1918	Dr. Blue Says Flue [sic] Won’t Be a Comeback	mdp21
12/23/1918	29 New Cases	mdp22
12/27/1918	A Call to Montrose	mdp23
12/27/1918	Judge Black Discusses Seriousness of the Flu Epidemic Over Country	mdp24
12/28/1918	City Under Quarantine Again	mdp25
12/31/1918	City Dads Should Be Fair in This Quarantine Matter; No Sense in Silly Edict Issued	mdp26
1/3/1919	Now Let’s Get Together on This Quarantine and Be Fair; Make No Enemies	mdp27
1/3/1919	Influenza Decidedly on Decrease, Quarantine Effect Is Being Seen	mdp28
1/4/1919	High School to Close For One Week to Help Complete Quarantine	mdp29

Sterling Democrat

Date	Title	PDF
10/10/1918	Colleges and Public Places Being Closed Because of Spanish Flu	sd01
10/24/1918	Four Die of Influenza the Past Week, One Young Man Drowned	sd02
10/31/1918	Closing Ban Will Not Be Lifted Anywhere in the State Until After Nov. 4th	sd03

Walsenburg World

Date	Title	PDF
10/10/1918	Centennial State Items: Gunter’s Proclamation	ww01
10/10/1918	Colorado Soldier Dies in Camp	ww02
10/10/1918	Colorado Schools Closed	ww02
10/17/1918	Keeping Well	ww03
10/17/1918	Meetings Prohibited	ww04
11/28/1918	Personal Mention [lists several ill residents]	ww05
11/28/1918	Walsen Camp News	ww05
12/5/1918	Advice to ‘Flu’ Convalescents [USPHS announcement]	ww06
1/2/1919	U.S. Health Service Issues Warning	ww07

Governor Julius C. Gunter Papers, Colorado State Archives, Denver, CO

Box/Folder	From/To	Date	Description or Title	PDF
Box 26773/F: S4	Hon. J. Sanchez, Costilla County, CO, Judge to, J. Gunter	11/10/1918	States that there is a small quantity of liquor available in the county [Colorado was a “dry” state] and wants to use it to combat influenza epidemic.	gunter01
“	Secy of J. Gunter to J. Sanchez	11/13/1918	Reply to above; State Board of Health has sent a physician to Costilla County, and if he thinks whiskey should be used for epidemic he will communicate that to the Board of Health.	gunter02
Box 26775/F: Health, State Board of Health	Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census	10/1/1918	“Weekly Health Index,” listing weekly mortality rates for largest US cities; table of influenza and pneumonia deaths	gunter03
“	Dr. E. Kennedy to J. Gunter	11/6/1918	Writes that Colorado lacks funds to meet influenza epidemic; epidemic has more than doubled the state’s death rate.	gunter04
“	Colorado Board of Health	Undated	“Statement Issued to Press by the Colorado State Board of Health, at Request of Surgeon General Blue”; epidemic has now reached Colorado; warns public that influenza is a “crowd” disease and tells people to take precautions; asks people to remain at home if sick; unnecessary to establish a quarantine.	gunter05
Box 26958/ F: H	Colorado Board of Health	1918	“Report of the Colorado State Board of Health, 1917 and 1918, by Dr. Erlo K. Kennedy, Executive Secretary”	gunter_bhreport

Historical Board of Health Meeting Minutes, Colorado State Department of Health and Environment, Denver, CO

Box/Folder	From/To	Date	Description or Title	PDF
Box 1/F: “March 1917 through Dec. 1918”	Colorado Board of Health	10/28/1918	Meeting of the State Board of Health, Regular Meeting, 10/28/1918; only 2 cases each of influenza and pneumonia for September 1918; text of the Board of Health resolution of 10/15/1918 and governor’s executive order of 10/16/1918 read [prohibiting public gatherings and closing public places]; resolution that all railroads provide a cuspidor in front of every seat in smoking cars passed.	co_bhmins1
“	“	11/4/1918	Meeting of the State Board of Health, Adjourned Meeting, 11/4/1918; report and discussion of general influenza situation; permission granted to local authorities to lift closure order if deemed safe; inspection of schoolchildren in larger communities once schools re-open	co_bhmins2
“	“	12/27/1918	Meeting of State Board of Health, Regular Meeting, 12/27/1918; contagious disease report for October and November; authority granted to a Board member to combat epidemic in Montrose.	co_bhmins3

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