Dispatches from Fresno

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part XI

The pandemic wanes, the world begins to reopen — but in December 1918, was a second wave about to hit?

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part X

Churches, flu masks, theatrical fare, and some hungry Fresnans. How does the crisis finally unwind?

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part VIII

The people of Fresno try to figure out how to celebrate the end of the Great War — without reviving the flu epidemic.

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part VII

The flu appeared to be losing its grip on the city, suggesting that Fresno’s strict social distancing measures were bearing fruit.

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part V

As Fresno moved into the fourth week of its influenza outbreak, the situation appeared increasingly dire.

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part III

As Fresno entered the second week of the influenza epidemic, all eyes were on the Board of Health, […]

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the ‘Spanish’ Flu Pandemic in Real Time, Part II

As Fresno’s flu outbreak passed the one-week mark, the virus’s deadly potential started to come into focus, at […]

Dispatches from Fresno, 1918-19: Following the "Spanish" Flu Pandemic in Real Time

In our new series, historian Ethan J. Kytle follows the 1918-19 flu epidemic in Fresno, CA, as it was chronicled in local newspapers and other primary sources.