100-year-old flu mystery at WSU

Across the globe, the 1918 flu killed more people than World War I. October 1, 1918, the Spanish Flu hit Pullman. In a matter of weeks, Pullman saw over 40 Student Army Training Corps (S.A.T.C.) cadets die at the college that would become Washington State University.

Section:Gallery

Sat., May 9, 2020

Red cross volunteers joined in Pullman's celebration of Armistice Day in 1918, wearing masks.

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Breaking quarantine measures set to prevent spread of the 1918 flu, Pullman's streets were packed with people on Armistice Day. Residents held a parade and burned an effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

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This photo from between 1918 and 1920 shows a class of student soldiers at Washington State College, later renamed Washington State University. The class of 1918 was ravaged by the Spanish Flu, losing 42 students to the epidemic.

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Photos of a mess camp at Washington State College in 1915 show how flu-stricken soldiers may have lined up for their meals during the 1918 epidemic. There were reports of staff serving spoiled meat and men forced to march to the mess hall.

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Pullman's main drag, as it appeared in 1918, the year a flu epidemic killed over 40 students at Washington State College.

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Washington State College in 1917

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Cars parading and people gathering in downtown Pullman on Armistice Day, in violation of quarantine measures set to prevent spread of the 1918 flu, which killed more people than World War I.

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A photo sometime from 1918 to 1920 of S.A.T.C. boys in a Washington State College barrack, as it was published in the 1920 yearbook.

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