Flu Quarantine 1918 Moose Jaw

[RedMystic]

Wow. TX for that last piece. (I got really excited when I saw a Fisher in it, but no joy - I don't think we're related.)

I went to visit my grandmother this past weekend. She is the only person I know who was alive in Moose Jaw at the time of the flu. (She would have been 7 in 1918 and had been sent from the family farm 30 miles outside of Moose Jaw to a convent (at age 5) to be schooled.) I asked her if she remembered anything of the time, and her only recollection is that she had to look after the "little ones" as the adults at the convent were sick too.

[S1233]

I looked at three books and found minimal information, only giving a death toll (about 254), when it was in the city, and that schools were closed. I stand corrected about Ross school - Prince Arthur school was turned into a hospital, while military patients were treated at Ross.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=N9JSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6496,3315562&dq=moose+jaw+influenza+school&hl=en October 24: This news article says there were four hospitals set up in Moose Jaw.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ONJSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4608,3459454&dq=moose+jaw+influenza+drastic&hl=en
This article from October 25 states that the situation in town is getting worse and that "more drastic" measures may be taken.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PdJSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4463,4256922&dq=moose+jaw+influenza+stores+6&hl=en October 31: Stores in Moose Jaw were opened at 10 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kPs-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=dE0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4594,5625762&dq=moose+jaw+influenza+quarantine&hl=en November 1: This one simply says the city was quarantined around the end of October.

[RedMystic]

TX very much for the investigation scaryoldbycicle. It's intersting that there isn't much about the quarantine building locations themselves (& their operation) isn't it?

[S1233]

Oh, I forgot to add that hospital locations have been given as the Providence Hospital (now demolished), the General Hospital (now the location of the Union Hospital), Ross School (closed but still standing), and Prince Arthur School (still open). It's interesting that those books didn't give much information!

[RedMystic]

TX again to all for your help on this. I just received the obituary for the fellow who apparently died while trying to "escape" the flu quarantine at a school. Obit says he died of the flu in Prince Arthur Hospital. Another good family story put to rest. 

[S1233]

Prince Arthur Hospital is/was one of those schools (well, if the obituary says he died in Moose Jaw) so at least that part of the story is correct. 

[RedMystic]

So Prince Arthur School & Prince Arthur Hospital are one and the same building? Was it a school that was called a hospital during the outbreak?

[S1233]

Yes, they were the same building. It's in a book I have, but I just found a newspaper article <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LvpSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nTcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1944,3987697&dq=prince+arthur+school+moose+jaw&hl=en
">that mentions it.</a> I can't find the date when the school was first used as a hospital or when it reverted back to school use.

[RedMystic]

Can't thank you enough scaryoldbicycle.