First Flu Cases
On Friday, September 27, 1918, a minor headline appeared on page one of the Greeley Tribune announcing influenza had arrived in town when the city physician, Dr. Florence Fezer, reported two patients showed symptoms of “Spanish Flu.”[i] That same day, Denver reported its first flu related death, and city health manager, Dr. William H. Sharpley, issued recommendations to Denver’s citizens to avoid needless overcrowding and to cover their coughs and sneezing.[ii] Locals had been reading about the spread of cases in other parts of the world before the first cases showed up in Colorado, but these updates were largely overshadowed by the headlines and articles reporting on the war overseas.
Cases increased quickly, and on October 6 the Denver mayor closed all schools, churches, theaters, and other public places.[iii] The city of Loveland followed suit on October 7 with the admonishment to “Cover up each cough and sneeze, if you don’t you’ll spread disease!”[iv] The next day on October 8, Greeley’s City Council announced its decision to close public places, though the Red Cross room at the Court House was allowed to remain open so volunteers could continue to make protection masks for the army hospital.[v] Fort Collins joined ranks announcing its closings on October 11.[vi]
CTC’s Decisive Action
When the Greeley City Council and much of Colorado moved to shut down public places, the president of Colorado State Teachers College (or CTC, as UNC was then known), John G. Crabbe, acted quickly and decisively. Arguing that for the students, “It is safer for them to be kept here than to be allowed to scatter to their homes and come back in a couple of weeks,” he went before the State Board of Health and convinced them to allow CTC to remain open under a strict plan of quarantine.[vii] For 63 days, from October 9 to December 11, 1918, campus was closed to outsiders and students were not permitted to go downtown without a special pass.[viii] The high school and elementary school attached to the college were closed, but college courses continued at CTC, one of only two colleges in the state to remain open.
COVID Comes to Colorado
Coloradoans read about the spread of COVID-19 for months before Governor Jared Polis confirmed the first cases in the state on March 5. Five days later on March 10 he declared a state of emergency. The following day the W.H.O. declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, and the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and University of Denver announced their decisions to move classes online. By March 16 cases had escalated so quickly that Governor Polis ordered bars and restaurants to close to slow the spread and keep medical facilities from being overwhelmed. Over 20,000 applied for unemployment within days as cases continued to rise. By March 25, cases topped 1,000 and a state-wide, stay-at-home order was issued and lasted until April 26, a total of 32 days.[ix]
UNC Takes Precautions
President Andy Feinstein and UNC administration monitored the growing pandemic closely, keeping the campus informed with the first email addressing the “evolving COVID situation” arriving in inboxes on March 4. Two days later all students studying in COVID hotspot areas such as Asia, Italy, and Iran were called home. On March 11, UNC suspended all non-essential university travel and made plans to have online classes for two weeks after spring break. Just five days later however, it was clear they would need to remain online for the rest of the semester, as other state schools like CU & CSU had also decided. With the situation escalating quickly, President Feinstein and his cabinet announced on March 16 that campus would be closing and all non-essential staff were given 24 hours to gather from their offices what they needed before being asking to remain at home. Those who could adapt to working remotely did, and for those who could not, like many of the student employees on campus, the university committed to continuing to pay their wages.[x]
[i] “Say Influenza is in Greeley,” The Greeley Daily Tribune and Greeley Republican, September 27, 1918, 1.
[ii] “Denver and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic,” The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: A Digital Encyclopedia, accessed November 11, 2020, https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-denver.html#
[iii] Influenza Digital Encyclopedia, “Denver the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.”
[iv] “Public Meetings Barred Account Spanish ‘Flu’,” Loveland Reporter, October 7, 1918, 1.
[v] “City Council Takes Steps to Stop Spreading of Influenza,” The Greeley Daily Tribune and The Greeley Republican, October 8, 1918, 1.
[vi] “Fort Collins Closes all Public Places,” The Tribune-Republican, Greeley, October 12, 1918, 2.
[vii] “College Notes,” The Greeley Daily Tribune and Greeley Republican, October 10, 1918, 4.
[viii] “Greeley City Council Lifts Ban on College Community Coming to Town,” The Greeley Daily Tribune and Greeley Republican, December 11, 1918, 1.
[ix] Denton, “Coronavirus timeline.”
[x] “COVID-19 Communications,” University of Northern Colorado – University Messages, last modified December 10, 2020, https://www.unco.edu/coronavirus/messages/?page=0&limit=6
CTC President John G. Crabbe
UNC President Andy Feinstein