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Company K Billings Capt. Orville L. Anderson lifting closures had slowed the decline of Flu in Billings.
Company L Sidney Capt. James J. Gleason By mid-December 1918, more than 170 people had died in
Company M Choteau Capt. Walter Verge Billings and the immediate area. Twelve thousand more
were sickened. The county had a population of about
As a rule the full strength of the companies was 30,000 to 35,000. And the Flu moved to other counties.
not gathered at their original stations. As fast as men
were enlisted they were assigned to a company that Here in Montana, Hiram Lodge No. 52 in Forsyth
was below the required strength. allowed the use of their building as a temporary hospital
for the residents with the Spanish Flu in Rosebud County.
Under the National Guard law the Second Montana Virginia City Lodge No. 1 in Virginia City and Whitefish
Regiment went out of existence and became the Lodge No. 65 in Whitefish also allowed their Lodge
buildings used as an emergency hospital.
163rd United States Regiment as soon as mustered
into federal service. At Camp Miller 1,500 additional If you compare Montana’s 5,200 deaths from the Flu to
soldiers were added, enlisted and commissions for a the 934 Montanans who died while in the armed services
Lt.Colonel, a Major and for lower ranks were issued in all of World War, you get an idea of just how significant
to men not from Montana. an impact the Flu had in Montana.

The Spanish Flu One-third of the world population approximately 500
During the month of April 1917, the United States million people were infected, nearly 50 million (some
entered World War I against Germany in alliance with estimates up to 100 million) worldwide died in the
England, France, Belgium, and Russia. The patriotism pandemic.
stimulated by the declaration of war was intense;
xenophobia was also intense. It is interesting to note that in reviewing the Annual
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Montana and several
While the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) were other Grand Jurisdictions, there is no or little information
engaged in France, the Spanish Influenza pandemic was reported on the impact of the Spanish Flu, neglected in
also taking a toll on Allied Forces; the pandemic killed favor of presentations on patriotism and war.
more U.S. soldiers than died on the battlefields of Europe
from enemy fire. World War I claimed an estimated 16
million lives.

The Spanish influenza pandemic in 1918–1919 was
devastating around the world and at home. The A.E.F.
sustained more than 320,000 casualties in the First World
War, including over 53,000 killed in action, over 63,000
non-combat related deaths, mainly due to the influenza
pandemic of 1918, and 204,000 wounded. Besides the
lives claimed or disabled by the Spanish Flu, it caused a
decreased readiness of the A.E.F. and changes to order
of battle, and delay of some offensives. Influenza killed
almost 30,000 men in U.S. Army training camps before
they could even leave for France.

Warning about how in uenza was spread,
In the United States, approximately 675,000 influenza 1919 State Health Department, North Carolina.
deaths occurred, more than 12 times the number of
American combat deaths in World War I. COVID-19 is not the Spanish Flu, but it has consequential
results that are much the same. Let us hope we don’t see
Back in Montana, approximately 5,200 people died more deaths in Montana because of the Coronavirus
in the pandemic, with more than 1,000 of those deaths disease (COVID-19) in 2020. We need to continue to
occurring in Butte. The first wave of the Spanish Flu work at attening the curve through social distancing,
hit Montana in January of 1918, and later in the year a washing hands, vaccination, avoiding large meetings,
more aggressive form had mutated and struck in mid- and unnecessary travel. Previous pandemics have been
September. Many who didn’t die from the Flu did die characterized by waves of activity spread over months.
from the ensuing pneumonia. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an
immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature. We need
The city of Billings decided to lift the ban on public to err on the side of caution until health care professional
gatherings and all related closures on Nov. 24th, 1918, six gives the all-clear. We need to keep the health and safety of
weeks after restrictions were imposed. On Dec. 14th, it our members and our communities safe from acquiring or
was reported that health officials found no evidence that spreading the virus.
Montana Freemason Page 25 April/May 2020 Volume 96 No.3