Roscoe and Pansy and the Influenza Epidemic of 1918

The fall of 1918 was a rocky time in the mile-high capital city of Denver. With the influenza epidemic looming near, William H. Sharpley, the City Manager of Health and Charity, took proactive steps to minimize its spread. Schools were closed at the end of September 1918 and did not open again until January 1919, which directly affected my great-grandfather Roscoe Stockton who was a teacher in the school system. 

Roscoe and Pansy Stockton were newlyweds. They married in the mountains near Boulder on June 25, 1918 and their first home in Denver was on South Washington Street, just south of the capitol. Both idealistic artists, they were eager to share their dramatic and visual creations with the art world of Denver while Roscoe made an income as a teacher. Instead, they had to stay in their new little home wondering what would happen next. 

At first, it looked to be a brief closure, but as the months went on, concern grew about whether or not teachers would receive pay for their time on leave. Additionally, all places of public assembly, such as theaters, clubs, dance halls, and churches, were closed in early October.

“I shall sacrifice gladly all that I have and hope to have, if by so doing I can be the means of saving one life,” the manager of the Rialto Theater heroically stated in the Denver Post’s October 6, 1918 article “Denver Closes Churches and Theaters.”

In spite of these efforts, by October 15, there were 1,440 reported cases of influenza in Denver since the epidemic’s start about three weeks prior. Sharpley attributed this to the outdoor church services and public assemblies that provided a way to worship and gather in spite of the restrictions. 

In response, Sharpley banned outdoor assemblies and limited streetcars to sixty-five passengers at a time, requiring that the cars maintain continuous full ventilation. Staggered business hours reduced the number of people in offices and stores and helped commuters with the limitations on the streetcars. “Business Hours Changed in Order to Fight Plague” was the Rocky Mountain News Headline on October 18, 1918. Determining that visiting sick family and friends, a cultural custom for many immigrant communities, was spreading the disease more effectively than anything else, those with flu were quarantined and banned from having visitors. 

On November 11, 1918, the biggest war anyone had ever known ended and streets across the nation flooded with people, Denver included. In spite of the flu, there was no containing the excitement. Movie theaters and public establishments opened for the first time in a month. Those monitoring the influenza status in the city hoped that it had reached its peak and waited to find out if the worst was over. Unfortunately, within a week, there were 100 new cases. Public assemblies were shut down and a new restriction was added: the wearing of masks. 

Eager to resume normal life and infused with a sense of war victory invincibility, the public was thrown into confusion and anger over the regulations and many just wouldn’t wear the masks. One department store salesgirl said that she wasn’t wearing the mask because her “nose went to sleep” and another said that a higher authority than the Denver Department of Health was looking out for her. Fines threatened for those not wearing masks proved difficult to enforce. Traditional Christmas and New Year parties and events were cancelled as the second wave of influenza began to wane. Public schools opened again in January 1919 signifying that the worst was over.

Although their lives could return to normal, nothing was the same again for Roscoe and Pansy. Conceived during this time of uncertainty and restriction while Roscoe was on leave from teaching responsibilities, my Great-Uncle Oakley Leonard Stockton was born on August 21, 1919. Six months later, his grandfather, Roscoe’s father Lincoln C. Stockton, died from influenza.

To see the beautiful book Pansy created of Roscoe’s words and her watercolors, go here: Meditation.

To see some of Pansy’s intricate, brilliant work, go here: Sun Paintings.

To watch the 1953 “This is Your Life” episode with humorous Hazel Bishop lipstick commercials, go here: This is Your Life, Pansy Stockton.

For an overview of Pansy’s life, go here: Pansy Stockton.

SOURCE:

Navarro, J. Alex, Stern, Alexandra, Markel, Howard (editors). “Denver and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.” Influenza Encyclopedia: The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919. https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-denver.html#