Listen now: How the Spanish flu affected the lakes area

In 1918, the Crosby Armory was used for overflow Spanish influenza cases. Red Cross nurses, with registered nurses seated in front, tended to the sick. Submitted Photo / Cuyuna Country Heritage Preservation Society

By Brainerd Dispatch and Chelsey Perkins

September 06, 2020 at 9:03 PM

It was 1918 in Brainerd, Minnesota, and residents were focused on the sacrifices they were making for the war effort abroad. Little did they know they would soon face an enemy much closer to home as the Spanish flu made its way to the rural northern reaches of the state.

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Join former Brainerd Dispatch publisher Terry McCollough as he takes us back a century to a time when faced with numerous other challenges, lakes area residents were forced to grapple with an unusually deadly pandemic as well.

Host: Chelsey Perkins, community editor.

Guest: Terry McCollough, former publisher, "This Was Brainerd" columnist.

DOWNLOAD HERE or listen below.

Listen now: How the Spanish flu affected the lakes area

The Brainerd Dispatch's weekly podcast 'DispatchCast' is posted every Friday with fresh, local content.