1. Introducing Pandemic on the prairie
Welcome to Pandemic on the Prairie, a podcast about the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Kansas and what local stories tell us about the American experience more broadly. But before we explore local stories, for this episode we zoom out and get an introduction to what was happening a century ago. Why was this influenza pandemic so deadly, how did it affect people across the country (in fact, across the world), and what are some of the ways in which it was remembered - and forgotten - by Americans? We to try to answer these questions and more with the help of historian Nancy Bristow.
GO FURTHER
Curious about the sources we use and want to learn more about the topics, people, and places we discuss in this episode? Then this space is for you.
Nancy Bristow’s book: American Pandemic: The Lost Worlds of the 1918 influenza epidemic, Oxford University Press, 2017. Buy it on amazon or, better yet, order it from your local independent bookstore in Kansas.
Read the full proclamation from Governor Capper that was excerpted in this episode.
Learn more about Governor Arthur Capper of Kansas, who issued the proclamation during the onset of the fall 1918 influenza pandemic.
Go down a newspapers.com rabbit hole yourself. All Kansas residents with a state ID or driver’s license can access and search Kansas newspapers on newspapers.com for free through the Kansas State Historical Society website.