Haskell County and World History

With the news abuzz over a flu pandemic originating south of the border, it is a good time to remember another flu outbreak which originated south of that particular border which I can see from my front porch.

Here is the link which Ted sent me today:
The site of origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic and its public health implications

There are also a couple personal ties which I have with Dr. Loring Miner. I found this tidbit in the Summer 2005 edition of The Sequoyan, which is the newsletter of the Finney County Historical Society:

Dr. Loring V. Miner came to Eminence in Garfield County in 1887 to
practice medicine. In addition to his practice, Dr. Miner taught school in
Eminence, developed a cattle ranch and traded horses.
The E.F. Smith family had homesteaded near Eminence the year
before. While in rural Finney County, Elijah Francis Smith took an
active part in the county seat dispute between Eminence and Ravanna.
Lorena Belle Smith, one of nine Smith children, married Dr. L.V. Miner
on October 2, 1889. They lived in Eminence for fourteen years before
moving to Ingalls in Gray County and then to Old Santa Fe. They had
five children: Oliver W., twins Loring and Lorene, Leah and Eugene.
Oliver Miner was a graduate of the University of Kansas and the
University of Kansas Medical School. He served in World War I as
a senior lieutenant in the medical corps. During that time he met and
married a navy nurse, Ruth Caroline Swift. They later returned to
Garden City where Dr. Miner began his association with Dr. Charles
Rewerts in 1924. The doctors operated a hospital in a house at 612
Fifth Street until 1931 when Dr. Rewerts died. Their hospital was then
sold to the Dominican Sisters and was renamed St. Catherine Hospital.
Dr. Miner built a new clinic at 800 N. Main and practice there until his
retirement in 1960.

For those of you who don't know, LSF northeast is located at (what used to be) Eminence, and in fact, Chris's shop is the Eminence schoolhouse where Dr. Miner taught school. Further, my dad was talking to Uncle Ray, and Ray pointed out that Dr. O.W. Miner delivered Dad and his siblings.