On Sept. 18, 1918, Detroit Health Commissioner James W. Inches warned citizens of the possibility of the influence epidemic arriving in the city.  Inches was already well aware of the likelihood of influenza coming to his city.

Influenza slipped silently into Detroit. On Oct. 1, the city’s first influenza-related death occurred, although it went unreported in the newspapers and Inches made no mention of it. It was not until two days later, on Oct. 3, that the Detroit Free Press reported the presence of fifty suspected cases of influenza in the city. Two days after that, there were 135 suspected cases.