On Oct. 4, 1918, Salt Lake City health officials convened to address the small amount of influenza cases that had appeared in the city. As September rolled into October, no cases were reported in town. This led to physicians being ordered to report all flu cases and isolate the ill.

Within a week, several dozen new cases and a handful of deaths were reported in Salt Lake City. To prepare for the worst, Red Cross officials hurriedly began renovating Judge Mercy Hospital for emergency use to isolate as many patients as possible.