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My mother and father never let the Great Depression go. They often talked how bad times were, welfare was just a bag of coal and bag of potatoes from the local church. Every home was painted brown since it was the cheapest or only color being made at the time. But people did not prey on each other. My grandmother kept a pot of Irish stew on the stove and often men would come to the back door looking for a small meal. She would serve them with no questions asked. Sometimes the man would sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn etc..or just say thank you and move on.
The bootlegging! Many people brewed a little of their own beer for family use. When the popularity of artisanal brewing came around again in the seventies my dad gave DH a recipe his family had brewed in a large Red Wing crock. It was some rough beer indeed.
There was an old widow in our town who lived near the top of the hill who was the town's go-to person for their illegal beverage. My dad said when the feds finally caught up with her they rolled barrels out into the street and broke them open with axes and all the alcohol flowed down the street. Must have made quite an impression on him.
Mom grew up near Mason City, IA and told local gossip of when John Dillinger robbed the bank there. It may be apocryphal, but I remember her chucking about a woman who was present who always "put on airs" and that she became so hysterical during the event that Dillinger told her if she didn't shut up he'd shoot her.
I never said that the "Great Depression" didn't happen. All I did was relate
what MY FAMILY said about those years. It was not some kind of blanket
that smothered the entire country out. There were people thriving during
these times. Being a true story, there's nothing "ignorant" about the fact
that some people did fine. FYI, Italians did not keep their money in the banks.
They were very distrustful of the banks, and if they pooled their money together
it was kept with trusted men.. for example the local druggist was the "banker",
or a family hierarch played "banker".. maybe that's one way some avoided
the crooks running the "official" banks.
A truly ignorant post. Fortunately, because I spoke a great deal with my grandmother before she died, I know better.
And do you deny that the rest of us likewise have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and we likewise have talked to them? Do you hold that yours was the only family around at that time and only their account is valid?
Last edited by CAllenDoudna; 10-25-2014 at 08:33 PM..
Reason: to correct a typographical error
And do you deny that the rest of us likewise have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and we likewise have talked to them? Do you hold that yours was the only family around at that time and only their account is valid?
I hold to what I said in the post. That things were rough and that 25% of labor force was out of work, that there were recorded deaths from starvation, that most employers were forced to drastically cut hours and wages, that over 1000 banks that were not backed by deposit insurance failed and that the country went through an unusually rough time.
Some families fared better than others. For example, my paternal grandfather-in-law was a college professor and had a secure, well-paid job during the Depression. However, he was the exception to the rule.
I'm sure other families had a great variety of experiences.
What I object to is what the poster "Snowball" said. Did you read what he said closely?? He asserts the Great Depression was simply a myth designed to put power in the hands of bankers.
I can't keep anyone from believing that kind of nonsense if they choose too. What I can do is dispute it by relating a combination of both historical facts and narrative experiences told me by my grandmother.
Do you too share the view that the Great Depression was a "myth designed to put power in the hands of bankers"?
My Dad heard that the UP was hiring. (This was a different railroad from the one that Grandpa had been killed on.) That first day Dad was one of about 20 men hired. They went a couple of miles outside of town and the Foreman said, "Okay, start digging things up!" After about twenty minutes one man paused to look around a bit. The Foreman walked up to him and said, ""Sorry, we can't use you. Go collect your time." This happenned all through the day till Dad was one of only three men left and he was a very worried man. But then he heard the Supervisor and fthe Foreman talking. "Oh, we had a lot of bums," the Foreman said, "but I think the guys we have left will do pretty good." Dad kept that job till he retired in the 1970s and said he hated every day of it--and I believe he did. Dad made more money wiring houses on evenings and weekends but the stress of two jobs was too much and he had to pick one or the other. Everybody thought Dad was a fool for choosing the railroad since he made more money wiring houses. But Dad could see something they didn't: pretty soon all the houses would be wired and there wouldn't be much work in that field, but the railroad would be around forever.
What I object to is what the poster "Snowball" said. Did you read what he said closely?? He asserts the Great Depression was simply a myth designed to put power in the hands of bankers.
I can't keep anyone from believing that kind of nonsense if they choose too. What I can do is dispute it by relating a combination of both historical facts and narrative experiences told me by my grandmother.
Do you too share the view that the Great Depression was a "myth designed to put power in the hands of bankers"?
Show me where I said it was a myth.
I did indeed read Snowball's post. But you seem to have read only half of Snowball's post.
blaming somebody else was really hard to do. getting someone to listen to you do it was even harder.
when people did bad stuff they were shot or hung and quickly.
jumping on a cop armed or unarmed and being shot was not something we would discuss or even be concerned about.
the law was dont jump on cops.
not hands up means dont shoot
You should have read the OP's post/thread on how great the 10's and 20's were CD is populated by posters who wish we all lived in some off the grid self sustaining utopia... Most of them have no clue how hard life was back in those times. Any simple study of HISTORY should make people understand that we live in the best of times and if we don't kill each other in some heinous fashion they will only get better............... http://www.city-data.com/forum/histo...epression.html
What I said was that compared to what had gone before it was great. It may not have been so great compared to the lives we have today, but it was no worse than what had gone before for thousands of years. But there were many improvements and the people back then thought it was fantastic. I live only a couple of miles from a museum with a display of steam-powered tractors. Sure not every farmer had one, but they could look forward to it. I don't happen to have a spaceship--but nobody before me has had one either, and I'm faily confidant my grandchildren will be able to go to the Moon with the same ease we now go to Yellowstone.
I was born in Aug of 1931. I also recall some of the above incidences like the coal from the railroad tracks and the Sears book was in the outhouse most of the time as I recall...parents never had that kind of money to buy anything.
My dad worked in a factory and while there built his 1st house with a detached garage.Recall the cement tank behind the house that was the septic and the inside toilet flushed and I wondered where all the water etc went. We still had the out house in back behind the garage.
Dad started to repair cars after working hrs and on the weekends in that garage.
He then bought a lot in a larger city and then dismantled that small garage and re assembled it on the new lot.
He then started to build a house out front while later tearing that wood garage apart and then built a concrete block auto repair shop behind. This was during the early 1940's. Dad did all the labor himself.. I helped to dig the basement for that house and dad would make two barrels of wine every yr even tho he did not drink.
During those 1930 yrs we never had fancy items like today.
In 1984 took a trip back for a visit to the very 1st and 2nd home I grew up in and they were still being lived in. Still have the photos I took while there. Thoughtabout knocking on the doors of both places but did not.
Such memories.
My grandmother's little house is now an apartment house, but I have very fond memories of the small backwards house, the front door in the back. They built it before the road went in and then the road was moved to the other end of the lot. It was my inspiration when I bought the house I live in. It was built in 1930, classic shotgun style. Plenty of room for me.
But the neat thing is that my neighbors used to have this one and the one torn down and their present home and the whole family lived together. The others had small mother in law houses. Mine never did but I'd love if it did. One of the ones who still lives here's mother lived in this house. They can't account for the old man who died in the old room, but I'm sure he's there.
I would be interesting to find the address of my ggrandfather's place in DesMoiens and at least on google see what's there now. They departed 104 years ago.
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CD is populated by posters who wish we all lived in some off the grid self sustaining utopia... Most of them have no clue how hard life was back in those times. Any simple study of HISTORY should make people understand that we live in the best of times and if we don't kill each other in some heinous fashion they will only get better...............
