Information Related to "Lessons From Survivors of The Great Depression"
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In 1929, a rapid fall in the U.S. stock market resulted in the decline in value of shady investment trusts and pyramid schemes. Ensuing panic caused a run on banks that left the American and European financial systems in economic ruin.
During the first few years of the 1930s, there was a decrease in the number of jobs available, and many people went without wages and even food.
The average standard of living in the 1930s was very different from today. Not everyone had electricity, and much of the population lived on farms or had access to land on which to grow food. Life was much less urban.
Among us today are men and women who lived through the trauma of the Great Depression. Recently, several survivors of that difficult era described its effects on their lives. Their lessons provide insight for us today.
Tom and Jean Jackson remembered growing up on farms in the Midwest during the 1930s. Their recollections include:
Milk was delivered by horse-drawn wagons at 5 or 6 o'clock every morning. Blocks of ice weighing up to 50 pounds [approximately 23 kilos] each were delivered to homes to keep food cool in the icebox. Coal furnaces heated homes, and there were no dishwashing machines.
A 10-cent taxicab ride could take you any place in town. Restaurants had a complete meal for 35 cents, and gas cost 9 cents a gallon.
Interurban trains powered by coal-fed locomotives connected small towns. No one traveled widely or frequently back then. Roadways were made of brick, and streetcars often ran straight down the middle. Schools were located only a few blocks apart, so no buses were needed.
Grocery store clerks waited on and gathered groceries for each customer. Ladies and girls wore hats and gloves when they went out to shop.
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