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Centennial History Book
Then there were DISASTERS
THE 1930’S
The 1930’s were rightly named when they were called the "Dirty Thirties". It was a time of drouth, dust storms, low prices, grasshoppers, and hot summers.
The dust storms were so bad that sometimes you could barely see 10 feet away. It would get dark in the houses and school houses in the day time. Everything would be covered with a thick coat of red dust. The dust storms would usually come up in the afternoon and blow into the night and sometimes into the next day.
The common thing for many girls at this time was to take Normal Training in high school so they could teach in a rural school after she had graduated. The wages were very different from now. They ranged from $40 to $70 per month. Some schools were only open for eight months. The teacher was also the janitor and had to prepare all the handwork and worksheets. There were no workbooks or modern teaching aids.
A lot of people weren’t lucky enough to have jobs of any kind and many farmers had to sell out and several of them went to Washington. Oregon, or California to find work.
Farm wages were $20 per month in 1934. Railroad wages in 1935 were 22 cents per hour and 38 cents per hour in 1938. Eggs sold for five cents per dozen and corn was 10 cents per bushel in 1932. Many people burned corn for fuel as it was cheaper than coal. Corn was 27 cents per bushel in 1933 and then President Roosevelt put a support price of 45 cents on it. Dressed chickens sold for 35 cents; 25 cents for the chicken and 10 cents for dressing it.
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