DEPRESSION YEARS

The depression affected people differently in different parts of the country as stated previously. But, no one was immune. Phyllis Morad, 78, of Groveland, (as featured in Tuolumne County "friends and neighbors magazine) lived in Buffalo, New York. "The depression lingered for years until the war started. "...I remember our icebox was in the hall. The iceman had to come weekly with his big tongs and ice cube. The rag man came in a horse and wooden wagon, yelling 'Rags!'All the women kept their rags in a special bag. He would weigh them and pay for them. Lots of our meals were soup and rye bread. My mom sewed. She made my sister and me matching outfits, and curtains for the house. One day, my father came home with a brand-new sewing machine. She was in tears and made him take it back, because even though she really wanted it, she knew we couldn't afford the payments.
I remember stepping on tin cans and toothpaste tubes, made out of lead, which were saved for the war effort. We had rationing for shoes, sugar and butter, little stamps to get those items. If you needed shoes and didn't have a stamp...what were you going to do?"
Facing a depressed economy today is harder since most families have become used to instant gratification. We can learn a great deal from the past.

DEPRESSION THEN AND HOW PEOPLE COPED

Melva Anderson, 82, of Murphys remembers the depression years from the small farming community of Wilsonville, Nebraska. "The depression didn't affect us as much as some people," explained Melva. "We did get government canned goods and my father got help from the Conservation Corp. Men came out and helped him plant his grain because there wasn't much money for anything. Because we were a farm family with cattle, pigs and a big garden, we didn't go hungry. My mother had a hired girl to help, but she had to be let go."
Farm families were used to conserving and Melva's family didn't feel the shortage of gas since they still used horses.
Kathryn Puterbaugh, 84, (pictured), of Sonora, described in "friends and neighbors" magazine typical meals during the 1930's while living in Denver, Colorado. "Dinner: Monday through Thursday, leftovers from the weekend (usually) soups which were made from leftovers; on Fridays, fish; on Saturdays, corn bread with syryp and one link sausage; on Sunday, whole fried chicken pieces or pot roast.
"We had hand-me-down-clothes and shoes and no radio or TV. When World War II began...and later living on my own, I remember standing in line for food and ration stamps, sharing living quarters due to the housing shortage, sharing rides due to auto and gas shortages-and mending runs in my nylon hose with nail polish."
We take American affluence for granted, but it hasn't always been so!
To be continued-

DEPRESSION DAYS AND HOW "WE" COPED

Claude Guash, 82, of Murphys remembers well the depression years. "Times were thin," he remembers. "We had a restaurant in San Francisco and my dad sold dinners for $1.50, big meals with raviolis or enchiladas and salad, soup and bread. Lunches for 3o cents. Nobody had any money. My folks worked from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. but never seemed to get ahead. They couldn't afford to buy a home, they always had to rent. My father did the cooking and ran the restaurant and my mother was the cashier. Me and my brother went to the restaurant after school and worked until 7 p.m. Dad would give us 5 cents for the trolley but we'd walk the two miles and use the nickel for an ice cream instead. The tough years were before the war. You couldn't get certain things. No laundry. So we actually saved money by using paper table cloths. No meat Tuesday, meant we closed on Tuesday. With the gas shortages, you couldn't get deliveries for small restaurants. When I got old enough to drive, I'd go get everything from suppliers. But we made delicious minestrone soup with french bread and always had enough to eat. I took bread and jelly sandwhiches to school and would trade with a friend for his egg salad. In 1938 I remember church kitchens feeding people. But then, after the war got going, the shipyards were booming and things got better. Eventually, my dad sold the restaurant and made enough money to retire to Palo Alto."
Francis Harden, 87, of Sonora (above) and her older sister were raised by her mother, a single parent. One of the original multi-taskers, her mother sold magazines, baked and sold cakes, sold bread for a Campbells Co. and gave piano lessons in her home. (See the original story on Francis in "friends and neighbors" magazine. Francis lived in Berkeley. The depression affected people differently in different parts of the country.
to becontinued.

Life As A Hobo?

My friend Jim found a piece likening Hobo's to the RV Wanderers he has met during his years on the road. It touched me in a personal way since my father, Bill Moore, was once a hobo. He lied his age and joined the army at age 16 or 17. When they discovered he was underage the paymaster allowed his mother to pick up his check. As a headstrong youth, he decided that if they wouldn't pay HIM he wouldn't serve. He went AWOL, jumped trains and traveled for a couple years from Michigan to Los Angeles living in typical Hobo Jungles. His wanderlust satisfied, he returned to Michigan during the depression to face whatever was in store for him. Instead of consequences he met and married my mother.
The similarities are there, riding the roads, always favoring warmer weather, owning only what you can carry nets a simpler way of life. Only the courageous should apply.
For me there is no risk except meeting and enjoying unique people.
Last night I found myself reminiscing about Dad's proclivity to take in "bums" when we were growing up. We learned some "forbidden" songs if Dad took a swig to much.
"Oh, lady would you be kind enough to give me a bite to eat,
A piece of bread and butter and a ten foot slice of meat.
A piece of pie of custard to tickle me appetite,
For really I am so hungry I don't know where I sleep tonight.
Hallelujah I'm a bum. Hallelujah, bum again. Hallelujah give us a handout to revive us again.
(From memory, not sure on accuracy.)