Our Past Is Present August 30, 2017

August 30, 2017

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            Today’s story is about the impact of the Depression and the drought of that same period. Remember we shared with you about the 1874 invasion of grasshoppers that year.  There was another invasion in 1930.  As the Depression continued into the 1930’s, Kansans sought ways to become more self-sufficient.  With unemployment on the rise, some families decided to leave the city life and take their chances on the farm.  From 1930 to 1935, the number of farms in Kansas increased by 8,000.  This reversed the trend of people moving from the farm to the city.  The main advantage of farm living was the opportunity to raise food and livestock.  Whether in the city or country, nearly everyone had a garden.  Pigs, chickens and cows provided meat, eggs, milk and butter for the family.  Eggs and cream were often sold to earn much needed cash.  Wild foods also supplemented the diet.  Rabbits, raccoons, squirrel and even possum provided meat for the family.  In spite of all this, Geary County droughts and grasshoppers made raising food difficult.  One lady reported that one Spring, they had grown early beets, which her mother had canned and after the garden burned up later that summer, they ate beets every way one could imagine for an entire year. 

            Fortunately, many of us have never experienced a food shortage, extreme drought or insect invasion and we would have a difficult time imagining what any of those would be like.  It took people with strong character to live during those times and there are lessons to be learned from them.

            Have a great rest of your day and thanks for reading “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.