The Great Depression

The Thirties were years of great hardship through out the country. Of the 123,000,000 people in the United States, 53,000,000 lived on farms. The nation was in terrible condition economically. Politically the country was in turmoil, and socially, people looked for relief from their fears. It was under these conditions that widespread drought hit. Many dust storms occurred, causing the decade to be nicknamed the "Dirty Thirties." 

The first terrible dust storm occurred in 1933. It was called the "Black Blizzard". Many more followed. Soil erosion was so severe that fences were nearly buried in the fine wind blown deposits.

President Franklin D Roosevelt encouraged the Congress of the 30s to act creatively and boldly, recognizing that this was "no ordinary time". They enacted a series of relief measures that helped to slow the steep economic decline of the first years of the Great Depression from about 1929 to 1933. The new and innovative programs of the era were known collectively as the "New Deal". Reforms included laws which set minimum wage, created foundations of Social Security, controlled the nations money supply, regulated securities, insured organized laborers right to bargain, and established many make-work government jobs. One of these programs was the WPA or the Works Progress Administration. The WPA built many public facilities and roads.

President Franklin D Roosevelt is remembered as the president who brought the country through the great depression. The country looked forward to President Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" on their radios, as he calmed and guided them through this time. 

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, served as President Roosevelt's eyes, ears, and legs outside the White House. She helped in finding jobs for men, women and children as defense volunteers. In addition, she wrote a daily newspaper column, conducted a lecture tour, presented a weekly radio program, managed correspondence, and kept up a travel schedule that exhausted those who tagged along.

Here in South Dakota, Governor Tom Berry, was the first governor from West River, and being a rancher, was known as the "Cowboy Governor". Berry was a strong supporter of Roosevelt and worked closely with the government, ensuring that the middle border country received as much aid and assistance as possible.

In the next display you can view a clock and watch maker display common in communits accross South Dakota. In the background visitors can view pictures from the Dust Bowl in South Dakota.  Many left the area as there was no way to make a living. Drought caused crops to dry up and the dust storms would black out the sky. Grasshoppers often ate all the crops that did survive. The people of the area moved west with hopes of a better life. 

As you conclude your tour of the Middle Border history gallary, we hope you leave with an appreciation for the 'Middle Border' as a place of meeting, struggle, and incredible cultural persistence. The story of the Dakotas is not just found in artifacts behind glass, but in the living communities that continue to build the future of this region.