Miner - Chapter 7
Miner- Chapter 7
Dust and Democrats
During the 1930’s Kansas again faced hard times. Due to the lack of rain, strong winds and high temperatures along with grasshoppers and jackrabbits the land became devastated and for several years no crops were raised. The Western half of the state that had been so productive in farming was nothing more than a dust bowl. This with high bank notes created a mass exodus from the rural areas for the farmers who could only see bankruptcies in their future. Large associations from back East began buying up the cheap land and creating large farms that could force even more farmers out. The state legislation was forced to take action to save the small farmers and for the first time farmers began taking federal aid, which brought with it federal control.
It took WWII to bring Kansas out of the depression. Kansas’s people convinced the federal government to invest in Kansas for military materials such as airplanes, training bases, etc…because it was a safe place to be away from the coast. Without a doubt Wichita was the big winner in this decision. By the end of the war there were over sixty thousand workers building airplanes for the military. Many of these workers were farmers who knew how to work and had some understanding about tools but more importantly could keep on farming and supply food to our country.
Alf Landon, a former governor of Kansas took on Franklin Roosevelt for the presidency of the United States.
We are lucky enough to have an Ammunition Plant in Parsons. This plant brought many jobs to the area and the town was booming. Once the plant started laying off workers the town started on a decline. My granddad was the Fire Chief for the plant and so my dad grew up on the housing division of the plant. It would neat to have him come in and the kids do an oral history with him of living on the plant. He is one of the few remaining people in Parsons that lived there.
Dust and Democrats
During the 1930’s Kansas again faced hard times. Due to the lack of rain, strong winds and high temperatures along with grasshoppers and jackrabbits the land became devastated and for several years no crops were raised. The Western half of the state that had been so productive in farming was nothing more than a dust bowl. This with high bank notes created a mass exodus from the rural areas for the farmers who could only see bankruptcies in their future. Large associations from back East began buying up the cheap land and creating large farms that could force even more farmers out. The state legislation was forced to take action to save the small farmers and for the first time farmers began taking federal aid, which brought with it federal control.
It took WWII to bring Kansas out of the depression. Kansas’s people convinced the federal government to invest in Kansas for military materials such as airplanes, training bases, etc…because it was a safe place to be away from the coast. Without a doubt Wichita was the big winner in this decision. By the end of the war there were over sixty thousand workers building airplanes for the military. Many of these workers were farmers who knew how to work and had some understanding about tools but more importantly could keep on farming and supply food to our country.
Alf Landon, a former governor of Kansas took on Franklin Roosevelt for the presidency of the United States.
We are lucky enough to have an Ammunition Plant in Parsons. This plant brought many jobs to the area and the town was booming. Once the plant started laying off workers the town started on a decline. My granddad was the Fire Chief for the plant and so my dad grew up on the housing division of the plant. It would neat to have him come in and the kids do an oral history with him of living on the plant. He is one of the few remaining people in Parsons that lived there.
posted by eduka2b | 5:45 PM
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