The Great Depression – Angel Wheeler

Even though I’ve never really been a history buff, the period of the dust bowl and the Great Depression have me fascinated lately. Why its on my mind, I don’t know, but I find myself thinking of the survivors of this period more and more. I search their pictures and witness their struggles. Travel with me, for only a moment, to a time of grave hardships.

The famous picture of a mother of seven during the Great Depression, taken by Dorthea Lange.

I’m sure you’ve seen this famous picture. But did you know this mother of seven is reported to be only 32 years old?

Picture of a woman and three children (close-up) during the Great Depression.

Picture of an 18-year-old mother from Oklahoma now a California migrant during the Great Depression.

This mother is 18.

Picture of a school in Alabama during the Great Depression.

A school in Alabama.

Picture of a dust storm in Oklahoma during the Great Depression.

A dust storm in Oklahoma.

Picture of a line of unemployed men receiving soup at a Volunteers of America Soup Kitchen during the Great Depression.

A line of unemployed at a soup kitchen.

icture of a family eating Christmas dinner near Smithland, Iowa during the Great Depression.

Christmas Dinner.

Picture of a man and his horse during the Great Depression.

A man and his horse.

Picture of an Arkansas squatter in a shack near Bakersfield, California during the Great Depression.

A squatter at her shack in Arkansas.

These pictures humble me. And in a way they frighten me. If history were to repeat itself, could this be me? Could this be you? I sometimes wonder why I was chosen to be so fortunate.

Alot of the people who are old enough to remember this time of suffering are no longer with us. I think we should cherish the stories of the ones who are.

(photos courtesy of http://history1900s.about.com)