~~ RHS 1930. ~~
No Graduates In 1930.

While the decade of the "Twenties" was called the "Roaring Twenties", the decade of the "Thirties", being called the "Dirty Thirties", just never sounded exciting. Guess the hard times of the "Thirties" were not conducive for a fun decade, suppposidely like the roaring twenties. With the crash of the Stock Market in 1929, the thirties never go off to a very good start. The fall of Wall Street, along with other problems, caused an economic depression that was considered the worst depression to ever occur in the United States and became known a "The Great Depression". This momentous decade started out with the "Great Depression", and ended with Nazi Germany invading Poland in September 1939 which was the start of World War II. Along the way, the Western part of the United States was hit by a "Dust Bowl" and J. Edgar Hoover was chasing notorious criminals like "Ma Bell" and "Bonnie and Clyde". In the East, and specifically Washington D. C., Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States or as they call it now, POTUS.

The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939 and was the worst economic depression in the history of the United States. Economists and historians point to the stock market crash of October 24, 1929, as the start of the downturn. But the truth is that many things caused the Great Depression, not just one single event. In the United States, the Great Depression crippled the presidency of Herbert Hoover and led to the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Promising the nation a New Deal, Roosevelt would become the nation's longest-serving president. The economic downturn wasn't just confined to the United States; it affected much of the developed world. In Europe, the Nazis came to power in Germany, sowing the seeds of World War II.

After the Stock Market Crash in 1929, bank failures were a common occurence and families lost the little money they had invested. Job losses were inevitable, leading to a reduction of purchasing power. In the meantime, our government got the great idea of placing import tariffs on goods and services, then other countries reciprocated, leading to a loss of import opportunities for the United States. The economic devastation of the Great Depression was made worse by environmental destruction. A years-long drought coupled with poor farming practices created a vast region from West of the Mississippi River to California and from Colorado, South to the Texas panhandle that came to be called the Dust Bowl. To the day, a specific reason for the "Great Depression" has not been agreed upon, but the following five factors seem to be in the mix as the problem or parts of the problem.

1. Stock Market Crash of 1929.
2. Bank Failures.
3. Reduction in Purchasing Across the Board.
4. American Economic Policy With Europe.
5. Drought Conditions.


In 1930, the "Dust Bowl" was in the second year of this terrible weather condition that was compounded by poor farming practices. With drought conditions, hit hardest in the Southwest, that started in 1929 and continued for several years, and farmers not practicing erosion control methods to prevent the dry soil from literally drying up and blowing away, conditions were created that prevented crops from being raised. Massive dust storms choked towns, killing crops and livestock, sickening people and causing untold millions in damage. Thousands fled the region as the economy collapsed, something John Steinbeck chronicled in his masterpiece "The Grapes of Wrath." It would be years, if not decades, before the region's environment recovered. The States of Arkansas and Oklahoma were probably hit the hardest, but the drought and "Dust Bowl" conditions existed from just about the Mississippi River West and extended from about Colorado down to the Mexican border.

A Dust Storm approaching a small community in 1935.