Haven’t paid Shorpy a visit in so long; of course, it’s never a short one there; better to stay away. But what really adds to all the old photos are the comments (like here at CC); folks manage to find so much background to the photos. Like this story of these five young folks leaving the drought-ridden fields of South Dakota for a new start in Oregon in 1936 :
Commenter Dave dug up the interview that was taken with Vernon Evans, crouching in the center of the photo:
Well, we was all without jobs here [in South Dakota]. And the jobs was so few and far between at the time we left that you couldn’t even buy a job. We had friends that we knew out in Oregon, and we decided we was going to go out there and see if we could find some work. We had $54 between the five of us when we started out from here to go to Oregon. And when we got to Oregon, I think we had about $16 left. We had absolutely no idea what we was going to do.
We all got in an old Model T and started for Oregon. We started out, and, I don’t know, we got out six miles and broke the crankshaft. This old rancher, he had some old Model T motors laying around. He said we was welcome to a crankshaft if we wanted one. So, we went back and proceeded to tear the motor out of the old Model T and put the crankshaft in. And that night we made Baker, which is a matter of 24 miles from the night before.
Well, then we had pretty good luck all the rest of the way. But we got around Missoula [Montana] and we was having a good time. See somebody along the road or something. And here was this car sitting alongside the road, and a guy sleeping in it. So, we honked and hollered at him, having a good time. Pretty soon, this car was after us. We’d heard they was sending them back [police sending migrants back at state borders], wasn’t letting ’em go on through. So, we thought, “Well, here’s where we go back home.” He motioned for us to pull over to the side of the road.
Anyhow, he come up and introduced himself [as Arthur Rothstein] and said he was with the Resettlement Administration and asked us questions about the conditions here and one thing or another. Where we was headed for. This “Oregon or Bust” on the back end was what took his eye. Then, he asked us if we cared if he took some pictures of us. Oh, we said, “I guess not.” I think he took eight different poses. And then after we was out there [in Oregon] I guess probably it was that fall or winter, why these pictures started showing up in the different magazines and papers. Anyhow, we got out there and I went to work on the railroad.
Source: Transcribed from an audio clip at livinghistoryfarm.org
image source: shorpy click for full size
Shorpy is a great site. As you say though, it’s not usually a short visit. I look in about once a month when I have time to browse and enjoy a cold one.
According to the inflation calculator at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, $54 in 1936 is equivalent to about $894 today. That’s a pretty good bankroll.
Ironic that the Dakotas are now booming with black gold while Oregon struggles.
Their grand kids may well have done the reverse trip, in a big Ford pickup.
“Oregon or bust” sounds like the motto of many artists, eccentrics, and DD old cars these days.
Now you’ve done it. I had never heard of shorpy so I followed your link. The second picture was of the dust bowl in Liberal Kansas. Grew up 50 miles or so from there and we still had the big dust drifts when I was a kid. Now I guess I have to add that to my daily read list.
It’s remarkable to see just how poor many folks were just a few decades ago. We should all be very thankful for what we have!
One wonders how long this oil/shale/natural gas fracking boom will last, and what those workers will do when it is over. Our country’s history is filled with similar stories, such as the natural gas boom that hit central Indiana in the late 1800s (and ended almost as quickly).
i like what passed for a road back then. i guess you just look for a dirt track next to the electric poles.
Shorpy isn’t a place I can go without being there for hours and hours…an amazing site.