Remember When: January 7, 2009

It seems history repeats itself a few times each century as our economy suffers and shows it affect upon on population. During the 1800s there were many more down times than we saw in the 1900s and now we are experiencing the down turn from people's and the government excessive spending during the past years of the 2000s. Especially spending beyond their means and the corruption in many areas of our financial and other established firms and Government.

Looking back through local history from the mid 1800s until World War II began, citizens did not have the government programs that they have today to keep body and soul together. One salvation for many families of this area was the public works programs that President Roosevelt established after he became president. They repaired roads, sprayed punture vine in fields and along the roads, constructed projects such as the old jail and sidewalks in various areas of town.

I can remember how desperate so many families and children were during the '30s in this area. So many children had no shoes or coats to wear during the cold winter months. The schools received basic government surplus foods to prepare at least one hot meal for the children. Our local churches and some of our families supplied clothing for the destitute families. Our old brick schoolhouse was heated by one wood heater in each room, the old windows would rattle from the wind and the only one who was really warm was the janitor who had to try and keep the fires going in the old stoves. At recess, if the sun was shining, the kids would line up along the bricks on the outside south walls trying to keep warm.

Prices for fruit, vegetables and milk produced by area farms were so low that many farmers could not sell certain breeds of calves. In turn, they knocked them in the heads rather than use the milk to feed them. Many farms and ranches in our area had their loans recalled by the banks. Our family farms were surrounded by bank-owned properties from above North Street to Balls Ferry area. Overseers then ran these farms; growing mostly beans, grain and renting the harvested grain fields to sheep and cattle ranchers. The ranchers drove their stock home from the summer ranges in the mountains.in the fall.

The government sent in loads of potatoes by rail for use by the area ranchers to feed their cattle and hogs but they were also used by many families. The best way to feed potatoes to hogs was to cook them with a small amount of grain and water in a large 100-gallon barrel prior to feeding them. If the potatoes were fed to cattle, they had to be cut up so the cows did not choke on them.

By the mid 1930s, we had many families new to the area who had tried to escape the great dust bowl and depression, plus the families who had heard jobs were to be available when the construction of Shasta Dam began.

Those of us fortunate enough to still own our farms were able to butcher our own beef and hogs, grow our own fruits and vegetables and have our chickens, turkeys, ducks and eggs.