Depression: Minnesota in the Thirties
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An Excerpt from Depression:
Minnesota in the Thirties
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Farmers crowd into St. Paul to demand help, 1935. |
John Bosch's stomach churned with anxiety as he saw his neighbors lose their farms and watched his crop sell for a few cents a bushel. Hard working and dedicated to his land, he could not tolerate the sight of the despair around him. The Reverend George Mecklenburg sat at his desk in his downtown Minneapolis church. His heart wrenched as he witnessed the daily parade of hungry, unemployed people pass through the shadow of the cross. He knew that the 20,000 who walked the streets without jobs had devoured the city's relief funds. The gloom on their faces tormented his conscience. Governor Floyd B. Olson impatiently paced back and forth in his office. Each report which crossed his desk roused his sensitive compassion for the well-being of the people. His state was under siege: farmers were ready to strike; restless urban workers demanded immediate relief; unemployment on the iron range pressed toward 70 percent. The worsening condition of his state made him angry. It was 1932. The depression had struck Minnesota. |
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Child pickets, 1937.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D. Jerome Tweton is a well-known author and historian who has written four
books and dozens of articles about the Midwest and its people. He received his
B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, M.A. from the University of North Dakota,
and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Tweton recently retired from
his position as Professor of History at the University of North Dakota, a position
he held since 1965.
