Blog # 3
The Great Depression
For this blog I interviewed, Roger S. Buck, M.D., about his grandfather, James D. Buck.
The Great Depression was a time of economic turmoil, thus the name Great Depression. It lasted from 1929 until sometime in the late 30's to 40's. "Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependant on heavy industry. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell 40 - 60%" (wikipedia.org). The depression was the longest period of recession the country had ever experienced.
James D. Buck was born sometime during the year 1895. He lived in Kiowa County, Oklahoma in a city named Gotebo. Mr Buck did not finish high-school, as many during this time period; he had a third grade education. Working and making money was more important to the survival of the family, rather than education. He was a cotton farmer, married, and had six children. His wife died in 1932 from a sudden illness, leaving him to raise six children on his own.
Signs of the Great Depression hit Oklahoma in 1930 as a drought hit the region. Oklahoma experienced falling oil prices and there were many layoffs. In 1931 a severe drought hit this region of the country. Crops died and dust from the over-plowed land began to blow, and this was called The Dust Bowl. Since Mr. Buck was a cotton farmer, he was hit hard by this, and tried to continue to farm his crops, but ultimately gave up due to this crisis.
James Buck was unable to support his family by cotton farming, so he enrolled in one of the work programs provided by the government. He was assigned to the postal service as a postman. He delivered mail on horseback, and by the time that the first cars were available, he had became a postmaster. He also owned a garage and ran a gas station, for extra money to support his six children and himself. He did continued to stay in the postal service until he ultimately retired.
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