1930s USA - 38 Photos of the Great Depression in America (Colorized)

Imagine losing everything you've ever worked for in the blink of an eye. That's what life was like for millions of Americans during the Great Depression. But despite the unimaginable struggles they faced, they found ways to persevere and come together as a community. Join me as we explore the story of one of the darkest periods in American history and the lessons it holds for today.
This video contains a collection of 1930s Depression Era photos, which have all been carefully colorized and enhanced to help bring the past to life. The colorization process isn't perfect - but today's technology has made great strides.
I hope you enjoy this view back into America's past.
Thanks for watching!
- Kevin
#1930s #greatdepression #nostalgia
0:00 Introduction
0:14 New York Stock Exchange 1929
0:50 New York City Docks 1935
1:14 Leaving South Dakota 1936
1:50 New York City 1936
2:26 Central Park, New York City 1933
2:38 Manhattan 1932
3:02 Chandler, Arizona 1940
3:26 Winter Haven, Florida 1937
4:14 Hamilton County, Ohio 1935
4:38 Elm Grove, Oklahoma 1936
5:50 Malheur County, Oregon 1939
6:14 Yakima Valley, Washington 1936
6:26 Pulaski County, Arkansas 1935
6:38 California, 1939
7:26 Tupelo, Mississippi 1935

[@justdoingitjim7095]

My parents grew up during the depression. Mom died at an early age and dad had a hard time raising 3 boys by himself. We were poor, but I didn't even realize it until a kid from school came to my house one day and saw how we were living. I just thought everyone took a bath in a 55 gallon drum, heated all day by the sun. I started working for a framing contractor as a carpenter's helper at age 11 to help dad with the bills. I hunted with my dad's old single shot shotgun and kept meat on our table with squirrels, rabbits, ducks and an occasional deer. Dad knew I was shooting game out of season, but never said anything because I was helping to feed the family. We only had the one shotgun, so I did all the hunting. But, all 3 of us boys fished and that helped too. We didn't dig worms for bait, because we always had lots of grasshoppers. Plus we could freeze the grasshoppers for bait during the winter. They didn't take up much room. I didn't buy my first hunting license until I was 13 or 14. It was only .25 cents. I only bought it because the game warden caught me hunting and said he wouldn't give me a $25 dollar ticket if I went right then and bought a license and brought it back to show him. I borrowed a quarter from a friend who lived across the street from the country store and that's where I bought my license. I never had enough money to buy a whole box of shotgun shells, so the store owner would sell them individually to me for a nickel each. I never missed. Several times the store owner wanted a rabbit or duck and would give me four shells if I got him a critter. I always got him what he wanted and had three 'free' shells left for myself. We would pick up soda bottles in the road ditches and sell them at the store for a nickel. Then we found out that the store about 3 miles down the road was buying them for .07 cents. I'd save up my bottles and load up the baskets on my bicycle and ride to the other store to sell my bottles. We found out we could sell some beer bottles back to an old bar down in the woods. They only took certain ones and we never found too many, so we didn't make much money that way. I saved some money and got an old 1956 bolt action, single shot .22 rifle for $8 dollars. I could buy a box of 50 .22 bullets for .50 cents, so I quit using the shotgun. I did all my hunting with that old .22 rifle after that. I just now turned around and looked over at that old Remington Scoremaster 511, .22 rifle standing in the corner next to the door. Yep, I still have it and it still works fine. It does have a 3x9 scope on it now though, because my old eyes aren't what they used to be. But, I can still make a head shot on a squirrel at 50 feet and I think for a 70 year old man that's half blind, that's not half bad.

[@deltajohnny]

Great post! Thanks for sharing 👏👏

[@knitwit014]

Awesome!

[@chinaboss6683]

Thats great. Do you enjoy viagra now?

[@slopez1901]

Best post ever!!!!!!!! You had a wonderful childhood

[@deesfreespirityoga4945]

Thank you for sharing@

[@retiredcolonel6492]

My parents were Depression Era children. My mother’s family were small holding farmers. She said they didn’t notice the Great Depression because they were poor and everyone in that area of Western Arkansas were poor too. She always was very thrifty. She could squeeze a dime until it hollered. She never trusted banks and when she died I discovered she had money stuff in hide away places. Both my parents were 100% self reliant: Dad repaired everything himself from roof to plumbing and cars, never paid another man to take care of his. Mom insisted on a garden and repaired clothes. They never had debt. They paid cash and saved until they could afford something. My dad would “trade” cars. Take a heap. Rebuild it and trade it for something better. Living beyond your means is the most stupid thing I see in the current generation.

[@michaelwilson8713]

Unfortunately I grew up in Arkansas until I was able to escape this is probably the worst state in the Union this ability is almost impossible to achieve even with the lawyer and doctors notes also it's the world headquarters of the KKK I'm sad to say now it looks like they're affiliated with Nazis it's not a good place to live is a good place to avoid

[@User39.]

That is a great story....and a good lesson for us all of us.....to many spoiled people today....thanks

[@stephenrice4554]

Absolutely right how stupid do you have to be to put yourself in debt for a holiday, Christmas , clothes . Damn I'm still living like that now , not joining the assinine race to the bottom 👍🇬🇧

[@user-fd7ju5sb6b]

Do you?

[@wildatheart3182]

@@user-fd7ju5sb6bI know we do. Own our cars and maintain/repair them. Never lease/finance. No credit cards. We do well. Grew up with Gma talking about the depression. Took a few notes lol

[@raptorsan85]

I'm 50 you can tell our parents were raised by Great Depression era parents. The things we were taught growing up. Eat everything on your plate...don't waste anything...greatfulness for what you have

[@MrTL3wis]

^^^^^This.

[@handbananaistherapist642]

I have many habits and ways of living that were taught to me by my grand parents who were in their 30s during TGD. Waste is a sin, reuse, save where you can.

[@raptorsan85]

@handbananaistherapist642 my grandma used to wash plastic sandwich bags....not the ziploc ones the fold over ones hehe

[@handbananaistherapist642]

Aaaaaah, I do that now.@@raptorsan85

[@BrendaDick-dc9ef]

Amen! We used it till it was wore out.we made due with what we had and took care of it.nothing was wasted,and we appreciated every thing.

[@7pines77]

These poor, resilient, children you see in this video are some of the same of many that won WW2 for Us. “Hard times make tough people”

[@michaelwilson8713]

You're correct about that only the poor and destitute get drafted those affluent enough to afford college had an easy out

[@KB-ke3fi]

We're getting ready to have that again under Biden.

[@armageddon1403]

You didnt win ww2!

[@yvonneplant9434]

​@@KB-ke3fiStop this, please.

[@mochiebellina8190]

Look at the fruitcakes, the vermin and scum we have masquerading as humans today. See "puppy play", they dont even want to be human.

[@bobpoland6042]

My Great Great Grandmother was born in 1864 during the civil war she lived to be 103 years old I was 7 when she died but I remember her well even today. She would talk about life growing up during reconstruction, the depression of the 1880s, WW1, the 1930s depression, WW2 ect ect. We are so soft and spoiled now a days that its almost disgusting to hear people complain "how bad" it is !

[@michaelwilson8713]

It's bad in the sense that these are the last days almost all of biblical prophecy has been fulfilled you can see it on folding on a daily basis if you watch the news it says in the last days because people were disobedient and did not follow Jesus commandment to love one another as you love your own self.. it says in the last days the natural love that people have will fade away people will hate each other and betray each other

[@webstercat]

You are so right. Ungrateful not realizing how the poorest today are rich by comparison.

[@gamefather9105]

Well when adjusted for inflation, the average salary for a person was $80,000 in 1930. In 2023 it is $52,000. So I think we can complain what’s going on in this world 😊

[@danielwebster8019]

I grew up in the 1970s and 80s things were easier then than they are now.

[@bobpoland6042]

@gamefather9105 The avg pay for a worker in the US in the early 1930s was .42 cents an hour or $16.80 per week. Go check it out...

[@electroncraz91]

This is a great reminder for the things we take for granted in America. I live and hope for everyday that this does not happen again and I am thankful for the ones that had to endure it and survive it for us.

[@carlbowles1808]

My parents and grandparents survived the great depression. We are better off than we think.

[@trishexploring1508]

I don't know who colorized and cleared up these photos but they did an AMAZING job!👏👏👏

[@armageddon1403]

Is your IQ meassurable?

[@johnhalverson1133]

Yes so true....very clear and lifelike.

[@scotnick59]

yes, really excellent coloization!

[@MelvinJ64]

Tough people going through tough times.

[@TonyMay-fd8rg]

It seems evident the same is happening in our country today on our streets of tents with homelessness .

[@snydedon9636]

@@TonyMay-fd8rgdifference is back then those people wanted to work and weren’t drug addicts.

[@faustinreeder1075]

Todays homeless are lazy bums.

[@parttimehuman]

@@snydedon9636 Have you never cracked open a book? Morphine, Opium, Cocaine and Heroin were a huge problem. It was so bad it lead to the establishment of the FBN (The Federal Bureau of Narcotics). You people with your rose colored glasses really make me laugh.

[@cappystrano1]

@@snydedon9636for real

[@aprilsalava3147]

My parents grew up during the depression. My mother came from a family of eight kids and after the last one was born my Grandmother died. That baby boy was adopted out to a relative to raise because my Grandfather a bricklayer had a hard time feeding the kids he already had. They had a garden and bees and my Grandfather made wine in the bathtub but they didn’t have a lot. My father grew up on a farm so they didn’t have much but always had plenty of food to eat and my father always seemed to know how to fix things. I too wish I had asked them more questions about their childhood.

[@greatpar]

Respect to those brave souls who made America great. The youth of today have been spoilt and have no idea of hardship and sacrifice. Take care America🙏🇦🇺

[@SilentWatcher594]

My parents were born during the depression. My grandparents lost their Iowa home. People survived by being resourceful, gardens, canning, patches, and detemination. When i was a kid, I used to talk with my grandparents about living thru that era and those conversations always stuck with me. Perhaps that has something to do with why I live rural, gardens, orchard, canning, and raising chickens and a few animals while i worked my career. I've always felt that something like the Great Depression would happen again and I wanted to make sure my wife and kids,,,and now grandkids, were taken care of. If anything, they ate healthy and learned 'the ways' of self sufficiency. Those traditions must be passed on. I'm retired now, but still living rural, still doing those same things, and still enjoy the fruits of my labors.

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

Your family is so fortunate to have you ! Blessings

[@hana.the.writer5074]

Wow.. total respect to you, sir. 😊 You sure did wonderful. Thank you for sharing that piece of your life. You guys make one feel proud we belong unlike some others they’d make you hate yourself for belonging to them as in humankind, that is. Wish you all the best because you deserve nothing but the best and you know it. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@daler.steffy1047]

I am so impressed that you took the time to talk to your grandparents, realizing, no doubt, that you were witnessing important oral history. I am glad you're able to retain the details from those conversations. Have you considered writing them down in a biographical format?

[@SilentWatcher594]

My biggest fear was/is that my children or grandkids could witness that same modern economic crash. I just want/wanted to be ready for them if it happens. That picture of the mother with her hand to her face, holding her baby with the other children standing next to her has literally HAUNTED my mind for many decades. I never want to see those looks of desperation on my family's face,,,or on anyone's face...ever.

[@LillyKC23]

My dad grew up during the Depression. The only way the family survived was because they had a farm and could feed themselves. Later in life, he became a very successful businessman. But, those memories of his childhood were never lost. He took care of everything he had, and taught us to do the same. He smoked cigars, and we joked how he even saved the boxes 'to burn in case times get tough.' I learned those lessons myself, and have tried to manage my blessings wisely - and always be willing to help my fellow man in need.

[@hana.the.writer5074]

That’s a profound share. I just started to overcome a bankruptcy I underwent for two solid years and learned how to run wise the hard way fasting days and patching things up and neatly saving anything that looked useable. I got so thrifty that I don’t know how to feel at ease now that everything is ok. I guess it takes time but then I think it’s not reversible because you been molded into something else and opened your eyes to better understandings and perspectives concerning all that is associated with running a life and life itself. But.. I stayed true to my being and identity.. I still kept my good image before familiar faces, wearing my pride and shared my bread. Yes, it was tough on the soul and Lord knows it.. he’d counted the number of tears I shed in the dark but always believed the tables were to eventually turn. Couldn’t be more grateful to the Creator of this entire universe.

[@LillyKC23]

@@hana.the.writer5074 Thank you for sharing your amazing experience. No doubt it'll inspire others to hold on and persevere. Many blessings to you and yours. Take good care - the world needs great people like you! 💖Cheers!

[@silverdale3207]

My Grandparents farmed through the depression, even when they got old and had plenty of money I still remember grandad reading the paper at night with just one lightbulb turned on in the house and growing all his own vegetables and grandma sowing clothes because that's how they learnt to live. Funny thing is I'm on the same farm now and sit here at night with only one low wattage light turned on as well , they taught me to be just as frugal.

[@KLynn998]

@@silverdale3207how wonderful to have your grandparents place!

[@misst.e.a.187]

I think that was a general way of life even before the GD. Wastefulness was created in the 1950s America with the downgrading of manufacturing of goods.

[@jamescolvin5995]

My Dad and Mom were both born in 1923. They had no money, funny I never heard them talk about the depression. They are both gone now, I wish I would have asked them more about it.

[@philhand5830]

My dear dad was born in Tyrone, OK in 1908, went all the way through the Great Depression near Newton, KS. Migrated to Oregon State in the 30s, where I was born in 1946... Very thankful for my dad...

[@khiem1939]

Nearly ALL the migrant workers who picked our strawberries in Western Oregon were from either Oklahoma or Arkansas. Some of those from Oklahoma eventually settled in Western Oregon where they were quite successful!

[@batcollins3714]

You probably had relations from Ireland. Tyrone is a cough in Ireland

[@markgoostree6334]

In that last picture. The five kids, with mom and dad. The mom looks so... totally... stressed. It made me sad just to see it in her face.

[@ahill4642]

Yes! And I was struck by how gorgeous the kids are, for some reason. Anyway, they all look pretty healthy, considering. Must have been so incredibly stressful indeed trying to keep everyone fed and healthy. Financial stress is toxic.

[@modickens1272]

She might've had AIDS!!

[@alanolson6913]

My grandparents were born and raised in central Kansas, our family had lived there for several generations but by the time the Depression hit, along with the dust bowl, it became 8:10 obvious it was time to move on. They sold some items, others their siblings stored for them😊, and they packed up and left for California. It was 1937, the Depression was still going on and the economy had just had a setback again. A relative of my grandmother had property in Southern California with a house on it. The owner lived in Kansas near my grandparents and had told them the house was standing empty and would they like to move in when they arrived in California. So they did. There were worse places to go than Pasadena. My grandfather eventually found work, the kids grew up and one of the sons became my Dad.

[@storyspeakingtree]

​@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist4Praise the Lord!

[@daler.steffy1047]

I wonder if we still have that generosity today, with respect to offering an empty house to a family in great need? I hope so. Incidentally, when I rode my bicycle across America (age 20--1969), I deliberately went through the mid-section of the country, which included Nebraska and Kansas. If I remember correctly, I took the old concrete highway, which was US Route 30. I absolutely loved the wide-open landscape, the vaulted sky and the corn and alfalfa fields that reflected the hard work and love the farmers gave to their land. To this day, I find there is almost nothing quite as satisfying as bicycling the Open Road through farmland where there was freshly cut alfalfa. ~drs (04/17/24)

[@alanolson6913]

@@daler.steffy1047 I believe most of the people do. Naturally, there are some who would rather be left alone and it’s just how they are. I’ve lived in Illinois and worked in Illinois for a number of years and found most people there to be rather genuine. Again, there were some who would rather have little to do with people, but it was the exception rather than the rule. As you say, there truly is something about the huge sky, the sunflowers along the edge of the road, the aroma of newmown hay or grass, the slight breeze and the occasional bridge over a creek. The quiet is calming and the whole setting is rather beguiling. Like you, I’m in my 70’s and what I experienced was a long time ago…but I remember it well.

[@pibble3962]

I remember my mother telling me about “hobos” coming to the back door of their rural home during the Great Depression. They would knock on the door and politely ask for something to eat. My grandmother would always kindly oblige by fixing a plate of food for them. She was an amazing cook. Simple, German farm fare.

[@cindylong624]

Some would chop firewood in exchange for food

[@KB-ke3fi]

Now it's illegal immigrants from 190 countries....if you don't give them something, they'll take it.

[@ralphcantrell3214]

The difference now is, the hobos of your mom's day couldn't find work for love or money. Today there are plenty of jobs, only our hobos won't work for love or money.

[@Joe-sw9nk]

Force abortion on them.

[@mrtt5931]

Me too

[@mikeguthrie5432]

I guess I was a late comer. Born in De Witt Arkansas, Nov. 24, '41. I used to hear tall tales told by my Daddy and my Mom growin' up during the "war". Didn't realize till years later how rough it was for them growing up in the early years of the 20th century. Hate to say it, but if we all don't get our act together, we'll be right back like the folks were back then. Read your Bible, talk to the Lord, and pray a lot!

[@poppynlilys_dad774]

Hate to say it, but the Lord is long gone.Off to other worlds, where his children care for each other as He intended.

[@sherryblatt4459]

Mike Guthrie, AMEN!!!❤️

[@mikeguthrie5432]

@@RyanSpruillWell Mr. Ryan, as they, say, "progress just moves along". Sometimes "progress" is pretty good, and, sometimes it can be, well, not so good. I suppose it all depends on a persons perspective. I look at our situation here in America now, and it seems rather depressing. I thank the Lord that I was raised by good "God fearing" parents that learned lessons from back in the depression era. My feeling is that we, as a nation, have moved away from God, and family, and good common sense, that used to be the norm back then. Anyway, that's my story, and I'm a stickin' with it. Good luck my friend, and God Bless Ya!

[@MariaHelena-pb1rt]

​@@mikeguthrie5432Em primeiro lugar busque a espiritualidade.. Deus abençoe sempre❤🇧🇷🙏

[@Cutter-jx3xj]

My granny and grandpa lived in Floyd County Kentucky. My grandpa was a coal miner , just like so many others scratching out a living. He died of a massive heart attack brought on by black lung disease. He left granny a hard row to hoe. Her and 11 kids to raise. I have always loved and have been proud of her. RIP, Gran you worked hard, raised 11kids on your own. taught me so so much following behind u as a young boy.

[@davisworth5114]

Beautiful story.

[@misst.e.a.187]

What a marvellous woman

[@drew6116]

You had some heartbreak, but you also had terrific role models to shape you as a good member of society.Wishing you all the best.

[@johnpowell9728]

My mama who lived in kty lost husband when she was young left with 9 kids raised off chickens a huge garden a one pig a year i'm 74 now snd wonder how she managed she went to church two times a week walked to and from never missed if fate rewards good deeds she's in high cotten now

[@daveoneshot5681]

My father, in 1933, was accepted to R.P.I., Rennsalier Polytechnic Institute, but it wasn't long before his father said : " We're not making it, you have to go to work." He then got a job as a firefighter for eighteen bucks a week.......and that made all the difference for the family to survive.

[@pinkiesue849]

How old at that time...thanks

[@ronmoore6598]

Wow. RPI is premier engineering school. Missed a real opportunity there for much better wages. Kind of short sighted.

[@wanderinggeri8477]

@@ronmoore6598Clueless comment. He was a parent and his family would have broken apart and/or starved. Please educate yourself.

[@ronmoore6598]

@@wanderinggeri8477 It was the son going to RPI not the father. A parent should never make their child sacrifice a better future to help them. Parent sink or swim on their own. The child has to secure the best future for their Own children, not their parents..

[@wanderinggeri8477]

@@ronmoore6598 …even so. The last sentence says it all. “And that made all the difference for the family to survive”. Those were desperate times.

[@MT-qu2tg]

The Greatest Generation.

[@faustinreeder1075]

And gave birth to the generation that has currently destroyed America

[@davisworth5114]

BS, the old pioneers who settled this country were the best.

[@shannonlandre4442]

Durp

[@brunoheggli2888]

I am the best!

[@CEOkiller]

Breaks my heart to think of what we’ve done to the country they left for us in 1945…

[@cowboysfan782008]

My grandmother, born in Jan of 1911 was the oldest of 5 kids, and her mother died in early 1926 after giving birth to her youngest brother (who is still alive today at 98), and still driving and living in the same house of 55 years. My great grandfather was a farmer who died in 1973 at 96, and since his wife died in 1926 my grandmother basically had to raise all of her siblings. She passed in 2008, when I was 40, and not once in my life did I ever hear her complain or say a bad word about anyone, and it saddens me that so many people today don't know how well they have it, and much of the opportunities are because of the sacrifices of all of those people like my grandmother and many others who were part of that greatest generation.

[@chuck_in_socal]

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” ~G. Michael Hopf

[@redraiderrider3289]

Hard times weak times men strong weak strong men times

[@ada-yw1bb]

Guess where we're at now .

[@georgeh9967]

@@ada-yw1bb coming into the hard times.

[@rodpaget9796]

Looks a lot like the tent cities of today. Pehaps this depesstion was more about job obselesance on the quikley electrifying countryside than anything else. Same as today computers are taking over and simple jobs going away...hmmm

[@georgeh9967]

@@rodpaget9796, Thats actually a good point.

[@MyMagic111]

My mother was born in 1922. When she was eight, her family moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to the Southern Interior of the province. My grandfather was a meat cutter. Because the start of the depression impacted his work, he moved the family hoping things would be better in a more rural setting where opportunities might be better for survival. However, he was diagnosed with cancer shortly afterwards and died the following year. That left my grandmother and six children aged six to sixteen. The older children helped as much as they could but times were really hard. They made soup bones last as long as possible. Fortunately neighbouring farmers helped out with eggs and produce and meat. Some hunters would provide venison now and again. My grandmother told me with a little chuckle of the times she would crawl on her belly into a farmer's potato field and swipe a few potatoes. He knew someone was stealing them and would sit on his porch with a shotgun on his lap but he never caught her. Those potatoes were often all her family had to eat. I don't know how they managed, but they all survived. My grandmother lived until she was in her nineties, as did one aunt. People were tough in those days. I am not sure how many of today's people could handle such hardship. Our society is too soft; too coddled and spoiled. Even many from my Boomer Generation would have problems. Hope it does not come to that.

[@NBZW]

Very heartwarming story, fortunately my family really wasn’t impacted by the depression as were so many soles. Both my father and grandfather were involved in the gold mining business. I went to school with a number of kids from the dust bowl that had absolutely nothing, hard times they were but unfortunately I feel we haven’t witnessed anything yet. We are facing a totally different animal on this ride.

[@annetoronto5474]

One of my grade school teachers in Winnipeg grew up during the depression in Newfoundland. She said you knew you were poor if you only had lobster to eat, and if it was in your school lunch, you rather starve then let anyone see lobster 🦞 in your lunchbox. She was really surprised to see it become a luxury food 😂

[@tomcatt998]

Noticed i didn't C any fat people

[@NBZW]

@@stevethomas5209 Gee Golly ! Thanks Nit picker.

[@NBZW]

@@stevethomas5209 Thanks for pointing that out Professor Nitpicker.😉

[@70Eldo]

Even the trees in Central Park took off and went looking for better opportunities...

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Haha

[@woxyroxme]

Central Park was a black shanty town which was burned down for slum clearance and made into a park

[@woodydavis8287]

Cut for firewood

[@peterdarr383]

@@woodydavis8287Even the stumps ??

[@ahill4642]

Beautiful quality photos of a very brutal time in history.

[@suespony]

My father was born in 1927, my mother was born in 1938, I really wish I would have asked my father and more so grandmother about the great depression while I had the chance. Would have been nice to have first hand knowledge from them. Watching this and realizing all these people in this video are all long gone now, missed my opportunity to hear first hand what it was like for my family.

[@Matthew-yj1nd]

Some of the children you see in these photos could still be alive. My mother was also born in 38 she just passed away almost a year ago now. Her family was one of the lucky ones. Her father my grandfather was gainfully employed throughout the entire depression, he was a Forman for a road building crew with government contracts.

[@anthonybelyea1964]

My mother was born in 1925 and she said it was not pretty a lot of families were terribly poor my grandfather was a farmer and a lumberman, they also ran a small corner store. he said most people back in those days could not pay for their goods. they had to barter with things that they had from their Farm, if they even had those things. some people living all winter on nothing but turnips and potatoes for breakfast dinner and supper. luckily her family was not that way but a lot of families were and those that had turnips and potatoes three times a day consided themselves lucky if you can imagine.

[@peterkelly6146]

I see obesity wasn’t a problem and no family pets

[@suespony]

@@Matthew-yj1nd possibly, few and far between, be hard finding any to talk to about this, but possibly.

[@muggzzzzz]

My wife's grandmother was born in 1928, and she is still alive. She lives with my family. We take care of her altogether.

[@markoaks8694]

My parents as well, grew up in those times. I am a baby boomer and thankfully, much of my father's resourcefulness, self-reliance, and work ethic that he learned from the depression was passed on to me and my siblings and I have passed it on to my children and many of my adult grandchildren.

[@Vanpinggirl2233]

And to think that they close schools today because of no air conditioning. Many couldn’t survive if times were to become rough again. I am fortunate to say I was raised by survivors of the depression.

[@Pineywoods_Hermit]

I asked my grandfather what the Great Depression was like. He said it didn’t affect his family at all. They had always been dirt poor sharecroppers, he said “Back then everybody was in the same shape I’d always been in”.

[@T410ce]

God bless your grandpa…

[@jamesfranks545]

Exactly what my dad said. He said we knew about the depression but back on the Buffalo River in Arkansas we had always raised our own food and meat. We just kept living the same way we always had.

[@Resistculturaldecline]

My family as well. We're deep south, and I guess our weather wasn't dry as other parts of the country -- I assume. They were deep south field workers on my maternal side and Appalachian coal miners on my paternal side. Life before, during, and after wasn't heavily affected. Poor all the way through, but they had their simple homes and enough food.

[@jackfrench3324]

My parents were born in 1925 and '26. As kids my siblings and I heard about the Depression often. My Mom was raised on a farm in Indiana and they got by OK, had food to eat but not much $$. My dad had it worse, as his dad lost his job with the railroad. They lived in Knoxville TENN. My grandfather did whatever he could to earn a little money to feed the family of 4 boys and 1 girl. My dad remembers that many people were out of work. He would travel with his dad by rail looking for work and that meant hopping trains because they had no money for tickets, etc.

[@rojoknight]

Same story and I'm at 83 same as your dad. Still fix everything from rooftop to tractors. Thank you JESUS.

[@peteacher52]

Even as a child and a young teenager, I couldn't understand the reasons for the Depression. Where did all the money go? Who got it? Why wasn't it shared around? What happened to all the food? Who ate it? Why did the Depression just magically stop? For answers, you'd need to ask the anonymous members of The Big Club, bankers and robber barons.

[@hotrodray6802]

My gosh, you are so unknowing of simple economics. SMH

[@anthonybelyea1964]

Nobody wants to ask that group those questions or if they do their ignored or crushed or jailed👍😎🇨🇦

[@queenbunnyfoofoo6112]

Good old Jekyll Island Gang/Rothschild Bank.

[@smarternowm6162]

Parallel, Today you have the Globalists' - Corporation's, and other socialist groups that would love to see us Fall, The Current administration is working to bring us down as well, And we pay them to do this TO US!

[@bitcoinchef3815]

Same reptilians creating every crash, crisis and war for their own advancement. Sadly the masses are just one big lab experiment.

[@fasx56]

We living in this generation do not know what hard times are. The people that went through that time in America and other generations before the modern area came in knew what it was like to not have enough food to eat or a home to live in. Really important that the History of the 1930s is well preserved in photos and film footage to help us appreciate the blessings that we enjoy for decades that started in the 1950s with full employment and an expanding economy.

[@annetoronto5474]

@@HansTyndale, the Indian reservation are poor because of corruption. The tribal leaders are usually stinking rich! Same problem in Canada 🇨🇦, still live with dirt roads, no sewage hook up, mouldy homes, and overcrowded homes. Lots of substance abuse and suicide.

[@annetoronto5474]

@@HansTyndale I have seen reports about that too. Blackrock and Vanguard are the large hedge fund companies that are buying up the trailer parks and kicking people off. They are also buying houses to rent out. Basically they don’t want us to own our own property, cars, or to get ahead.

[@deefitzgerald2906]

⁠​⁠@@HansTyndaleYou are So Right and if People do not wake Up We are losing many things and it starts with Our Government…. Freedom of Speech is 1 of them….People living in on the streets in tents ⛺️ The Prices on Food not to mention some things are scare on the shelves….Prices on EVERYTHING has gone Up….We are going to see many things change I’m afraid….

[@deplorablebilly1066]

At that time 80% of Americans lived on farms,so they were able to grow their food (except in the dust bowl area of the country) .Now 90% live in the cities and have no way to feed them selves.Americans aren’t prepared for what can happen!

[@littleredhen3354]

We've been subsisting like this in Florida now for 2 years. LOTS of us workers homeless now who've never been homeless before. It's REALLY bad here, but nobody acknowledges it.

[@dskywalker3397]

It kinda pisses me off that regular people were treated so badly during this time. No safety nets in place. Were it not for Hitler and his war machine the Great Depression may have continued for much longer. The difference between the 1930’s and 1950’s in America was stark.

[@hotrodray6802]

You don't know much about the wars and economics, do you? This new depression will see crime ravage this nation bigly. You'll never survive.

[@jesselivermore2291]

Charles Bukowski had a great book about his teen years during the great depression, theres a scene where he describes his dad and all his friends parents going out in the morning pretending to go to work, and they were all unemployed but too ashamed to stay at home all day.

[@tomnguyen9931]

That was the sprite of America and that is what really made America a great nation. Today much of them are shameless and that will bring the downfall of America!!!

[@LemonThyme1933]

My grandfather sold cars during the depression. He said people would buy cars that didn't work just so they could park it in the driveway to make the neighbors believe they had a car.

[@WearyBear]

The Great Depression and then straight into World War II. Those people suffered through a lot. Not the best 15 years to be alive, but they endured. I wonder if we can do the same in our own near future when the difference between the haves and the have nots grow to massive scale and normal humans can no longer afford housing or cars? Shantytowns already exists in Los Angeles, I wonder when it will begin in every major city in America? Sounds like a good time to be a redneck living deep in the country.

[@spol]

I'm actually very optimistic about the future. New technologies are being invented every day. You can really feel the difference between now and then just by typing on our keyboards. There's no reason we can't eventually overcome poverty entirely. We just need to demand better from our government and take advantage of new tech in smart ways. Stay positive!

[@NBZW]

Technology dose not replace the lost responsibility, perseverance and civic pride this lost society ounce had dreamer. We are a society of sheep not men. Positive thoughts are good no doubt,problem is an excess of positive thought leads to complacency, the reason we are where we are.

[@garyaddcox8274]

The "disenfranchised" of this great country are outnumbering the "haves" because of the attitude of big government. The current pile of politicians is responsible for all the mayhem in this country. I fear those corrupt individuals cannot effectively be stopped, legally. Let's pray.

[@NBZW]

@@garyaddcox8274 Yes sir, you have it absolutely correct, and politicians have always been the downfall of society’s throughout history.

[@shannonlandre4442]

​@@spolthe ability to feed and power everyone has already been achieved a long time ago. It is held back by greedy power hungry psychopaths that are in charge and when they lose control those things will be achieved. That won't happen until Christ comes back and annihilate them. The question is...who's side will you be on?

[@BL-no7jp]

During the dust storms in the Great Depression, many in the Midwest could tell which state the dust came judging from its color. Today, even the second handed clothing stores have no ragging clothing comparable with this dark period in American history. My grandparents were the lucky ones who lived off their farm and land in the mountains of Ky. People cared and shared with one another. My grandmother used to t make the warmest quits from the old coats she gathered from the Great Depression era.

[@SCRB1GR3D98]

These photos look like they were taken yesterday. That small reminder of the date in the corner evokes a certain emotion in you. It's a time long gone. Everyone you saw in those photos has likely since passed away.

[@Mangsaab1954]

In the 1930s the homeless problem was a lack of money. In the 2020s the problem is lack of border control letting in drugs.

[@knightsnight5929]

The border was fully open until the 1930s

[@Mangsaab1954]

@@knightsnight5929 There is 90 odd years separation in the two homeless situations. One is caused by an economic collapse. The other by societal collapse. There was not the demand for drugs despite the southern border porosity during the depression.

[@Pubslife]

@@Mangsaab1954there is a war being waged against the US without a single shot being fired.

[@JamesWest-iu4jx]

Natives can tell you all about not securing the boarder

[@Mangsaab1954]

@@JamesWest-iu4jx The boarders are folks who pay to stay in your house. The border is the line between countries.

[@davidvaldez2346]

I'm 43... but for some reason I'm love with old photos. These videos are awesome.

[@audrabach3664]

Thank You for respecting my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents. None of them had anything given to them. None of them had it easy.

[@davidvaldez2346]

@@audrabach3664 ❤️❤️💪

[@geod3589]

My dad and a few buddies hopped trains, riding up and down the east coast looking for work. He got off in NC and found a job in a mill that was Burlington Industries. He ended up working for them for 47 years until retirement. He said all of the mills in the area were running and spared the local area of the devastating effects of the depression.

[@charlesronk2989]

Roosevelt dealt with the depression, dust bowl, collapse of the banking system, and World War II. All while living with Polio. At a time when farming was 25 percent of us families. To put that into perspective it accounted for 8 % of the US GDP. The entire US auto industry accounts for 3 % of the US GDP today. Roosevelt's Social policies along with a strong labor movement built the United States Middle Class. It is amazing how ignorant to this fact most Americans are today.

[@kennethwise7108]

Preach it brother

[@tedquaker954]

The black and white photos have a greater impact I believe.... People today have no idea of what Americans suffered through!!

[@silverdale3207]

Wasn't just America.

[@lindaopperthauser2284]

My Dad was born in 1930. Its an eye opener to see these years especially in color. Thank you!

[@alirahadian148]

Tears in my eyes watching this video...i love you USA

[@michaelsmallarz7183]

No other like it

[@ellafields9424]

Love my country. 💓 💘 HATE the scum ( in DC ) thats tearing it down AND Dividing The People!!!!!

[@MrKeithsplace]

Just goes to show you how resourceful community has a way of getting through tough times together, something we all should have learn from today. How most of todays troubles can de addressed with everyone coming together for a common cause.

[@BrendaDick-dc9ef]

Amen to that!!! It was called bartering. If u was out of sugar and your neighbor had some ,u traded them something u had that they needed for a cup of sugar, and u both were the better for it. There was no money exchange. If one in community was sick and there was crops to get in ,all the neighbors pitched in and helped. When the others needed help, u helped them back . I remember my dad growing sugar cane and inviting our neighbors to join in and help with making it into soroghum molasses, and then they would divide it equal between them. They worked together as a team and hot it done, and all went home with their share for their family. Molasses was a treasure back then, we didn't get much of that . This generation of kids expect to be paid for everything or they don't want to do it.and no, they have no interest in learning how to survive on home grown and canned food and fresh meat in a smoke house salted down to preserve it. If it's not fast food and cola drinks and sweets they will dull up and won't eat it. But one day may come when they eat it or starve.they could be taught to survive, but u have too want to learn , and they don't want too. God help us all,the older generation will have to try to help one another cause the grown kids have and want no caretaking skills to care for their elderly family members who grow feeble with age.

[@Mau66634]

At least families got together for lunch at 8:35. They were poor but they were happy. Nobody eats together today!! 😓😓

[@seadog2396]

A Tragic Moment in our beautiful country's journey, accompanied with Lots of worry, pain and Anguish....

[@marclayne9261]

My grandparents & parents lived thru this....They started a family business...Duff Plumbing Company...1935......my cousin runs the business today, in 2023....

[@riverraisin1]

Did they, by any chance, branch out into the beer making business?

[@noellewestfield6849]

Fascinating. My heart just goes out to these people, now long gone. ❤

[@bullballsallday]

Those shanties remind me of what it currently looks like in California.

[@roybradley5532]

And areas of Chicago now. Sad days ahead.

[@gregb6469]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@JRCinKY]

Now they are all getting Free Money

[@theoryofpersonality1420]

No such thing as free money. That's tax payer money that is taken and put into a fund. The politicians have to give out so much of that money before they can touch it. So the cause homelessness and job insecurity so they can force people to have to apply for that money. Then the government takes their cut off the top. If no one is using the money then the government cat touch it. Taxes work the same way. If people don't file their taxes the government doesn't get a yearly tax free loan. It's legal to not pay taxes for three years.

[@theoryofpersonality1420]

Odd how these photos looked staged. A lot like the photos of today. What's horrible is knowing this was a political made depression. Like the one that's about to happen. It was politically made and planed in advance. In October of 2019 the democratic Andrew yang let slip the democratic party was planning and creating a great depression where at least 25%of the American population would be jobless. They are doing this now. We are under attack. Just like last time. This is war friends.

[@maggiedaniels9562]

Read The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. If you think everyone had a caring attitude back then, you will find many did not. Steinbeck gives detailed accounts, in this fiction book, of what really went on and the causes behind events.

[@MrTL3wis]

What Steinbeck lacked was a vision. He could only see it getting worse. He was wrong.

[@soundmind192]

If its a fiction book how are we to believe what's based on fact, totally assumption or made up.

[@MrTL3wis]

@@soundmind192 Do you want to try that again as a sentence?

[@foylebutler8952]

@@soundmind192 There was a female news paper reporter that was doing a series of articals on the subject. Steinbeck saw these articals and wrote his book based on the articals.

[@brucewestoby]

See the 1940 movie "Grapes of Wrath " with Henry Fonda. Based on Steinbeck's novel.

[@donaldthetruthseeker-es3nu]

Great pictures , the spirit of harmony with fellow Americans. Now the media and the politicians have us at each other's throats.

[@1943Grandpa]

My father, born 1920, never got over the depression. I literally grew up in it, because he was so damaged by it. Somehow, he thought it was normal!

[@MikeAndkarlee]

I'm 60 years old and born and raised in west Texas.i remember my grandad always wiped his plate before he put food on it because he was here in the dust bowl and it just became a habit for him to wipe the plate off. Dust or no dust. I myself still put bowls and glasses upside down in the cabinets to keep the dust out. Growing up here we had a lot of dust storm. The area is a little different now because of climate change.

[@bobthomas4651]

Climate change is BS. It’s just a money maker for the left.

[@bubby6987]

We are living in a silent depression and it’s worse off than from the 1930s in the 1940s reason why Because the times were a hell of different no television, no phones computers smart watches etc they never existed people then still had money plus they know how to spend their money nowadays we have everything handed to us but cell phones all these technologies that people just want more and more of that we don’t really need to live or have a good simple life. We are losing our values in life and morals. I think it’s slipping away. Just imagine right now 2023 that all cell phones, mostly technology equipments we’re gone, vanished in a blink of an eye what will people will be doing?

[@nicoelgreeko]

I love these photos! They really capture a feeling and time! You really get to appreciate all of the Wyatt Privilege these people were benefitting from at the time!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

They has self respect, pride and integrity so they took care of what little they had. And there is no garbage laying around because they didn’t have packaged items like we do. There was no such thing as a plastic bottle of water, a rare coke cola came in a glass bottle that you returned and it was refilled. Stuff was bought in bulk, kayro syrup in big tins that were then used as a lunch box. Corn meal, flour and sugar came in a fabric bag that was turned into curtains or clothes. What a contrast to our homeless/shanty towns we see today.

[@shumla7ranch]

Lost a lot of tears looking into the eyes of those most unfortunate people.

[@mikemike1071]

People today can't even imagine.

[@danielroque8504]

Modern folk say I wish we can go back in time~people back then were built differently, they were strong, not lazy, didnt complain (about every little thing), us modern people would die~~

[@donnavorce8856]

Oh perhaps. But they lived on the cutting edge of their time same as we do.

[@freeplayfrank7736]

Great job putting this together. The colorisation is perfest, really makes me feel like I was there. Thanks and God bless.

[@matta.5363]

It's amazing to realize that just 20 years after many of these photos were taken, America was the undisputed leader of the world, and the richest country on Earth.

[@queenbunnyfoofoo6112]

The reason for that was because FDR got us into a war. War makes $.

[@dumbass3770]

They took the American dream and ruined it with high inflation, 32 trillion dollars of debt. America is not what it started out as look around in 2023. More material things but no morals.

[@maggiemae7539]

Don’t believe that lie

[@jackryder-sw9rk]

There are many photographs of this period but some of the most poignant were taken by people such as Dorothea Lange A pioneering female photographer. employed by the Farm Administration Board to Document the times. Other photographers were John Vachon, Jack Delano & the Finest photographer of the Industrial Poverty of New York Lewis Wickes Hines. I am lucky enough to have in my collection quite a few of their original photos, mainly Lange & Wickes Hines. They were a bequest from a friend who asked me exhibit them after his death.

[@fernandoscrenci4874]

A picture really has a thousand words!!!

[@davemcdowell3751]

First time watching your videos - very cool - will watch them all - really enjoy seeing the past come to life. Thanks for the hard work putting this all together!!

[@samhardy6116]

My father grew up in the depression. He remembered getting poison ivy in his and his sisters mouths from eating leaves in the woods. I noticed you don't see one overweight person in this video. People today have had it easy for way too long. We are a generation of spoiled privileged people. Without hardships you never truly understand the blessings you are given.

[@davechapman7735]

MAGNIFICENT! very well done a pleasure to watch. cheers NZ

[@stephenwhittier6439]

My grandparents were living in northern Maine, grandfather said, “what depression “, and chuckled. It didn’t affect us, we had everything we needed.

[@brucewestoby]

Back rhen they were called " Bread lines" .. there no Social Security either, no basic income, no welfare. To have a job, a car , place to live was the ultimate success. Cooking was an art, you had chickens, ducks, garden . You had to have skills ro survive. .to learn to repair,fix anything you could. Canning was (is) very big ...homes had cool cellars . Pantry's had pull down bins where you kept potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes . The ice man delivered big block of ice to your ( non- electric) ice box every few days . Big oak box with separate doors, ice went in top that opened up. Drip pan underneath...you had to watch and empty. Mom's great cooking, hard work ethic, skills to do anthing...were the results of hard to easy times. And the family pooch who was your guardian and companion.

[@wardaddy6002]

Who else is here for ideas on how to survive the new depression?

[@littleredhen3354]

We've been surviving this Great Depression 2.0 for 2 years now in Florida. I'm pretty good at it by now😂

[@blackholeentry3489]

Simple.....Vote for Trump!

[@edwardgabriel5281]

Make sue there is a father in the family.

[@bonnieupton4114]

Me too

[@Joe-sw9nk]

Lock him up!

[@peterkelly8953]

What amazes me about the Depression in the US was the brutal treatment of the poor & homeless by local, state & federal authorities & the wealthy as well. This was a heartless period in US history.

[@davidh.holmes1379]

here we are AGAIN!

[@chronocross7174]

These vivid pictures make these people come alive. It’s like they are your neighbor, friends, fellow citizens. Crazy to think all are dead.

[@caroltanzi29]

Well done. What a reminder of how Americans survived those years, and here we are in 2024. Amazing! Carol from California

[@nb4749]

I once asked my mother how they had enough for groceries, and she replied, "We ate a lot of soup."

[@ilikequiet6474]

The colorization was very well done and really brought the various scenes to life the way black and white can not. Most all the people were as clean as you and I. Their clothes were old but were also clean. Like you said at the end we must be self reliant and stop depending on the government.

[@leheli7838]

This documentary was so thoughtfully and respectfully done. Just beautiful, compelling work. Thank you.

[@jehovahloydloud1396]

The hardest experience that one must have...but looking on the bright side, I really appreciate how Americans survived this catastrophic event - they learned to help each other, to appreciate those things they only have even if it is small in value, to become simple in life.

[@markpaulin884]

Tough times for everyone 😢

[@scottjohnson9225]

The depression lasted much longer in the middle of the U.S. My dad grew up in the Dakotas in the 40s and 50s. It wasn’t really until after the Korean conflict that recovery was felt. I myself still remember some families in rural South Dakota that just got electricity in the 70s.

[@IFoundWaldoOnce]

You still see old outhouses in rural TN.

[@blackholeentry3489]

My parents were married in 1940 and I was born the next day.

[@IFoundWaldoOnce]

@@blackholeentry3489 so much for a honeymoon haha.

[@rodpaget9796]

Looks a lot like the tent cities of today. Pehaps this depesstion was more about job obselesance on the quikley electrifying countryside than anything else. Same as today computers are taking over and simple jobs going away...hmmm

[@ironjohn5914]

I remember going thru the great depression and let me tell you the children were crying as I started up the DeLorean and set the time for 1985.

[@jackjohnson9449]

We are in a Greater Depression right now in 2023.

[@zivguymoore1479]

Everybody is healthy , all have company , many kids and family values, no transexuals, nobody is fat. Better than today.

[@michaelboykin9881]

And kids today think being underprivledged is owning last years i phone, or not having 300.00 sneakers.

[@carlos.a.vcarvajal6119]

Gran trabajo. Lo triste e irónico. Es que hoy casi 100 años después, se ven imágenes similares en los medios, pero en las calles y parques de las grandes ciudades....

[@HoagjohnTech]

Thank you for sharing this insightful video about the 1930s in the USA.

[@jameswalker6822]

My parents were depression era children. My father used to tell me stories of how he grew up during the great depression. He had 4 brothers and 3 sisters. One of my favorite stories was the one about how he and his brothers got a cap gun as a present one Christmas and the next Christmas they received a roll of caps

[@edwardgabriel5281]

I'm 95. I was a depression child. I shined shoes on the corner downtown.

[@downbntout]

I have similar photos in a book called "We had everything but money". I bought it when I was filled with dread about Y2K coming up. Reminiscent of what strong churches and families they had

[@jimmerhardy]

You've restored these images and made them relevant again. Thanks.

[@Andrew-pm5bg]

Fascinating video! Thanks.

[@MichaelGriffis]

I don't think people realize how close we are to going back to these days. We see people on the corner today begging for money. Soon it could be all of us on the corner.

[@chulagalappaththi]

it's a marvellous collection of history

[@hughezzell10000]

My father had his stories of the depression. I'm an avid sportsman and gardner today because of it. I look at these photos and think how sad that time was. Then I think and realize about the resiliency of people - and feel better. We make it through it, no matter how hard it gets. You just keep going. That's what matters. I know we're all soft these days, but if we have to go back to times like that, we'll make it. I know it. We're Americans and we're tough when we have to be.

[@lorengordon9626]

Both my parents and grand parents ( Dads and moms sides) lived through this horrible time. Then came WW2. All of the economic ruin and the war were created by the elite bankers.

[@hotrodray6802]

SMH

[@misst.e.a.187]

All planned

[@rodpaget9796]

Looks a lot like the tent cities of today. Pehaps this depesstion was more about job obselesance on the quikley electrifying countryside than anything else. Same as today computers are taking over and simple jobs going away...hmmm

[@CinimodNorton]

My mother was born in Oklahoma in 1942, I wish my grandmother had been more open about the hardships that her family had to have gone through during that time. I remember my dads father didn't like hunting. He was raised on nothing but game meat, I guess almost from the way he talked at times.

[@mfj731]

The picture from Nipomo CA in 1936 was taken not far from my present home. The family ran into car problems and the peas they were hoping to pick were frozen. Very sad story but this famous photograph led to big changes in government at the time.

[@poodledaddles1091]

Stunning photos!

[@jamescolvin5995]

People in this country think they have it so tuff.

[@robertnilla]

funny how history seems to be repeating itself!!

[@jimmycline4778]

Biden nomics!

[@sledawgpilot]

You mean the Fed can’t just keep printing money for endless wasteful government spending without making money worth less?

[@bonniegaither3994]

@@jimmycline4778, really, you’re trying to compare 25% of the population being out of work to what’s going on now. With unemployment at two or 3% this is nowhere near a great depression