Pics from Great Depression

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Spartan300, Mar 26, 2011.


  1. Spartan300

    Spartan300 Monkey+

    I thought this was very interesting. Imagine the survival skills these folks had. Imagine the skills they had to learn that they didn't have at the start of the Depression! Talk about getting back to basics! The day may come that we will see some of this kind of lifestyle again.

    http://www.english.illinois.edu/MAPS...photoessay.htm
     
  2. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    And they were decent people. Try to imagine the same with the type of people we have today. Today's agriculture is only a fraction of what it once was --and "Tom" the programmer will have a tough time getting his hands dirty for sure. Compound this by the number of gangs and illegal drug smugglers, rapists, and thugs and hope we can pull through. At least we don't have a drought right now.
     
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  3. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    Hey now! Us programmers are useful for something. Oh wait a minute. Nevermind, carry on.:oops:
     
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  4. Spartan300

    Spartan300 Monkey+

    Yeah, the thing that bothers me the most about the very possible upcoming Depression are the things you mentioned Broker. At least during the Great Depression folks stuck together and tried to help one another. They had some morals. Sure, a few folk would take a drink of moonshine now and then but they were not strung out on meth and such. The majority of our population would not have the first idea of how to raise food either. Most would just find it easier to steal more than likely. These are the differences that concern me the most.
     
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  5. Tikka

    Tikka Monkey+++

    My mother will be 90 this month; she grew up during the depression.
    She has commented how her family had dirt so they could grow food. City people had concrete so they had nothing.
     
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  6. sarawolf

    sarawolf Monkey+++

    Same here I am concerned with all those who don't have the slightest idea how they will feed themselves and their families. You will do all sorts of things you would have never dreamed of when your children are hungry.
    And for now this is still the furthest things from their minds, after all one can just pop over to the grocery store.
    My mother grew up in the 30's Depression, and as for now in her 80's she has been collecting canned food on sale, she sees the writing on the wall.
     
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  7. NVBeav

    NVBeav Monkey+++

    There were a bunch of wood stoves in those pictures - I need to renew my efforts to pick up one or two.
     
  8. Spartan300

    Spartan300 Monkey+

    No telling how many meals and how many times those stoves kept them warm over the years. It would be a good back up plan even these days!
     
  9. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    I've used our wood stove to cook, as well as heat, during power outages. We've thought about replacing it with a (much easier on us) pellet stove, but always come back to the power outage scenario where we were able to keep our family warm and fed. :)
     
    Gafarmboy likes this.
  10. PapaSasquatch

    PapaSasquatch Monkey++

    It would be nice if we came up with a list of "depression era" quality survival components. From this thread it's obvious a stove would be good. Iron pots and/or Dutch ovens come to mind. Since a chainsaw would not last without fuel, good, hearty, proper hand saws or axes and maybe a chain or sled to retrieve weekly rations of wood for cooking/heating. Water. Warmth. Portable bedding. Transportation of possessions in a handcart or other lightweight conveyance. What the heck did people use in the 30's? It would be cool to know the evolution of their survival knowledge from '29 through the 30's. ..and then for our age, ad guns and ammo up the wazoo to safeguard it all from the huge population of lazy bums and morally deficient.
     
  11. Spartan300

    Spartan300 Monkey+

    Right you are, it would be interesting to know the evoloution and mindset of these folks during this period. Right as well on protecting ourselves and property from the "crack heads" etc, during shtf. Lazy bums and morally deficient folks exist in hoards even now....imagine during even tougher times what it will be.
     
  12. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    As far as the chainsaw goes, a WoodGas powered Genset, on a trailer, and electric chainsaw would solve the issue of a lot of sweet equity in wood gathering.
     
  13. bizy

    bizy Monkey+

    The Basics?


    People back then had the knolwdge of living on very little and knew more about how to keep warm, dry and storing food. People now have no idea about what it takes to live off the land.. Look how the American indians lived. All that knoledge of survival has been replaced with video games, drugs, gangs, lack of respect, obesity, lazyness and more.
     
    DuxDawg likes this.
  14. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer

    That was a good photo essay. I think it helps with the visualization because it actually happened. Its not a hypothetical situation.

    The comments on the people today v. the people then have a lot of truth to them. That conversation usually gets very cynical, really fast. Let's not forget that there are good people around too. Most everyone that is a regular here I wouldn't mind fighting through adversity with. For every Monkey here, there is likely a few more people out there somewhere.

    I think the city v. country dwellers thing is right on. Too few people today look at property value in terms of what the property can actually do for you. That 300K home with 1/4 acre (and even less usable soil) is going to be pretty worthless in feeding a family of any sort of size (not to mention the chems they spray on that weedless lawn ;)). Oh well, that means that value of rural property is lower for the rest of us.

    Again, great photo essay. It really gets the gears turning.
     
    BTPost likes this.
  15. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Most people cant cook anything that can't be put into a microwave. If the power was to go off in the USA with in 3 months at least 75% of the people would be dead IMHO. Look at what happen in Katrina people sat around waiting for .gov to come save them, and died waiting. Now if it was a nation wide event there's no way .gov could control the situation. Gangs will fall apart quickly if there's no food. If you only have enough food for 2 people and there's 20 which 2 get to eat? If I'm in a gang and I have a gun do you want to tell me that I don't get to eat again? Meth heads would be a non threat a could days after they ran out of meth. On top of that we have become a nation of whining cry babies, that are more likely to sit down and complain that .gov hasn't done enough to help than to get up and do something productive. :rolleyes:

    BWM
     
  16. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    It would seem to me, that the above, would be exactly backwards, from what I envision, for a SHTF Senerio. Gangs would tend to group, under Strong Leaders, and be ARMED. They would prey on the weak, and TAKE what they need to support the Gang. I suspect they would also enslave some of the weak, to do the work, while they live of what they can take. Territories will be divided up, just like predators in nature, do. Our (Survival Monkeys) only hope is to either live so far out, that it would cost more, than they can afford to spend in energy, food, and effort, to get there, and or, have a Group, to defend our Territory, against such intrusion. Basically it all comes down to, "He who has the Most, and Biggest GUNS, Sets the Rules, and Eats the BEST. My Opinion.... YMMV....
     
  17. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder


    I disagree, if there's a lack of food which wouldn't take long because stores only have on average a 3 day supply of food. A gang of any size will run out of food pretty quickly. Most peoples homes have at best 1 weeks supply of food and most of it needs to be refridgrated so it won't last long without a supply of electricity. On average food is shipped 1500 miles from producer to peoples homes. Without a rather long supply chain intact people will be starving. You will not keep a gang together without a food supply, no matter how strong of a leader you have. You add on top of that most people in America cannot take raw ingredents and make something to eat. Add in the obesity, lazyness, and the utter uselessness of the majority of Americans, a gang would never survive.

    BWM
     
  18. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I'm one of the "lucky" ones, I guess...
    I spent a great deal of time with my grandmother, and at the ripe old age of 9, she began to instruct me. I was told and shown photos of the era. I managed to carry that now for some 50+ years later and have never forgotten what I was taught. Grow food, stock your pantry, keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut...and, if you are one of the lucky ones, you'll survive. Many lessons learned and taught to me over a period of years as I spent nearly every summer at her home. What was a terrible thing was how the "other's" in the family wanted nothing to do with her for the most part...they did NOT want to re-visit those times and had no reason to think they'd ever see them happen again. Her influence has made me the person I am today and I have "used" her words of wisdom many times to stay safe, warm, and fed. She was the best friend I have ever known.
    priceless!
     
  19. BenP

    BenP Monkey++

    Nonsense! :)
     
    Brokor likes this.
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