The Great Depression was America’s most tragic economic event to ever occur. It began right after the stock market crash of October 1929 and lasted for 10 years. By 1933, approximately 15 million Americans were unemployed, many of which lived right here in the Yellowhammer State. Alabamians are well known for overcoming difficult situations, and listed below are 11 photos that prove how undeniably tough we truly are.
- Farming, much like it is today, was important during the Great Depression. Pictured here are four farmers in 1935 working in a sand pit at Skyline Farms in Scottsboro, Alabama.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- People learned many different types of trades during this tough time in American history. Pictured here is a resettled farmer making furniture in Jackson County, Alabama in 1935.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- Here in Alabama, it was common to see many fruit and vegetable stands during the Great Depression. This roadside stand in Birmingham offered everything from fish to fruit. The photo was captured in 1936.
photogrammar/yale/Walker Evans
- Coal mining was an important industry during the Great Depression, and this photo of coal miners lined up for work was captured in Birmingham, Alabama in 1937.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- General stores, which sold a little bit of everything, were a huge necessity in the 1930s. Pictured here is the Muscoda Store in Muscoda, Alabama. It was used by iron ore workers in 1937.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- Even people on the Gulf Coast were affected by the Great Depression. However, they kept on working, as seen here in this 1937 photo of dock workers in Mobile, Alabama.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- During the 1930s, wives and mothers took care of the household chores while their husbands worked. Pictured here is a mother washing clothes alongside her daughter at a migrant camp near Birmingham, Alabama in 1937.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
- During the Great Depression, family was a top priority. This 1939 photo captures a family gathered around a table at dinnertime in Coffee County, Alabama.
photogrammar/yale/Marion Post Wolcott
- Unlike today, most women made their family’s clothes in the 1930s. Pictured here is Mrs. Helm making a dress in 1939 in Coffee County, Alabama.
photogrammar/yale/Marion Post Wolcott
- Peanuts have always been one of Alabama’s biggest crops, especially during the late 1930s. Pictured here is Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Wise in 1939 and their sons shelling peanuts for future planting.
photogrammar/yale/Marion Post Wolcott
- During the Great Depression, teachers continued teaching and students continued learning. This 1939 photo captures a teacher and her first grade students in Coffee County, Alabama.
photogrammar/yale/Marion Post Wolcott
What do you think about these Great Depression-era photos that were captured in Alabama? Also, do you believe Alabamians are undeniably tough? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
photogrammar/yale/Arthur Rothstein
photogrammar/yale/Walker Evans
photogrammar/yale/Marion Post Wolcott
To view more photos captured in Alabama during the Great Depression, be sure to take a look at the following article: These 20 Rare Photos Were Taken In Alabama During The Great Depression.
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