Explaining A Gap:
The Great Depression in Whatcom
The Great Depression affected Washington state like it affected the rest of the country. By 1932, over 25% of the population in Washington had lost their jobs and were left to fend for themselves in a sudden shift from fiscal stability to facing an uncertain future where unemployment was the least of their worries. Whether families had to find more frugal ways to carry on with life or lost their homes and livelihoods altogether, everyone had been touched by the worst economic crash in history, regardless of race or class.
In Whatcom County, life followed this pattern for the more-fortunate citizens. The women of the household would do their best to change their previously-normal routines in order to survive in the current economy, while also being a pillar of support within her family and a constant source of encouragement to their husbands struggling to find work. From finding different ways to take care of the family without spending money on high-priced necessities like bread, raising their children properly under the poverty-stricken circumstances, and being active citizens while also trying to keep her children well-fed and alive and unspoiled, women did their part to help support her family and her community, all while wearing a big smile on their faces. Whatcom County society required women to become active community members in these trying times by collecting clothing for those in need, raising funds for local charities, attending PTA meetings, and more.
Whatcom Childhood during the Great Depression
Surprisingly, the children of Whatcom County fared better than their homeless and hungry peers and most persons in the country. Not only were the children expected to look and act their best in school and in every-day life, but they were raised reflect their community values like their parents and prepare themselves for the competitive job market of the future. Parents were advised to not baby their children in order to help prepare them for their future jobs and careers. Local businesses gained extra help through the opportunities they gave to the local kids, with help of rewarding them with toys for all their hard work. Other local boys would put on wrestling matches and sports events with boys from neighboring towns for local charities. Even at a young age, everyone in Whatcom County helped with the local economy and in helping each other out with living the day-to-day life within an economically-hostile nation.
Hard Times for All
With every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Even though prosperity reigned in Whatcom County, there were those that were less fortunate that struggled to get by. Some were even desperate enough to commit crimes in order to get by, like most would do in situations of stress and desperation. A common act of crime was thievery, mainly in the act of stealing small amounts of cash. There was one case of robbery where a bandit held a drug store owner at gunpoint for $27, which is equal to $497 in today’s currency. Another display of crime through desperation was something most people wouldn’t think of; arson. The people who committed arson hoped that they could benefit from false insurance claims, one arson gang in particular setting fires to several properties. However, most cases like the arson gang were caught and paid for it in jail time.
Families who didn’t want to fall into a life of crime often looked towards the idea of a divorce. However, divorce wasn’t economically feasible during this time, due to the legal fees of a divorce and the stress of supporting two different sets of families. So, due to the economic challenges of both husband and wife sticking together and the financial impossibility of getting divorced, the husband took the initiative and walked out on his family, frustrated, hopeless, and technically getting an
unofficial divorce. By the end of the Great Depression, a recorded 1.5 million women had been abandoned by their husbands, 1.5 million sisters, wives, and mothers left to take care of the home and their family when their husbands left them.
The New Deal in Whatcom County
After Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president in 1933, proposals for projects were pushed to help rebuild America after the stock market crash and bring new jobs to those who found themselves unemployed, continuing projects lasting until America’s entry into World War II in 1942. This initiative helped bring around the American prosperity seen in wartime and post-war America the likes of which we haven’t seen in American history before or since. Whatcom County benefitted from these New Deal projects, with projects that helped improve Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, and Blaine, more notably Bellingham City Hall, Western Washington University’s original Physical Education building, Lynden’s Post Office, and more.
Farm Life during the Great Depression
The farmers of Whatcom County became a tight-knit community during these hard times, supporting one another in terms of service, limited supplies, and the power of the community. Many farm families raised their own food, whether that was eggs and meat from their chickens, vegetables, or milk or beef from the cows they owned. Some of these families sold their eggs for a profit in order to get by.
Even through the local economy crashed overnight, that didn’t stop farmers and their families from keeping on with their daily chores. Some of the chores included collecting eggs, milking the cows, tending the garden, helping make food for dinner that night, tending the fields, canning preserves, general housekeeping like sweeping the floors and dusting the many surfaces, mending clothing, cleaning barn stalls, chicken coops, the outhouse, etc. In other words, a full day for the men, women, and children who called the farm their home.