By C. B.
The drought of 1930-1931 took place in
the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys and it spread to become a national catastrophe.
Secretary of Agriculture Hyde described the area affected as “about 30 states,
including all those in the great central area extending from Virginia to
Montana and from Pennsylvania to Texas.” (Hamilton 1982) What began with a heat wave and the lack of
rainfall resulted in much more than a difficult farming season. The deficiency of rainfall was concentrated in
the area between the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys, however, the effects spread
and it became a nationwide catastrophe. The
drought not only caused hardships for farmers and their family, but it also
focused attention on the lack of preparedness from the federal government for
national disasters.
The drought began in 1930, directly
following the devastation of Black Tuesday.
Many banks closed their doors, leading to a massive countrywide panic.
Uncontrollable forest fires raged on in wooded areas, the Mississippi river
water was depleted, hydroelectric plants had been shut down, birds and fish
often hunted for food were found dead often and in large amounts, and wells had
dried up. It had become a hard decision
for farmers to choose between giving water to their livestock or to their
families. The morbidity and mortality
rates in children and infants rose, along with an increase in the frequency of
pellagra, typhoid, and other diseases caused by dirty conditions and deficiency
of vitamins and minerals.[1]
Across America, the per-acre yield of
farm crops in 1930 had decreased by 8.9% in comparison to the 10-year
average. In addition, the states
first-hand experiencing the drought had their crop production reduced by one
third, one half, or even more. Multiple states calculated over $100 million
dollar loss in farm crops. There was an
emergent need for animal feed, farm conditions were terrible, and the total
corn harvested was the lowest it had been since 1901. Within the drought region, income of farmers
decreased by roughly 25% and thousands of farmers suffered from foreclosure. By
the winter of 1930, rural families faced a deficit of crop resources for the
upcoming spring, no food for their animals, and devastating health problems
that continued to multiply. Many
families also struggled to afford food and clothing for their families.[2]
The drought in Indiana functioned
similarly to the surrounded areas, however Indiana was not hit the
hardest. In July-August 1930, Indiana
received 57% of the normal rainfall. While the farmers of Indiana were
suffering, conditions were much worse in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia,
Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky. The percent
of normal rainfall in these states from July-August 1930 ranged from 31% to
53%.[3] (Tisdale
n.d.)
Prior to the drought, Indiana received 47.04 inches of rain in 1929. 1930
brought only 29.69 inches of rain to the farmland of Indiana and in response to
the reduction of precipitation, the annual crop yield decreased. In Indiana,
the crop yield of 1930 was 84.7%, compared to that of West Virginia, 56.9%. In
total, Indiana suffered 10 months with insufficient rainfall.[4] (Hoyt 1931) Americans were growing angry and worsening
conditions were immanent if the government did not intervene.
In August 1930, the Indianapolis
Governor, Harry G. Leslie had planned to use $2 million dollars for drought
relief, however he was told that this was illegal by the state auditor’s
office. Indianapolis was in need of
money to aid the residents of southern Indiana.
His plan was to use the money for Indiana’s highway program to provide
jobs for the unemployed.[5]
Many public officials and Americans wrote
to President Hoover soliciting help. Hoover believed that self-help among the
effected communities could solve the problem and he wanted to avoid spending
large amounts of money and using formal government practices. His overall goal was for these committees to
help the families who needed immediate assistance during the winter, to protect
the livestock as much as possible, and to protect the public from the spread of
fifth diseases. On August 14, Hoover
held a meeting in Washington with the governors of all affected states. Hoover enacted the National Drought Relief
Committee chaired by Secretary Hyde, representatives from the Federal Farm
Board, the Federal Farm Loan Board, the Red Cross, the Federal Reserve Board,
the Treasury Department, the American Railway Association, and a bank. States created their own state drought relief
committees led by a state agricultural official, a lead banker, a
representative form the Red Cross, a lead farmer, and a representative from the
Railway. This committee was responsible
for finding counties that required help.
These counties appointed committees chaired by a leading citizen, a
country agricultural agent, a lead banker, a lead farmer, and a Red Cross
representative.[6]
For example, Indianapolis’ drought relief committee was compiled of “Elmer
Stout, Indianapolis banker; Dean J. H. Skinner of Purdue University; William
Fortune, Indianapolis director of the Red Cross; William H. Settie, president
of the Indiana Farm Bureau federation, and Albert J. Welaking, state highway
commission chairman.”[7]
In total, there were 22 state
committees and 1,600 county committees.
Hoover was proud of his plan and he believed that these committees had
the capacity to prevent further human suffering and to help the farming
community back onto their feet. However,
the national committee provided limited help and farmers with little to no
credit only received help from the Red Cross.
The Red Cross wanted to cap their disaster relief spending at $5 million
and attempted to put the responsibility on the local communities. Reluctantly, the federal government agreed to
help more and approved crop production loans.
The communities, however, demanded more financial aid. After fighting over how much money would be
helpful and whether or not food loans should be allowed, there was a compromise
of $20,000,000, where $5,430,783 went to rehabilitation loans, and $1,327,000
was used to develop credit corporations for farmers.[8]
Economists and historians continue to
struggle to reach a conclusion in what truly caused the Great Depression. The stock market crash may have been what
kicked off the disaster; however, many believe that agriculture could have been
the culprit. While the 1920s was a
decade characterized by hopes and growth as a nation, the entire nation was not
so prosperous. Farmers struggled to
succeed due to surpluses of popular crops and a sharp decline in prices.[9] Crop prices declined about 40% in the early
1920s and these prices did not recover.
Farmers were unable to make the money that lost on crops throughout
these seasons and some were unable to afford mortgage payments and had to rent
their land out, resulting in the disability to make money farming. This chain reaction resulted in many rural
banks closing even before Black Tuesday. [10] These preexisting circumstances for farmers
in the Midwest resulted in the struggling farming community with very little
resources once the drought began in 1930.
Society in Indiana prior to the drought
was experiencing a time of growth and innovation for Indiana’s cities. In years prior to the 1920’s, James Oliver
had started a factory to build farm instruments in South Bend, which caused
many people to move north for employment opportunities during this era. Marmom, Dusenberg, and Studebaker were
manufacturing high-end automobiles to compete against Ford’s Model T.[11]
New Castle, Indiana natives, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, had invented
the first successful airplane and the steel and iron industries in Indiana were
booming. Indiana was also home to many jazz legends including Slide Hampton,
Freddie Hubbard, and J.J. Johnson, who performed in clubs along the historic
Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis.[12]
However, all of these cities experienced the devastating drought of 1930. Because of the inability to cultivate crops,
the most popular crops, corn and cotton were rare to find.
This particular cataclysm shined a
light on the problems within the social structure of America. In the aftermath of the stock market crash of
1929, society as a whole lost massive amounts of money and the poor,
especially, became poorer. This disaster
directly effected the farmers because not only were the crops they grew a
source of food for them and their families, but also their form of employment. With the drought in play, many farmers found
themselves unable to make a living.
Americans from urban areas as well as the wealthier population were not
as drastically as effected by this disaster because they had other means to
live off of, however, the entire nation was suffering from the Great Depression
simultaneously.
Before the end of the Great
Depression and 1939, the nation was once again hit with a disastrous drought
that parallels the Great Drought of 1930-1931—the Dust Bowl. This time, the entire Great Plains area
suffered from a severe deficiency in precipitation and the emergence of exposed
topsoil, dust storms were frequent and farming was not an option.[13]
In contrast to Hoover’s laissez faire attitude toward the previous drought, President
Roosevelt wanted to solve the problem immediately and also work towards a
long-term solution. The Roosevelt
administration issued the New Deal to create public works programs to relieve
the unemployed, recovery the economy, and reform the country’s financial
system.
The drought of 1930-1931 is viewed as one
of the most devastating droughts the United States has ever experienced. Secretary of Agriculture Arthur M. Hyde’s
annual address to the president, he claimed the drought to be ‘“the worst drought
ever recorded in this country.”’[14] The weather Bureau reported that ‘“because of
it’s long duration, the large area involved, [and] the economic loss
sustained,” it stood in, “first place in the drought history of the country.”[15]
Additionally, the chairman of the American National Red Cross said on a radio
show “in all its experience of more than a thousand emergencies the Red Cross
has never been confronted by a disaster of larger proportions.”[16]
However, for such a large-scale disaster, the Drought was not dealt with
effectively. When juxtaposed with Roosevelt, Hoover did not succeed as a crisis
manager. Conditions for farmers were
poor prior to the drought, they worsened during the drought, and following
1931, and history repeated itself with the Dust Bowl. If anything, the drought
of 1930-1931 draws attention to the fact that in crisis management, the federal
government must be proactive in creating an immediate solution and working
towards a long-term plan to eliminate a repeat.
Bibliography
Carroll, Sarah. "Causes of the Great Depression."
OK Economics.
http://econc10.bu.edu/Ec341_money/Papers/Carroll_paper.htm (accessed March 5,
2014).
Center for History. Indiana History: Indiana Through
Change (1920-1940). http://centerforhistory.org/learn-history/indiana-history/indiana-through-change-1920-1940
(accessed March 2, 2014).
Goodson, Dr. Steve. "The Great Depression." University
of West Georgia .
http://www.westga.edu/~hgoodson/The%20Great%20Depression.htm (accessed March
5, 2014).
Hamilton, David E. Herbert Hoover and the Great Drought
of 1930. Vol. 68, 850-875. Organization of American Historians, 1982.
Hoyt, John C. "The Drought of 1930." Journal
(American Water Works Association) (American Water Works Association) 23,
no. 11 (1931): 1841.
Indiana Historical Society. 1920s and the Great
Depression.
http://www.indianahistory.org/teachers-students/teacher-resources/classroom-tools/1920s#.UxUDGChQY0O
(accessed March 2, 2014).
Newspapers, ProQuest Historical. "Drought Relief for
Indiana is Blocked by Law." Chicago Daily Tribune, Aug 1930: 7.
Perry, Brandon A. Indianapolis Jazz. February 13,
2014.
http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/aroundtown/article_ca94a1ee-94cd-11e3-9a9f-0019bb2963f4.html
(accessed March 2, 2014).
Rosenberg, Jennifer. About.com 20th Century History.
2014. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/p/greatdepression.htm (accessed
March 2, 2014).
Tisdale, E. S. "The 1930-1931 Drought and Its Effect
Upon Public Water Supply." Division of Sanitary Engineering, West
Virginia State Department of Health, 1205-1906.
[1] Hamilton, David E. Herbert Hoover and the Great
Drought of 1930. Vol. 68, 851. Organization of American Historians, 1982.
[2] Ibid.,
p. 852
[3] Tisdale, E. S. "The 1930-1931 Drought and Its Effect Upon Public
Water Supply." Division of Sanitary Engineering, West Virginia State
Department of Health, 1205-1906.
[4] Hoyt, John C. "The Drought of 1930." Journal (American Water
Works Association) (American Water Works Association) 23, no. 11 (1931):
1841.
[5] Newspapers, ProQuest Historical. "Drought Relief for Indiana is
Blocked by Law." Chicago Daily Tribune, Aug 1930: 7.
[6] Hamilton, David E. Herbert Hoover and the Great Drought of 1930.
Vol. 68, 854. Organization of American Historians, 1982.
[7] Newspapers, ProQuest Historical. "Drought Relief for Indiana is
Blocked by Law." Chicago Daily Tribune, Aug 1930: 7.
[8] Hamilton, David E. Herbert Hoover and the Great
Drought of 1930. Vol. 68, 873. Organization of American Historians, 1982.
[9] Goodson, Dr. Steve. "The Great Depression." University of
West Georgia . http://www.westga.edu/~hgoodson/The%20Great%20Depression.htm
(accessed March 5, 2014).
[10] Carroll, Sarah. "Causes of the Great Depression." OK Economics.
http://econc10.bu.edu/Ec341_money/Papers/Carroll_paper.htm (accessed March 5,
2014).
[11] Indiana Historical Society. 1920s and the Great
Depression.
http://www.indianahistory.org/teachers-students/teacher-resources/classroom-tools/1920s#.UxUDGChQY0O
(accessed March 2, 2014).
[12] Perry, Brandon A. Indianapolis Jazz. February
13, 2014.
http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/aroundtown/article_ca94a1ee-94cd-11e3-9a9f-0019bb2963f4.html
(accessed March 2, 2014).
[13]Rosenberg, Jennifer. About.com 20th Century History.
2014. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/p/greatdepression.htm (accessed
March 2, 2014).
[14] Hamilton, David E. Herbert Hoover and the Great
Drought of 1930. Vol. 68, 850. Organization of American Historians, 1982.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ibid.
