We hear a lot about we are in a depression, this is quiet different than the thirties. People did not get any help from the government, until FDR. Had a public work program some people had gotten that kind of job pick and shovels doing roads, Dams. Forestry and etc. My Dad would not take advantage of the government handouts, because the government gives one hand gives with on hand then takes with the other hand. I often think if people would have choose their savings plan, people would have quite nest egg when they retire. Enough said. I remember the people in the cities had little gardens in their back yard, traded with each other then they had extra. They would can all they could for the winter months.
Gardens were our main stay. Our pastor in Granite fall s planted a lot of potatoes plus a large garden, plus did a lot of canning. We did not have freezers, canning was our only source of preserving. About the only fresh veggies our little grocery store had during the winter months was cabbage, root vegetables like turnips, rutabagas, oranges apples and bananas.. We did not have refrigerators. They built a small building, the insulation, consisted of double wall then they would put sawdust in between the walls, this would keep it cool in the summer and it keep would keep the can goods from freezing. We also kept our potatoes carrots apples veggies and onions, it would keep them fresh all through the winter months.
We would celebrate Christmas Eve, which was the beginning of our holidays. As family we thought it was great. We always had the traditional prune soup, a tradition of the German heritage. Rounding off the menu we had coffee cake nuts and candy was a treat. Christmas eve and Christmas day was the only time we had candy and nuts for the holidays. It wasn’t like today that one could have candy every day of the week if we so desired.
The Christmas tree was decorated on Christmas Eve with popcorn chains also green and red chains that we made at school, plus a dozen of ornaments. We lit the tree with candles which we could only burn for a short while it was never long enough for us, We thought the tree so beautiful lit so shinny and bright, because the only other light in our room was a lamp.
The only special things we did before Christmas, our little country school put on a program, mostly we had to recite a poem and the older children acted in a play. I remember reciting the first part of “the night before Christmas, and being really proud of my accomplishment. After the program we got a orange and a candy cane. Not much but we were happy about it this was only one of the oranges we had for Christmas. Than our church put on a program, a lot of the town people came to it! Our church was filled to capacity.
The young people and children worked hard at doing their best. After our production was all finished, they would pass out the treats. This was what we children looked forward to. It was a paper bag filled with orange a handful of nuts and a little bag of candy. I rationed mine out for days this was my treat for a long while.
I will never forget 1936. It was a year of happenings, and new beginnings.
My parents, Adolph and Eva Makus, were dairy farming for number of years in Wisconsin, until the great depression. The deflation or the depression started in 1928, prices dropped the stock market crashed, many people lost their life savings, places. Business. I did not know serious things were, I really believe that the folks were trusting the Lord, they were not on a petty party, although I surmise, they did a lot of praying.
All I remember when they sold all of the cattle, machinery, but when they started to auction our furniture, then we children started to get upset, Clarence was the youngest of us four, when they took his bed out it was more than he could handle, he hung on to it hard as he could.
When they bought the cow they paid $300 to $400 each. When they sold them we were paid $10 to $15 each. Quite a loss. All the farm prices dropped; in the process they lost most everything. They decided to move west. There was a saying in those days “Go west young man go west.”
The year of 1936 our family of five children and Mother and dad, packed into a little 1936 ford a few belongings.
The Makus family then proceeded to go west in our little 36 ford, it was small for a family of seven. Joyce was only a baby only about 7 months old. She rode in the front seat and we four rode in the back seat. There wasn't much room for wiggling nor fighting with our siblings. One very small trunk to carry our clothes in.
We didn’t eat in the cafes Mom packed us lunch, and then in night we stopped at little motel cabins where we could prepare a cooked meal. We didn’t have a ice box and most of our fare was sausage and bread. Just like route 66 only we went through Nevada, on to California.
We stopped at Aunt Lena’s place she was Mom’s half-sister; it wasquite an experience coming from strictly an all Caucasian country.
When we arrived at Seattle, we stayed with some friends, during this time they were praying the Lord would give them direction what dairy farm to buy. They decided to buy a farm in Lake Stevens area. It was a move of faith. Jobs were hard to come by, in fact the people held the contract to farm. They were hoping that the Makus’s would fault on a payment then they would get the farm back. God opened employment for Dad in Alaska. So every year after that he could make the payments.