Rare Footage Shows How The Depression Affected South Dakota

The Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 will go down in history as one of the most trying times in our lives, thanks to not only the health implications but also the tanking economy, loss of jobs, and side effects of the long-time quarantine. For our parents and grandparents, however, this is a mere blip on the radar, as many of them lived through the historic Great Depression. To get a better look at this trying time in American history, watch this rare vintage footage that shows just how the Depression affected South Dakota:

Like the rest of the country, South Dakota was greatly affected by the unprecedented Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939 and, in turn, decreased the state's population from 697,000 in 1930 to 642,000 by 1940.

Note: As of 2019, South Dakota is estimated to have a population of 884,659, which is an increase of less than 200,000 in 80-some years.

Because of its location along the Great Plains, South Dakota not only suffered the crashing economy but the Dust Bowl as well, with farmland proving to be virtually useless by the mid-1930s.

Thanks to the Great Depression, South Dakota has never again experienced another economic or population boom, with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reporting how the state lands near the bottom of "nonfarm industrial wages and continues to have one of our nation's most rural economies."

In addition to having one of the country's most rural economies, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln also shows South Dakota as having a per capita income ranking 39th among the 50 states, further proving the repercussions from the Great Depression.

While most of us did not live through this trying time, we have heard stories and have studied the history of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, and now - thanks to Vintage Video Archive - can see it firsthand via this rare footage:

We would love to hear your stories of the Great Depression in the comments! For even more must-see historical footage of South Dakota, check out This Eerie And Fantastic Footage Takes You Inside South Dakota’s Abandoned Bedrock City.

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Rare Vintage Footage From The 1930s Shows You How The Depression Affected South Dakota

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