As our state’s history is so steeped in the mining industry, the Great Depression was a trying time for Arizonans everywhere. We've all heard stories from our grandparents about what life was like during the country's most tumultuous decade, but nothing compares to seeing the adversity firsthand. These photographs were taken in Arizona during the 1930s and give a fascinating look into the world as it was decades ago.
1. Purchasing a sheep on the range. (1933)
2. A Navajo woman dying wool to make rugs. (1933)
3. Three Arizona lawmen pausing to pose for a photo.
Exact date, location, and agency unknown.
4. A Native American woman spinning wool in preparation for weaving blankets at a temporary Indian camp. (1933)
5. A miner dipping his pan into the Colorado River near Lee's Ferry. (c. 1930)
6. Workers undertaking an erosion control project near the Rio Puerco Bridge in Navajo County. (c. 1930)
7. The University of Arizona Concert and Marching Band. (c. 1934)
8. A girl riding a donkey in Globe, Arizona. (c. 1933)
9. The final bucket of concrete being poured into the Bartlett Dam on the Verde River. (c. 1939)
10. Two men in a rowboat floating in the Colorado River between the towering rock walls in Glen Canyon. (c. 1930)
11. Navajo women weaving a large rug. (1933)
12. A car stuck in a wide, washed out creek on the reservation. (1933)
13. Two women gazing westward from the rim of the Grand Canyon. (1930)
14. A Navajo woman and child photographed in Canyon de Chelly. (c. 1933)
15. Navajo women in the process of spinning wool into the yarn used to weave rugs. (c. 1933)
16. A vintage Arizona license plate. (1934)
17. A rear view of the Mission San Jose de Tumacacori, located near Nogales in southern Arizona. (1937)
Do you have any Great Depression stories passed down from family members? We'd love to hear them in the comments below.
For more haunting photos of this time period, check out 25 Rare Photos Taken In Arizona During The Great Depression.
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