What Every Small Town In New Mexico Had In The 1930s. It Was A Simpler Time.
The 1930s were undoubtedly a simpler time. That was often due to hardship rather than choice. New Mexicans suffered as a result of drought, dust, and the financial devastation of the Great Depression.
However, the decade was also one of transition. New Deal programs like the Works Programs Administration helped ease the suffering and provide jobs. More than 50,000 New Mexicans participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps and helped to improve our state’s infrastructure, restore the ruined structures in Chaco Canyon, and turn Carlsbad Caverns into a tourist destination.
Although these years involved a lot of difficulties, they also built a strong sense of community. Here are some of the businesses and items you’d have found in most New Mexico towns during the 1930s:
Water has always been a highly valued resource in New Mexico and, although many still use well water today, we don't have to draw it up with a bucket anymore!
Towns with only a scattering of stores often used one building for several purposes. This filling station and grocery store in Questa is the 1930s version of Allsup's!
Although farmers were hard-hit by the Depression and weather conditions in the 1930s, people continued to work the land. The men in this image (from 1939) are threshing wheat.
Many towns had some kind of annual festival. The Bean Day Celebration in Wagon Mound (pictured) continues to this day, making it more than a century old.
