Farm life has always been tough, but the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s must have made the livelihood almost impossible for some families. Here’s a peek at what life looked like for some families during the time period.

Rain is always a blessing in New Mexico but even more so when many places were affect by the prolonged Dust Bowl.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
Relocating from areas affected by the Dust Bowl was rough for farm laborers, to say the least. You’ll find plenty of heartbreaking stories, like the one for this Oklahoma family found on the side of a highway near Lordsburg. You can click on this link to read their story.
Dorothea Lange/Photogrammar
This farmer works on the process of leveling land for irrigation and cultivation.
Dorothea Lange/Photogrammar
This photo shows what the corrals of Taos Pueblo looked like in 1936.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
This resettled farmer begins working the land in Bosque Farms.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
Bales upon bales upon bales of cotton sit ready for pickup in Roswell.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
This land in the Rio Grande Valley looks fertile and heavenly, especially when compared to other parts of the country where farms were covered in several feet of dust.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar

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These men found work threshing wheat near Taos in 1939.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
Do you know when cauliflower is ready for picking? This woman is trying to determine if her fall crop is ready for harvesting.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
Farm equipment sits abandoned in Mills, one of the towns affected by the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
Dorothea Lange/Photogrammar
Some well-fed goats graze on a farm near Questa.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
This photo shows the front of a home of a Spanish-American farmer near Questa in 1939.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
Another Spanish-American farmer feeds her flock of chickens on a fall afternoon in 1939.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
This home of a Spanish-American farmer in Holman looks idyllic in 1939. I can only imagine what a color photograph would look like!
Russell Lee/Photogrammar

Do you have any family stories from the Great Depression you would like to share? We would love to hear how your family survived these trying years.

You can see more incredible photos that document New Mexico’s experience during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in Here’s What Life In New Mexico Looked Like In 1935.

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