What Every Town In Nebraska Had In The 1930s. It Was A Simpler Time.

Have you ever wondered what it was like in the 1930s in Nebraska? Life in the 1930s in Nebraska was a time of growth and change, triumph and disappointment. But as different as the world was back then, there are some things that have stayed more or less the same. These historic photos of Nebraska depict what our state's towns and cities looked like in the 1930s and early 1940s.

1. Barber and shop, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

2. Churches, Gilead, Nebraska - 1938

3. Civic spirit sign, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

4. Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

5. Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

6. Farmers in town on Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

7. Chain store, Wymore, Nebraska - 1938

8. Motor truck in wholesale district, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

9. Circus poster, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

10. Liquor store, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

11. Gas station on Dodge Street encroaching on private home, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

12. Men in front of the post office, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

13. Man in front of saloon in stockyard district, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

14. Morning mail, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

15. Flophouse on lower Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

16. Secondhand goods. Note surgical instruments in window, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

17. Billboard on the courthouse lawn, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

18. Saturday morning movie crowd, North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

19. Poster, North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

20. Railroad depot, Grand Island, Nebraska - 1938

21. Livestock commisary, Grand Island, Nebraska - 1938

22. Glorified hamburgers, Lincoln, Nebraska

23. Girl playing among tombstones, Lexington, Nebraska - 1938

24. Ice cream, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

25. Palace Hotel where Mildred Irwin lives. She entertains in the saloon on the corner. North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

26. Entertainer in saloon at North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

27. Men in booths. North Platte, Nebraska. Saloon - 1938

28. Home turned into grocery store. Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

29. Henshaw Cafeteria, Omaha's most popular eating place. Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

30. Store in south Omaha which caters to farmers of surrounding area. Nebraska - 1938

31. Agate, Nebraska

32. Auction. Farmer after farmer in the drought area is forced to see his few possessions to go on the block of the auctioneer as drought drives him from his homestead and makes him a propertyless migrant - 1936

33. Yardman. Grand Island, Nebraska - 1939

34. Grain elevator along railroad yard. North Platte, Nebraska - 1939

35. Whiteclay, Nebraska - 1940

36. County courthouse, Beatrice, Nebraska - 1938

37. Facilities for recreation in the Pine Ridge area. Dawes County, Nebraska - 1936

These historic photos of Nebraska were originally commissioned by the Farm Security Administration and is available via the Library of Congress and other public sites. The photographers concentrated most of their attention on the more populous eastern part of the state. We're so fortunate to have these photos depicting life in the 1930s in Nebraska to remind us of what yesterday looked like and to give us a sense of pride in our Nebraska roots.