These 11 Candid Photos Show What Life Was Like In Utah In the 1930s
Historic photos from the 1930s showcase life in Utah during the Great Depression.
Utah has always been an excellent place to live, but it looked much different in the 1930s than it does today. During this decade, the Great Depression influenced life around the globe, including here in Utah. Life was tough, but Utahns still pressed on, worked hard, and overcame. Here are just 11 historic photos of Utah that show what life was like in the 1930s — a challenging time to be alive.
1. Men stand outside of the Records Coal Processing Corporation Plant in Wellington. This image was found on a postcard from the 1930s.
2. A man stands near City Creek in Salt Lake City in 1935.
3. Miners coming home from their shift at the Blue Blaze Mine near Price in 1936.
4. A woman and two children trudge through slushy roads in a coal mining town near Price in 1936.
5. An older gentleman stands in the doorway of a log building in Escalante in 1936. This man came to Utah from Denmark as a young boy after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
6. Two children stand at the front door of a company-owned mining home in Consumers, Utah in 1936.
7. A woman and her daughter stand at the door of their home in Widtsoe in 1936.
8. Workers in Garfield County load a boulder on a stone boat in 1936.
9. Captured in 1938, a family works in the orchard during the peach harvest in Springdale.
10. A group of deer hunters take a break in Beaver Canyon in Fishlake National Forest. This photo was captured sometime in 1938.
11. A cowboy is peeling potatoes in a makeshift line camp at Canyonlands National Park in 1938.
What do you think of the above historic photos of Utah? Do you have any family photos you’d like to share from this time period? We’d love to see them in the comments!
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, take a look at these old photos of Utah in the early 1900s.
Curious about more Utah history? Here's some video footage of the Beehive State in the 1940s, a decade that was most certainly informed by the global and domestic events of Utah in the 1930s:
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