Dust Bowl: FDR In Bismarck, No. Dakota, Drought, Insect Plagues 1936 Depression: Film

[appalachiablue]

- FDR with his son Franklin, Jr. and daughter Anna visits the western Dust Bowl area of Bismarck, N. D. to see the effects of drought and grasshopper plague firsthand in summer 1936. We must cooperate with nature says the president.

President Roosevelt's drought inspection trip to Bismarck, N.D. A motion picture cameraman sets up his camera at a railroad station. A steam locomotive pulling the presidential train arrives at the station. The local populace turn out in large numbers to see President Roosevelt arrive. The president stands on the rear platform of his train, assisted by his son, Franklin Jr (FDR Jr.), and accompanied by the Governor of North Dakota, Walter Welford, who introduces the President. The President's daughter, Anna, stands at back of the platform.

President Roosevelt addresses the crowd and assures them that they will win over problem of drought very soon. He says that plan of cooperation with nature should be worked out. The crowd applauds. The President gives an example of steel factories in Indiana and says that steel factories would not run under full capacity unless the agricultural states buy farm machinery and equipment from them.

Excellent intro and coverage.

[DemoTex]

1. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Tim Egan

[appalachiablue]

2. It looks interesting, appreciate the post

[Bradshaw3]

3. A great book

Recommended to all. Thanks for posting.

[luvs2sing]

5. That was one of the best..

and most harrowing books I’ve ever read. I have a friend who grew up in Dalhart. Her family goes back several generations in the area. One of the things she did while visiting her father not long before his death was read this book to him. She told me he said it was very well written and very accurate. High praise from a son of Dalhart.

[Arne]

4. The documentary profoundly affected me.

I was using excerpts from the story for weeks.

[appalachiablue]

6. That's good to hear, what impacted you?

[Arne]

7. I knew nothing about Oklahoma other than the Musical.

So when I watched the despair, starvation, the cause, the migrations, it shook me deep. I cried at parts.
(not a crier)

[appalachiablue]

8. We forget how horrible it was then. In Ken Burns documentary

I think, there was a story of a Dust Bowl survivor that moved me very much.

An older man, a fit, tall rancher-farmer decribed how as a boy during the Dust Bowl he had to fend off ravenous and overpopulated jack rabbits that were descending on areas like locusts- eating fences and entering houses in search of water and food.

He stood in front of their farmhouse with a baseball bat hitting dozens to prevent the property from being destroyed. As the man told the story he cried. The film footage of the large, aggressive rabbits was scary.