A Perfect Storm? The Reader Should Decide
It was the "Roaring Twenties", with prosperity, peace, and marvelous new inventions, not to mention the popular Ragtime music and even "talkie" movies. Yes, life was good, and that was especially true for a young couple from Le Mars, Iowa. They had 2 growing boys, a new car, a good job, and a rental home. The wife's older sister and brother-in-law were making good money on a farm near Lake Benton, MN, and a nearby farm had just come up for rent, with good terms. They decided to rent the farm, cultivate the land, grow crops, and raise livestock. Life was good. All went well, and then came the stock market crash of 1929. Even though thousands lost their life savings, and even more lost jobs, things were tolerable. Then came the drought. A combination of poor farming methods and drought caused extensive soil erosion. A grasshopper infestation compounded the problem, and crop losses were massive. Animals died from disease or starvation. The youngest so