Tag Archives: Great Depression

Federal Facilities for the Insane

Life During the Great Depression for Many Men

Life During the Great Depression Was Tough for Many Men

When Dr. John Maurice Grimes published Institutional Care of Mental Patients in the United States at his own expense (see last post), he was able to speak freely about his findings.

His comments about Veterans Administration hospitals which treated mental patients were heartening: on the whole, he found VA facilities almost always situated on pleasant plots of land with room for necessary buildings and recreational activities. Continue reading

Other Difficult Times

The Depression brought hard times to the country, South Dakota, and the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. The 1930s was not the only difficult period it had faced, though–the Great War (WWI) had also strained the asylum’s capabilities.

Poster Urging Americans to Use Various Grains, courtesy Library of Congress

All Americans were urged to conserve food and materials, and many stirring posters reminded citizens of how vital their cooperation was to the war effort. Along with the rest of the country, the asylum supported American troops by cutting back on food so that the excess could be sent to soldiers overseas; meatless Mondays were a staple throughout the country. Superintendent Dr. Harry Hummer also initiated other measures to counter “the food situation” brought about by the war. In a letter dated July 4, 1918, Hummer reported to the commissioner of Indian Affairs that he had had to institute “one beefless, one porkless, and one meatless days” each week, along with six extra meatless meals each week. No one liked the new menu, and Hummer reported “a considerable degree of grumbling and discontent among the less patriotic of our employees.”

Mina C. Winkle, Head of Lecture Bureau of Food Administration, 1917, courtesy National Archives

Flour Being Unloaded and Carried to Red Cross Warehouse, courtesy Library of Congress

 

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Staying Afloat

Farmer’s Rally Against Foreclosure in Minnesota, 1933, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society

The Great Depression affected all regions of the country, so it’s understandable that townspeople in Canton would fight to keep open any institution that gave employment to its citizens. (See last post.) Townspeople and civic leaders had a history of supporting and encouraging all their local businesses, and some were surprisingly successful even through the dire economic times of the Depression. Continue reading

Difficult Times

Family on the Road Searching for Work

The community of Canton had always been loyal to the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. They bragged about it to anyone who would listen and disparaged any criticism of it, pointing to the wonderful write-ups local reporters and other visitors routinely gave when they toured the facility. Citizens wanted their town to grow in both size and prestige, and always hoped that the unique institution in their midst would contribute to that goal. The asylum also meant steady jobs for a number of townspeople, and a market for the town’s goods and services.

During the 1933 battle to shut the asylum down (see last post), however, even more was at stake. The entire country was suffering as the Great Depression worsened, and the asylum now presented an economic lifeline that couldn’t be replaced. Throughout the country, bank failures had wiped out personal savings for many families, who often found themselves homeless afterward. In 1933, a quarter of U.S. workers who sought jobs were unemployed, while hunger and poverty were rampant. A report from December, 1932 shows that (including superintendent Dr. Harry Hummer) nineteen people were on staff at the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians, and undoubtedly others worked there on small contract projects. When every job was so important, the people of Canton were not about to let the asylum close without a fight.

Girl at Gees Bend, 1937, courtesy Library of Congress

Destitute Native Americans, 1933, courtesy National Archives

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