Impact of drought, depression addressed in former CSC professor's book

Titled, “Regions in Transition,” the book was published by University Press of America at Lanham, Md. A statement from the back cover says the book “provides an in-depth analysis of the dramatic influence the Great Depression had upon the geography, politics, economics and demography of the Northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest.”

Dewing, who retired in 2004 after being a member of the Chadron State faculty 35 years, is uniquely qualified to write the book. Besides being an eminent historian, he experienced the transition. As a youth, he lived on a farm in North Dakota before his parents joined the migration to Washington state. After reaching adulthood and obtaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Washington State University, Dewing earned his doctorate from Ball State University at Muncie, Ind., and spent most of his professional career at Chadron State.

While at CSC, Dewing was the author of “Wounded Knee: The Meaning and Significance of the Second Incident” and was the lead author of Chadron’s centennial history book.

Dewing believes “Regions in Transition” will be recognized primarily for its

academic content, but will also serve as a primary reference for those interested in the Dust Bowl migration from the Great Plains to the west.

The back cover statement notes that the twin disasters of the 1930s—the economic collapse and the worst drought in recorded history—forced hundreds of thousands to leave the Great Plains and many of them resettled in the Pacific Northwest.

It’s obvious in the 240-page book that while Dewing was at Chadron State he collected stories about the hard times area residents confronted during the Depression.

On page 17, Dewing reports that John Larsen, a life-long Dawes County farmer, recalled during a interview some 50 years later that in 1932 he sold five steers averaging 661 pounds for a total of $95.02 and 32 feeder pigs weighing 80 pounds each for $64.08.

Dewing also quotes another Dawes County farmboy, Milton Grantham, who remembered helping his father plant wheat and not harvesting enough grain the following summer to replace the seed.

A few pages later, Dewing writes of long-time Chadron attorney and judge Wally Crites memories concerning an incident in 1934 after some of the government assistance programs were in effect:

“While I was working at Oral, S.D., at the gravel pit, I saw them drive a herd of 400 of the scrawniest, thinnest, most beat up cattle you ever saw. They just shot them all and dumped them in a big pit and poured gasoline on them and set them on fire.”

Dewing also relates stories told in 2003 by the late Frank Mills of Hill City, S.D., when he was a student at CSC in the early 1930s. Mills said he often went hungry and coeds sometimes fainted in class because they had gone without food. Mills also recalled that during his first teaching job at Pedro, S.D., he was supposed to be paid $50 a month, but was forced to take warrants in lieu of pay and it took him 13 years to collect on them.

The author writes that during the 1930s about 300,000 people left Nebraska and the Dakotas for the Pacific Northwest. He said many of them were “almost flat broke” and had no job waiting for them when they moved.

“This substantial transition proved immensely significant for both regions, signifying continuing growth for one and a steady decline for the other,” Dewing writes.

“North Great Plains migrants quickly established a reputation as reliable, efficient workers, allowing them to readily meld into the work force when given the opportunity.”

Copies of the book may be obtained from the publisher at 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706. The price is $39.95 plus $4 for postage and handling.