It’s not unusual to hear people, me included, complain about the high price of food, rent, gasoline, all types of things we need.
Perhaps we should look back a few years. It might make us realize that the situation could be worse, but in another way. I recently came across a story I wrote many years ago, in February, 1981. It concerned how folks lived during the “Great Depression” of the 1930s.
I interviewed a Muscoda elder, Ray Schlump, as he “rolled his own” cigarette. He told about working on a farm located on sandy land between Muscoda and Avoca. He was supposed to receive $15 a month, plus room and board. However, his employers could not afford that much, so for the first three months of work he received only the room and board part of the agreement.
The Fourth of July was coming up and he and a friend had no cash for celebrating. However, his employer decided to sell one of his Holstein heifers so they would have enough money to enjoy the day. So they loaded a heifer that was nearing milking age. They hauled her to the Muscoda Stockyards that was located on the southeast side of the village. The animal brought $12.00.
Ray said the amount was enough to go to the Muscoda celebration and they were “able to buy all the bootleg whiskey we could stand and have money left over.”
During my young high school days I worked in a small grocery store that was also a cream and egg buying station. My job included working behind a counter that sold tobacco, ice cream, candy, etc.
A number of my farmer customers were smokers and would buy cigarettes by the carton, enough to last them for a week. Other customers, wanting to save a little money, bought their tobacco in cans and produced their own smokes, thereby saving a bit of money.
I have never forgotten my first night on the job when a man asked, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can,” I assured him that we did and his reply was, “Why don’t you let him out?”
Perhaps we should look back a few years. It might make us realize that the situation could be worse, but in another way. I recently came across a story I wrote many years ago, in February, 1981. It concerned how folks lived during the “Great Depression” of the 1930s.
I interviewed a Muscoda elder, Ray Schlump, as he “rolled his own” cigarette. He told about working on a farm located on sandy land between Muscoda and Avoca. He was supposed to receive $15 a month, plus room and board. However, his employers could not afford that much, so for the first three months of work he received only the room and board part of the agreement.
The Fourth of July was coming up and he and a friend had no cash for celebrating. However, his employer decided to sell one of his Holstein heifers so they would have enough money to enjoy the day. So they loaded a heifer that was nearing milking age. They hauled her to the Muscoda Stockyards that was located on the southeast side of the village. The animal brought $12.00.
Ray said the amount was enough to go to the Muscoda celebration and they were “able to buy all the bootleg whiskey we could stand and have money left over.”
During my young high school days I worked in a small grocery store that was also a cream and egg buying station. My job included working behind a counter that sold tobacco, ice cream, candy, etc.
A number of my farmer customers were smokers and would buy cigarettes by the carton, enough to last them for a week. Other customers, wanting to save a little money, bought their tobacco in cans and produced their own smokes, thereby saving a bit of money.
I have never forgotten my first night on the job when a man asked, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can,” I assured him that we did and his reply was, “Why don’t you let him out?”
Many of the customers heard the conversation and used the occasion to laugh at the new kid behind the counter. I came to the know the jokester quite well, but never really forgave him. In fact, when he ordered a double-dip cone of ice cream, I may have slighted the dip a bit, especially the first one in the cone!
