INTERVIEWEE: Vonda Peterson

Sevier County Oral History Project

INTERVIEWEE: Vonda Peterson
INTERVIEWER: Jalizabeth Brown
DATE: December 7, 1997
PLACE: Richfield, Utah
SUBJECT: The Great Depression

Jalizabeth Brown: This is Jalizabeth Brown and I am interviewing Mrs. Vonda Peterson, on her memories of the Great Depression. The date is December 7, 1997, and the place is Richfield, Utah.

For some background information, where and when were you born?

Vonda Peterson: I was born in Richfield, Utah June the twenty-second 1916, it was a Tuesday afternoon.

Jalizabeth Brown: How old were you when the Great Depression began?

Vonda Peterson: I was 13-years old.

Jalizabeth Brown: What was your family life like before the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: We were just a normal family. We had a good life at home.

Jalizabeth Brown: Were you aware of the crash in the stock market that started the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: Well, I guess the thing that I remember more about the Depression was the Stock Market crash that caused the two banks in town to close. I remember that was the first day that the Depression had started when the two banks in town crashed.

Jalizabeth Brown: What most began to change in your life when the Depression hit?

Vonda Peterson: There really wasn't much, it just seemed as we didn't have a very good assortment of foods, and I know that we never got many new clothes. I really don't think that we had much money that the banks closing would have affected us.

Jalizabeth Brown: What did you do for entertainment during the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: Probably the same as we did before. We had many kids in the neighborhood. We played lots of fun games; it really didn't seem to affect that; maybe we were just young enough that we weren't that concerned, I don't know.

Jalizabeth Brown: What kind of books did you read, and what kind of music did you listen to during the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: The same kind that we listened to before the Depression started. It seems like we did listen to our radio a lot of days.

Jalizabeth Brown: Was the rest of your family affected by the Depression in the same way that you were?

Vonda Peterson: Well, they were older than I was and some of them were working. They didn't lose their job or anything. I don't think too many people really suffered, I'm sure there were some just like today that didn't have very much food to eat.

Jalizabeth Brown: Did working conditions for your parents differ when the Depression started than when the Depression first hit?

Vonda Peterson: No (hesitates).

Jalizabeth Brown: Were you forced to get a job to help support your family?

Vonda Peterson: No, I was only 13 at the beginning of the Depression, so that wasn't necessary.

Jalizabeth Brown: Do you think your family suffered more, less, or about the same as other families in your area?

Vonda Peterson: Oh I think we would be average, I know some people who didn't have any work to go to so they suffered more. I'm sure the people who lost a lot of money in the banks were very concerned.

Jalizabeth Brown: Did your religious leaders give any special counseling?

Vonda Peterson: I can't remember if they did or not, I'm just not sure.

Jalizabeth Brown: Were styles different then that are popular now?

Vonda Peterson: Well, they were never quite as short as they are now, for one thing (laughs). Well, there weren't brand names that were so necessary for kids to wear, I remember that.

Jalizabeth Brown: Do you have any lasting attitude effects from the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: Well, all through my life until the middle of my life I know that we were average people, just trying to make ends meet to live.

Jalizabeth Brown: Do you think that the world's outlook has changed since the Depression ended than it had been during the Depression?

Vonda Peterson: Sure, I think so.

Jalizabeth Brown: Is there anything else that you would like to add that I haven't already asked you?

Vonda Peterson: I can remember the time when I started working at Christensens, when I was 18, overalls for men were 99 cents a pair and you could buy a house dress for 99 cents, and work shoes for men were $2.98.

Jalizabeth Brown: It would be nice if things were that cheap now.

Vonda Peterson: Yes, hamburger would be two-pounds for 35 cents. Bread was a nickel a loaf. I know that we didn't have clothes like kids do today. We were lucky to have one pair of pajamas a week. Only one pair of pajamas and they got washed once a week.

Jalizabeth Brown: That would be a fun way to live your life.

Vonda Peterson: Things were just different.

Always Lend a Helping Hand