WPA Guides

"Elevator to residential section on bluffs. Dubuque, Iowa."
by WPA photogragher, John Vachon.
Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)LC-USF34- 060475-D.

Blizzard of the Blue Moon offers a great tie-in for an interesting series written as part of the New Deal programs. For clues to help solve the book's mystery, author Mary Pope Osborne introduces the reader to New York City's Guide Book, circa 1938. The children use the guide to help identify landmarks in New York City.

Similar guides were written for every state in the union except Hawaii and Alaska, although there is a guide that disucsses Alaska's territorial areas and attributes. And the guide books were not limited to states. As in the case of New York City, entire volumes were devoted to many individual cities, as well.

Guide books were written from 1935-1941 by local authors. The writers varied in skill level and style and the assorted entries in the guidebooks reflect that fact. When the program was initiated, unemployed writers sought work with the WPA, believing that the salaries provided would fund their personal writing. Many quit the project when they realized the government had a specific idea of what the authors would write. But others, needing the income, signed on.

The state guides are organized into three parts. The first part consists of essays that reflect the mood and essence of each, individual state. In the case of the Iowa guidebook, topics include agriculture, history, religion, commerce and the arts. The second part features essays that describe the largest cities in the state. The third part consists of travel logs where the writer follows a specific path and journals about the cities, sites, restaurants, etc. along the way. One such essay details a trip along Highway 20 that runs through my city, Cedar Falls. The books also include photographs, similar to the one above, that depict the state or city as it was during the 1930's and early 40's.

Guidebooks are an easily accessible resource to use in the study of the WPA programs. Most libraries carry a copy of their state's guide, and perhap some city ones, too. An interesting lesson plan consists of securing a guide for your area. Have students read different sections of the guide. Look for photographs of familiar landmarks. Compare them to photographs of the same landmark, today. How have they changed? Or stayed the same.

Another idea is to pick a particular topic and see if what was written about the topic matches the reality of today. For example, back in the 30's, Iowa had a large horse population, nearly one to every three humans. This was due to the fact that horses were still widely used in fieldwork. Of course, that isn't true today. But it gives an interesting perspective of how life has changed and evolved.

Check out your own city or state's WPA Guide and see what memories you can discover.

Becky

A visit with author Dandi Daley Mackall

The illustration at right is my version of a hobo mark found in Dandi Daley Mackall's glossary in her book, Rudy Rides the Rails : A Depression Era Story. I've seen other versions of cats as marks and the common thread seems to be 'kindness" or "kindhearted".

I thought I'd include a mark with this entry because Ms. Mackall talks about this very topic as she shares how she came to meet Rudy and what inspired her interest in hobos. Enjoy!

Dandi Daley Mackall wrote:

"When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother telling me about the hoboes who hopped off the freights in our little town of Hamilton, Missouri. She said they’d walk up the tracks, past four houses, and head straight for her house. She’d always give them something—usually a piece of pie; but she wondered how they knew. Then a friend showed her that the big tree in front of her house had a carving on it, the face of a smiling cat.

Years later (and a couple of hundred books later), I thought about the symbol and started researching other hobo signs. Then I got hooked. I read and read about the Depression and the hoboes. I hopped onto Internet bulletin boards and joined discussions. I “met” groups of modern hoboes, lots of college and seminary professors, who spend summers hopping freights across the country. Several of them told me, “You have to talk to Rudy Phillips, perhaps the oldest living hobo who rode the rails in the Great Depression.”

So one Sunday, I called Rudy in Shawneetown, IL. We talked for over an hour that day, and Rudy delighted me with stories of hobo jungles and “catching the blue,” “riding the cowcatcher.” After that, I phoned him every Sunday, and we talked—he talked, and I listened. I sent him a tape recorder and tapes and a mailer, and he talked for hours, recalling the smell of the boxcar, the routes and changing stations, what people were wearing—all the great details. Finally, my husband and I journeyed to see Rudy. I spent a whole day with him, and he was even better in person. Rudy was 90 when I was working on this book (and my husband said as we drove home—“90 years old, and the guy was hitting on you!” Rudy gave me the dictionary of hobo signs that appears in the back of the book, along with definitions and terms, which I’ve defined in the glossary. He knew all about the book I was writing, although he died just before it came out. I dedicated the book to Rudy, who “caught the Westbound,” the term he used for his old friends passing on to a better life.

After the book came out this past year, I was invited to join in the International Hobo Convention in Britt, IA. It was wonderful to meet so many who knew and loved Rudy—what great people, and what a terrific heritage. Many of the hoboes—like Mama Jo and Hobo Santa--now have ministries to the homeless.

Dear Dandi,

Thank you so sharing this beautiful story! I've included a link to the Hobo Museum in Britt, Iowa. Dandi will be among the celebrated guests at the next convention in July, 2008. Good luck, Dandi, and thank you, again!!

Becky

http://www.hobo.com/ Hobo Museum Britt, Iowa