Home Page

previous chapter     top     next chapter

CHAPTER FIVE

The Great Depression Begins

No matter how many times I hear that we are in or entering a period of economic depression, I have to laugh, remembering how it was in this country all though the 1930s and early 40s. Most people around our area were Poor, and I mean that with a "capital P." Not only did we not have today's modern conveniences, we couldn't have afforded them even if they were available.

Good wages for an average worker were around five dollars a day (those working for the railroad); farm hands worked for one dollar plus room and board, and happy to get it. Housewives mended, sewed and in some cases designed clothing for the family. Hand-me-downs were common for children in large families, and we hated them, even though they looked better than some of the mismatched "designer" clothing worn to school today. An automobile was an unheard of luxury for most and walking was the "in" thing, because we had to do it, not because we were overweight. There were no school buses and we normally walked to and from our homes during the lunch hour.

However, during the summer of 1929, the entire country was optimistic, prosperous and (in retrospect) foolish. People with very little money, but with unbounded enthusiasm, were investing in the stock market. If they did not have enough money to purchase stocks outright, they could buy on "margin," which in effect gave them options on stock which they hoped would go up in price before the options were "called," and the stock had to be paid for. Banks all over the country were lending money with very little security for the purpose of short-term investments, with the hope of quick profits in this very good-looking market situation. Some even said that banks themselves were using depositors' funds to make a quick profit from the investing craze which had taken over the country.

Moulton, and indeed no city or town however small, did not escape without feeling the effects of the "crash" that began slowly, recovered somewhat a few times, then caused the bottom of the market to fall out.

There may have been very few actual investors in and around Moulton, agricultural and railroad community that it was. But the effects were felt right down to the lowest wage earner in town. I do not, of course, remember exact dates, but the slide began in early September and continued until October 29th, when even the most optimistic investors had to admit that it was all over. The low point had been reached, fortunes were wiped out, and those investors who did not have much to begin with were deeply in debt or had lost everything that they had invested, or both.

Moulton did not feel all of the effects immediately, but within a couple of years the Wabash railroad began laying off its employees, especially those who worked in the "roundhouse," that is repairmen, of which my father, Pearl, was one. The section hands (track repairmen) were also cut back, and Moulton was in it, "The Great Depression."

Pearl lost his job, along with many others. I remember that things were pretty grim around our house, but I don't remember a lot of the details. Clint had been working at Elmer Woods' Grocery as a clerk since his high-school graduation, alongside Elmer's son, Hugh, and Ray Davidson. Bob was out of high school, but did not have any regular work. He did work as a farm hand whenever an opportunity presented itself.

About 1932 Pearl made what was probably the best financial decision he ever made: He took practically every cent out of his bank account at the State Savings Bank (around $1,200) and and bought a grocery store for Clint and Bob to operate. The price included all the stock, fixtures and whatever goodwill went along with the deal. Pearl wanted his older sons to be employed and he always felt that owning one's own business was the only way to really come out ahead. The store was known from that time on as "Bybee Bros. Kash Grocery."

Clint got the spelling of "Kash" from something the Benner Tea Company in Burlington , our main wholesaler at the time, was using in their ads. Their canned products went under the name of "BENTECO." Since the store also bought some farm produce (cream and eggs), our slogan, "We Pay Kash For Kream and Eggs," was born.

The term Kash was in name only, since the store carried practically everyone in town on its books at one time or another. That was just the way smalltown stores operated in those day. When the store ceased operating in 1942, so did the payments on most of those bills!

The first two years of "our" grocery store is rather fuzzy in my memory, but from about 1934, when I was fourteen, I helped out as much as I could. The thing that I think I liked best about it was that it gave me a chance to be around my favorite brother, Bob. I had nothing against Clint, it was just that Bob was my favorite of the two--he was more fun. He never criticized me in any way, and was probably the only one who didn't.

I began by stocking shelves, helping out with deliveries and before long I was a full-fledged clerk. I continued in that job until 1942, when I enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

At first Dad did not take an active part at the store, but as time went on and it became evident that no regular work was available for him, he became part of the store's establishment. A number of things went on first, however, and I am ahead of my story.

Clint and Bob got along well as partners, or so it seemed at the time, for about the first two years. The store did well, considering the depression, and at least as far as the business itself was concerned, everyone was happy.

During this period, Clint started dating Elizabeth Powell and about the same time Bob discovered Sara Louise Kimmell. From this point on, and it probably has no connection whatsoever with their personal romances, the brothers just could not get along, either in business or personally. Most likely it was due to the fact that they were both under a lot of pressure with the business and their personal lives.

Clint was always the practical one with the head for business and an eye for efficiency and economy. Bob was easy going and more interested in living his life than he was in the grocery store. Because of these attitudes on both sides, Clint became the "boss," and Bob the junior partner. It just worked out that way due to the circumstances and their personalities. My mother, Cecil, did not help settle the boys' disagreements. If anything, she aggravated the situation.

Clint's girl, Elizabeth, would make a good wife--according to Mom. She was rather pretty, but plain. Sara, on the other hand--again according to Cecil--was pretty and flighty, and much too young to be dating her son. Of course, it was not his fault! Both my brothers must be given credit for hanging in there, I must say, because from this point onward there were almost no other girls in their lives.

During this period, Elizabeth went away to school in Missouri. I remember that she was in both Springfield and In Kansas City. Why the two places I do not recall. Clint made almost-weekly trips down to see her on weekends, in his second-hand 1927 Dodge touring car. All seemed to be going well, but he returned from one trip and immediately we knew something was wrong.

Within a few days we discovered that Elizabeth had "found somebody new," and would have nothing to do with him. Of course, that was the end of his world and it took him all of two weeks to recover. I don't remember the details, but within the year she was back in Moulton and they soon picked up where they left off.

Bob and Sara's romance was somewhat smoother for the most part, in spite of Cecil. There was one rift later, but of very short duration. Bob was a partner in the store for probably no more than two years. There, again, the breakup of the partnership and the financial settlement was quite stormy and very difficult--especially for me, the teenager, who had to hear it all being bashed out.

After Bob got out of the grocery business, he tried a number of other enterprises. He owned and ran a "hamburger joint" on Main Street for a short time. After he and Sara were married, during their first few years, he sold sundries and over-the-counter medicines on the road. Later on, Bob worked for several years as the projectionist at the Colonial Theater on Moulton's Main Street.

In and around this particular period, Hope worked as the ticket seller and I got to attend all the movies free of charge, because I had to walk her home each night after the theater closed. I eventually learned to be a projectionist myself and later had the job off and on for a number of years. We were paid fifty cents a night to run two shows. Of course, I was delighted to be included, because it allowed me to be with Bob more often. At this time, the Colonial was run by Paris "Paddy" Sherman and his wife. Later managers included Swede Pederson; Rich Moore, a local sign painter; and Mr. Rehfield, who also ran the Iowa Theatre in Bloomfield. Ray Davidson, who clerked at Woods' Grocery, was also a projectionist off and on during this period.

I look back upon this period as one of the happiest of my life. I was close to Bob and got to see every movie that came to town. Later on, after Bob moved on to other things, I took over. From there on it was a different story.

Back to Chapter 4

On to Chapter 6

Bybee Bros. Kash Grocery - Bob and Clint



Bybee Bros. Store Front



Author in a lighter mood.



Charles Forrest, Clint Edward, and James Robert Bybee