The Great Depression

Curated by Story Tour Team

A catastrophic economic downturn that began in the summer of 1929 resulted in the decade-long recession called The Great Depression. At its lowest point over 10 million Americans, Arizonans included, were unemployed. State and Federal projects employed thousands and produced some of the iconic public parks and programs still enjoyed today.

Scottsdale and the Great Depression

The graceful, even beautiful, lines of Scottsdale Grammar School #2 convey a sense of prosperity. Stability seems to be written right into the school’s symmetrical concrete façade. It is a testimony to the optimism of 1928, the year it was built—a…

Building South Mountain

The Great Depression had a profound impact on the United States as well as greater Phoenix. In an effort to confront the economic and social costs of the Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued for a New Deal in which the federal…

What Was the CCC?

Breadlines, street corner apple vendors, and families traveling cross-country in jalopies looking for employment are phenomena unknown to most alive today. As those who lived through the Great Depression continue to fall by the wayside, memories of…

Joining the Civilian Conservation Corps

Among President Franklin Roosevelt's many "Alphabet Soup" New Deal programs, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was perhaps the most successful in reducing unemployment among America's youth. The highly regimented program…

Fishing the Desert

Fish hatcheries are the last thing people probably think about when they think of Arizona. During the Great Depression, however, raising fish meant jobs.The Hunt Bass Hatchery was initially commissioned in May of 1932 by Governor George W.P. Hunt as…

DBG's Webster Auditorium

Adobe has served as an inexpensive and reliable building material for cultures across the globe for several millennia. Although ancient in origin, the use of adobe boasts thoroughly modern advantages such as renewability and energy efficiency, making…