The Great Depression as experienced in the OC

A WPA breadline in Santa Ana

This morning, the OC Register offers a lengthy piece, by Eugene Garcia, entitled "The Great Depression in O.C.: Are the hard times back?"

The article begins unpromisingly:

Have we avoided another Great Depression? Many think the worst has passed. But some long-time Orange County residents are less hopeful. They lived in and around Orange County through the relentless Depression of the 1930s, a period with stark differences and similarities to the current recession. So how do the two crises compare?

OK, this is confused. Obviously, unlike most of us, "long-time OC residents" can tell us how bad it was in OC in the 30s. They can, I suppose, compare those days to these days.

But surely the current recession hasn't yet played out: we've witnessed only the early chapters of a long saga. The big question is: where is this heading? Have we seen the worst? How bad will this get? Hence the talk of "hopefulness" or the lack thereof.

My point: the Depression experiences of OC oldsters does not provide them with superior insight regarding that, contrary to Mr. Garcia's assumptions.

Still, if you're like me, you'd love to hear from these people about what things were like in the OC during the Depression. In this regard, Garcia's piece manages to be interesting and informative, especially when it describes the fate of local artists and the behavior of bank customers.

Also, in the article, some of these OC oldsters worry about the preparedness of current youth for an increasingly severe downturn. Very wise, that.

So check out the article.

The article is accompanied by five videos, evidently produced by Mr. Garcia, some of which offer images of OC's past that we rarely or never see. These videos are generally excellent:

Let Them Eat Lobster
Hobos descend on the county as breadlines cope with the local unemployed.

Running to the Bank
'Dirty tricks' help close one third of O.C.'s banks during the Depression.

Will Paint for Food
Laguna Beach's early impressionist painters take desperate measures to make ends meet.

Dancing for Dollars
The first reality shows in Orange County could have been called 'So You Think You Can Keep Dancing?'

Is History Repeating?
O.C. residents weigh-in on how the Depression compares to the current crisis.

(All descriptions, and the photo, from OC Register article.)

WEEKEND BRATS:

Natalie, 20 mos.

Catherine, 20 mos.

TigerAnn, six years old