10 ways the New Deal battled drought

Above: "Starvation," a lithograph by Bernard Steffen (1907-1980), created while he was in the WPA's Federal Art Project, 1939. Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

10 ways the New Deal battled drought

1. Well-Drilling

Above: The New Deal's Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) created 4,927 wells and improved another 1,159 to relieve hardship caused by drought. Article excerpt above from the Nevada State Journal (Reno, Nevada), December 9, 1934 and newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

2. Terracing and Pond-Building

Above: In work similar to the New Deal's Soil Conservation Service, FERA had a program to help farmers create ponds and switch to terrace farming. Later in the article above, an official notes, "The past summer's drought proved how badly more and larger ponds are needed for stock water and for irrigation of gardens." Ultimately, FERA created / developed 4,390 ponds, water holes, and springs. And the WPA carried on this work after FERA ceased operations in 1935. Article excerpt from Pauls Valley Democrat (Pauls Valley, Oklahoma), October 4, 1934, and newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

3. Water Conservation Dams

Above: Increased farmland (which often meant less trees and/or native vegetation), and less-than-ideal farming methods, frequently resulted in rainwater draining away from parched areas too quickly, thus failing to restore depleted water tables. So, the New Deal created thousands of water conservation dams to impound precious rainfall in various types of reservoirs. Here, WPA workers are creating the "Center Dam" on Square Butte Creek in Oliver County, North Dakota. Notice the WPA work sign on the building. Photo from the National Archives.

Above: Here is the near-completed "Center Dam." The description for the photo explains, "Although dam is only partly filled with water at present time, the level of ground water in wells for 1/2 mile around has been raised 2 feet." Photo from the National Archives.

4. The Large-Scale Drought-Relief Projects of the PWA

Above: The city of Denver, Colorado, doesn't get a lot of rain. And in the early part of the 20th century a drought hit, making things even worse. The city hoped to convert a railroad service tunnel into a large water supply conduit, but couldn't assemble the funds. The New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA) stepped in and got the job done, 1936. And the "Moffat Water Tunnel"--as well as its associated PWA-funded structures (see catch basin above)--still supplies water to Denver today. Other dry areas across the country received PWA assistance too. Touring drought areas in 1934, PWA Administrator Harold Ickes "ordered his forces to expedite all construction projects affecting the dry regions... He said $103,500,000 [about $2.4 billion in 2023 dollars] had been allotted for 32 reclamation and irrigation projects in 12 western states" ("Money Flowing Into Drought Region Today From Almost Every Agency of New Deal," The Cushing Citizen (Cushing, Oklahoma), August 9, 1934). And as part of it's overall water supply initiative, the PWA funded dams that created large reservoirs, for example, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (or, "Lake Roosevelt"), created by the PWA-funded Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. Photo from the National Archives.

5. Civilian Conservation Corps Drought-Relief Camps

Above: Special CCC camps were set-up to combat drought. Their work included developing springs, creating reservoirs, and revegetating barren areas so that, when rain did come, it would penetrate the ground and raise water tables instead of immediately running off to nearby waterways (with precious soil in tow). Hugh Bennet, chief of the Soil Conservation Service, wrote: "Water running from a grassed or wooded slope finds in its ways a million tiny dams; its speed is slowed; it sinks into the soil. The restoration of grass, the growth of legumes, the forestation of denuded areas, therefore, are moisture conservation measures..." ("Conservation Aid in Drought Fight," Wilmington Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware), August 4, 1936). Article excerpt above from The Butte Daily Post (Butte, Montana), July 28, 1934, and newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Members of CCC Company 2745--a World War I veterans unit--stationed at Camp BR-1, Minatare, Nebraska. The "BR" label means that this CCC camp was operating in conjunction with the Bureau of Reclamation, a key federal agency in the managaement of water in the United States. Company 2745, and other companies that had been stationed at Camp BR-1, carried out projects related to water conservation. They also made Lake Minatare more hospitable to visitors by building roads, picnic facilities, and restrooms. Photo from Civilian Conservation Corps, Official Annual 1937, Nebraska-South Dakota District, Seventh Corps Area (Direct Advertising Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana), used here for educational and non-commerical purposes.

Above: Examples of water conservation projects completed by CCC companies working at Camp BR-1, Minatare, Nebraska - spillway, drains, and an irrigation ditch. Photos from Civilian Conservation Corps, Official Annual 1937, Nebraska-South Dakota District, Seventh Corps Area (Direct Advertising Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana), used here for educational and non-commerical purposes.

Above: The CCC worked extensively with the New Deal's Soil Conservation Service (SCS). The SCS had many soil and moisture conservation projects that helped farmers mitigate drought, water run-off, and soil loss, by way of terrace farming, pond development, and better harvesting methods. Image above from a 1936 WPA report.

6. Jobs for Drought Victims

Above: The New Deal, through its work-relief programs, hired tens of thousands of farmers devastated by drought, soil erosion, and financial problems. No one got rich on WPA jobs, but it helped many families get through tough times. The description for this 1937 photograph reads, "Family of James Strunk, farmer. Works for WPA (Works Progress Administration), earns forty-four dollars per month, drives twenty-six miles to work fourteen days per month. Car expense comes out of the forty-four dollars. Has eight children, four of them at home. Wheelock, North Dakota." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

7. Photos, Loans, and Grants

Above: The New Deal's Resettlement Administration (RA) and Farm Security Administration (FSA) hired photographers to document & highlight the plight of drought-stricken farmers and others during the 1930s. The description for this 1936 photograph reads, "Drought farmers line the shady side of the main street on the town while their crops burn up in the fields. 'Hello Bill, when's it gonna rain?'" Photo by Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Above: The RA and FSA also gave emergency loans and grants to farmers suffering from drought.  Article excerpt from The Poughkeepsie Eagle-News (Poughkeepsie, New York), September 23, 1939, and newspapers.com. Used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

8. Land Use Adjustment

Above: The Resettlement Administration purchased millions of acres of land that was unsuitable for farming and turned them into "forestry, grazing, wildlife conservation, and recreation" areas (Resettlement Administration annual report, fiscal year 1937, p. 9). The description for this 1936 photograph reads, "Back to grazing. The tract on which these buildings stand should never have been farmed, but it took protracted drought to drive that lesson home. This land is now under option by the Resettlement Administration which intends to convert it into a large grazing area. Oneida County, Idaho." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Resettlement Administration, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

9. Federal Surplus Commodoties Corporation

Above: The New Deal's Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation (FSCC) had several programs to assist drought-stricken Americans. This excerpt from the FSCC's 1936 annual report highlights three of those programs - delivery of food, purchase of surplus cattle, and relocating livestock to better pastures.

10. FDR's Drought Inspection Tour of 1936: Confirming Hope

Above: In August 1936, FDR went on a train & automobile drought inspection tour to judge conditions for himself. Here is a map of his route, starting in DC and ending in Hyde Park. Image from Stevens Point Daily Journal (Stevens Point, Wisconsin), August 25, 1936, and newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Here is FDR, near Bismarck, North Dakota, during his drought inspection tour, August 1936. At a train stop in Bismarck, FDR said: "There was another reason for my coming out here, and that was to look at you people. Back East there have been all kinds of reports that out in the drought area there was a widespread despondency, a lack of hope for the future, and a general atmosphere of gloom. But I had a hunch--and it was right--that when I got out here I would find that you people had your chins up... You are entitled to reassurance of the fact that the Government--not only the Federal Government, but the State Government and the local government--can and must and will go ahead with winning out through a system of careful long-range planning." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Resettlement Administration, courtesy of the Library of Congress.