Donald G Enz

Claytonville, Illinois And Vicinity In Review - 1931 Donald G Enz

Claytonville is a small community in central Illinois in the center of farm country. It has lost most of its businesses over the years because of the automobile and lack of job opportunities. But, it still has people who are good and kind. In these smaller farm communities they were still insulated from the harsh realities of those living in the big citiies because most farmers and people in town were still raising gardens and canning their harvests. City folk did not have that advantage. They, also, hadn't lost that many jobs because businesses were small and served the local population. The depression was still affecting them, though, with burglaries and theft. With Prohibition still the law, many ordinary people had to resort to making alcohol to sell to make ends meet. This was prompted primarily in 1931 because of extreme heat, poor crops and low prices for those crops. People did whatever they had to do in order to keep their families feed and the tax collector at bay. Foreclosures were becoming more common, as well as the closure of several local banks that didn't have the cash flow to keep their doors open. Hard times were upon them.