The Great Depression was a trying time for Texans everywhere. We’ve all heard stories from our grandparents about what life was like during the country’s most tumultuous decade, but nothing compares to seeing the adversity firsthand. These photographs were taken in Texas during the 1930s and give a fascinating look into the world as it was decades ago.

  1. Thick clouds of black dust chase a car in the Texas Panhandle.

Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress, 1936.

  1. Vintage Texas license plate from 1930.

Wikimedia Commons Agency and exact location unknown, 1930.

  1. Women of the Evans Spring 4-H Club In Anderson County restore a bed frame.

Wikimedia Commons Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M, 1932.

  1. Winners of the International Pageant Of Pulchritude In Galveston pose for a photo. Miss Universe holds down the center, wearing a crown to distinguish herself.

Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress, 1930.

  1. Pearl Brewing Company flew cases of beer all over the country shortly after Prohibition ended.

Wikimedia Commons Pearl Brewery, 1933.

  1. A man gets baptized near Mineola.

Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress, 1935.

  1. The Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse in Fort Worth.

Wikimedia Commons U.S. National Archives, ca. 1934.

  1. A Coryell County farmer sits in his rocking chair and reads a magazine about farming.

Wikimedia Commons The Progressive Farmer, 1931.

  1. Employee of the Railway Express Agency in San Augustine.

Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress, 1939.

  1. Employees of Imperial Sugar Company load cargo onto a ship in the Galveston Wharf.

Wikimedia Commons SMU Central University Libraries, 1938.

  1. Members of the joint United States and Mexico International Park Commission stand on the South River in the Chisos Mountains.

Wikimedia Commons National Park Service, 1936.

  1. The 1938 Texas Tech University football team poses for a group photo.

Wikimedia Commons La Ventana yearbook, 1939.

  1. The Alamo Plaza Courts Tourist Apartments In Waco.

Wikimedia Commons Flickr photo, 1939.

  1. Employees of the South Texas Cotton Oil Company weigh bales of cotton.

Wikimedia Commons SMU Central University Libraries, 1937.

  1. View of the Congress Ave Bridge from a nearby fire tower.

Wikimedia Commons SMU Central University Libraries, 1935.

  1. The Texas & Pacific Railroad Locomotive #717 in Fort Worth.

Wikimedia Commons SMU Central University Libraries, 1939.

  1. Looking north on the Yale Street Bridge over White Oak Bayou In Houston.

Wikimedia Commons Agency unknown, 1931.

Do you have any Great Depression stories passed down from family members? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Wikimedia Commons

Library of Congress, 1936.

Agency and exact location unknown, 1930.

Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M, 1932.

Library of Congress, 1930.

Pearl Brewery, 1933.

Library of Congress, 1935.

U.S. National Archives, ca. 1934.

The Progressive Farmer, 1931.

Library of Congress, 1939.

SMU Central University Libraries, 1938.

National Park Service, 1936.

La Ventana yearbook, 1939.

Flickr photo, 1939.

SMU Central University Libraries, 1937.

SMU Central University Libraries, 1935.

SMU Central University Libraries, 1939.

Agency unknown, 1931.

For more haunting photos of this time period, check out 20 Rare Photos Taken In Texas During The Great Depression.

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