In our family, both the Goodwin's and the Kemp's were in Oklahoma City during the depression. Their own stories are written here for future generations to understand the impact of the depression upon our family. Oklahoma was part of the dust bowl and hundreds left Oklahoma during the depression. Unable to make a living on their farms, they became vagrants in the cities, making ends meet as they were able. Not only was money completely unavailable, but the land itself had forsaken the farmer. 

My dad worked for two years in the early thirties without being paid by the city, even though he had worked at the water works for over ten years as
a boiler tender. We lived about a mile (from his work) and he walked to work and I could walk down (to his work) to be with him. We made things out of copper pipe together, and I learned to use a lot of his tools.
Once I noticed a big tent on the parking lot of the ball park across the street from his work there were lots of people there, long lines, leading to tables with free bread and soup that was delicious. I ran back to tell him of my find (and) that we need not worry about food. only he whipped me (and) told me that was for poor people and that he had a job.  He rented our house out and we (my  mother, brother and sister) moved to his mothers for a few months, all five of us in one room.  Then he took us to East Texas to stay in a shack by Uncle Bud's house (on a farm), where we had a well and an outhouse and could get food from their (Uncle Bud's) large garden.  Janice, (my sister), was barely walking and enjoyed making it to their (Uncle Bud's) house on a path.  It was different, (it was) a lot of fun; only we all missed Dad (who had stayed in Oklahoma City with his job, although he was still not receiving any pay). -Ben Goodwin