History
From the dust bowl to paradise How one family deserted North Dakota for Idaho in 1936
“G
w w w. s a n d p o i n t o n l i n e . c o m
oing, going, gone!” Bang, went the auctioneer’s gavel! “To that gent in the straw hat, $2. Box of tools.” Standing in the hot, bare yard, the crowd of farmers sweated profusely, eyeing the collection of farm machinery, tools, harnesses and lots of other stuff. The sale bill, which eventually wound up in the museum at Hope, N.D., announced the auction at the E.P. Still farm on Aug. 29, 1936, all sales cash. As the sale droned on under the blazing sun, the ladies of the neighborhood sat quietly in the living room of the house, listening to my sister Hazel play the piano. She played softly, beautifully, and many of the ladies were wiping their eyes. When she started “Traumerei,” with its haunting melody, I cried, too. We were leaving North Dakota for Idaho, and I knew it was not likely that we would see any of these dear people again. It nearly broke my 14-year-old heart. Two days later, our big REO car left the yard for the last time, pulling a trailer filled with an awesome load of household goods, from furniture
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By Kathryn A. Hamshar
“Screen Door,” a painting by Scott Kirby in Visions of the Great Plains series
SANDPOINT MAGAZINE
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WINTER 2009
10/13/08 3:04:19 PM