WPA writers captured a snapshot of early Oregon

IN 1935, IN the depths of the Great Depression, the U.S. Congress passed what’s sometimes called the “Second New Deal.” It was a $4.88 billion investment into getting Americans through the Depression. The philosophy behind this new New Deal push was to let unemployed workers earn their way by putting their existing skills to use, rather than treating them like charity cases or giving them make-work jobs raking leaves or doing litter patrols. One category of skilled workers who are often unemployed during hard times is writers and artists. So a comparatively tiny sliver of the WPA’s funds went toward “Federal Project Number One,” a group that included the Federal Writers’ Project, Federal Art Project, Federal Music Project, and Federal Theatre Project. In Oregon, the Federal Writers’ Project was especially interesting, because in 1938 — when most of its work was done — there were actual Oregon Trail pioneers still alive. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2509a0908b.wpa-writers-project+SB-wakeworks-707.032.html)