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March 1939. "Home of fisherman squatter on shores of Nueces Bay. Corpus Christi, Texas. Photographs show squatters and migrants in shanty town along Nueces Bay area. Tents, shelters constructed from old boats, tar paper, automobile licenses, boxes. Privy made of automobile body." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
One thing I remember during the depression is foraging for extra food. We'd pick dandelions to be had for greens. Not too bad, as I remember. My dad had no job til about 1939, so we lived a while with my grandmother, and later out west on my aunt and uncles ranch. At least we wern't relegated to a shack. I don't recall feeling deprived. Most people were in the same boat.
There has never ever been a building or a place around fishing that didn’t have a cat or two. And these people, though poor, at least kept the area around their shack swept and picked up.
[There's also a big dog. - Dave]
My father (1907-1983) often said that I or my children could never imagine the hunger, squalor and hopelessness of the Great Depression.
That cat on the doorstep must know that he will have fish and seafood aplenty as long as he sticks around with fishermen squatters and he is not planning to leave this location. How lucky can one cat get?
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