Includes bibliographical references (p. 227-240) and index.

1. Hardly a Cloud in the Sky -- 2. Trials, Tests, and Hard Times -- 3. A Cow in Every Yard -- 4. "Everything Comes from Washington" -- 5. The Hardest of Times -- 6. Down but Not Out -- 7. Facing a Crisis of Confidence -- 8. Too Poor to Leave, Too Discouraged to Stay -- Epilogue: The Dust Settles -- Appendix A: Questionnaire and Oral History Project -- Appendix B: Use of the Kansas State Agricultural Census.

When drought and depression hit southwestern Kansas, thousands fled the region. But, surprisingly, more than three-quarters of the population stayed. Examining the social impact of economic hardship and environmental disaster, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg illustrates how both farm and town families survived by finding odd jobs, working in government programs, or depending on federal and private assistance. Those years of deprivation, she shows, dramatically affected standards of living, family relationships, city and county finances, land ownership, farm prices and production, population shifts, and politics - and indelibly altered the outlook and future plans of these Kansans. More important, her study provides a moving testament to the endurance and fortitude of these remarkable people.

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