When Bill Underhill moved west after World War I, he decided to homestead in Twentynine Palms, California. He helped build the first roads, the first swimming pool and the first American Legion Post. To help the community, he started the first weekly newspaper in 1935, the four-page Desert Trail, which he published with his wife, […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Cool Places
Rez Vignettes: At the ‘Indian Furniture Store’
When my mom, Bernice Pember, was growing up she was asked out by a handsome young man. Her double date took place at the dump. Here she’s with my uncle, Donald Rabideaux, on the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior. This photo was taken in the early ’80s. Initially I […]
Posted inGrowth and Development
City-Based Charities Wising Up to Rural Causes
Bus driver Rocky Ford, left, delivers meals to the elderly in Loch Lynn, MD, through Garrett County Community Action. The program is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the largest funder of rural development in the U.S.Photo: Kaihaz Amaria U.S. foundations overwhelmingly favor urban and metropolitan charities with their grants. No one disputes that. The […]
Posted inRural Voters
Debating With the Rs: In Des Moines, There’s No Mention of Rural America’s Future
The Republican candidates for president held a debate at 8 a.m. Sunday — the theory being, we suppose, that people could get their politics in before church. Yonder readers are forgiven if they missed this made-for-ABC contest. We have reviewed the transcript, however, and are here now to report on what the candidates said about […]
Posted inAgriculture
Letter From Langdon: In Omaha, a Call for Fair Trade That Would Save Both Agriculture and Industry
Omaha, Nebraska, isn’t quite at the geographical center of the U.S.A., but on Friday it was at the center of some serious debate about free trade. The Revere Copper Co. recently closed a plant in Massachusetts because of unequal trade practices, according to the company’s president. This a statue of Paul Revere in Boston. Photo: […]
Posted inGrowth and Development, Rural Economy
The Yonder 40 Stock Index Keeps Falling — and What It All Means
The Daily Yonder 40 dropped for a third week, which left the index of publicly traded stocks representing the economy of rural America down 7.5 percent since July 1. All the major indexes have declined since that time — but the DY40 has fared a bit worse than the others: The Dow is down 1.7 […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Religion and Faith
One Man’s Cathedral in the Georgia Pines
View of Pasaquan, Eddie Owens Martin’s creation near Buena Vista, GeorgiaPhoto: Bill Bishop Pope Benedict (who has said Protestant groups don’t qualify as churches) seems pretty unlikely to nominate Eddie Owens Martin for sainthood. In his day, Martin had been a marijuana dealer, also a professional gambler and prostitute. He told fortunes for a living. […]
Posted inPeople to Know
Speak Your Piece: Getting Out the Democrat Vote Doesn’t Get It
Steve Bucknum, Vice-Chair of Crook Co., Oregon, Democratic Party Photo: Bill Bishop The perception these days is that while rural communities have been the backbone of the Republican Party, that support is waning. The war in Iraq, corruption and power abuse scandals, and the generally poor perception of the Bush Administration have brought the Republican […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Letter from Langdon: Which Party Can Grow Hope?
Ralph Oswald, the author’s father, plowing with mules Langdon, Missouri, c. 1928 Photo: Courtesy of Richard Oswald I’ve always felt that I was raised by Democrats, not so much because my family was political, but because as a child in my parents’ farm home, the only two presidents I ever heard anything good about were […]
Posted inHealth
Rural Trauma Victims Dying of the ‘Golden’ Rule
After an accident on Highway 111, near Biddeford, MainePhoto: phooper The “golden hour” — medically speaking ““ is the brief span of time just after a serious injury; survival usually depends on whether someone receives skilled critical care in those first 60 minutes. The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety reports that for motor vehicle […]