10 Fascinating Images Of Michigan Farms From The Past

Michigan during and immediately following the Great Depression was a period of tremendous transition. On one side, the state was establishing itself as a manufacturing powerhouse. On the other, many Michigan families were living in extreme poverty, toiling the soils of the state’s agriculture industry. It was a meager means of self-reliance. And, as photographed by photographer John Vachon, for a project that looked at the struggles of families during that period, created by order of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, we can see how families lived in rural Michigan.

Boy picking strawberries, Berrien County, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-001942

Buyer examining cherries in fruit market, Benton Harbor, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-1047

Farmers at produce market, Benton Harbor, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-001949

Migrant child in front of tent home, Berrien County, Mich

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-001992

Migrant children at nursery school, Berrien County, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-00193

Migrant father and son picking cherries, Berrien County, Mich

John Vachon/LC-USF33-001979

Migrants getting car ready to move on in search for work, Berrien County, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-T01-001989

Preparing dinner in migrant camp, Berrien County, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-001970

Strawberry picker, Berrien County, Michigan

John Vachon/LC-USF33-001976

Water supply for nine company cabins at fruit packing plant, Berrien County, Michigan

LC-USF33-T01-001955

Quite a set of photographs, huh? Kind of makes you appreciate all the modern luxuries we enjoy today. Tell us about life on the farm, back in 1930s and ’40s Michigan. We would be intrigued by the stories you have to tell.