Picture courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Callaway County's Agriculture Heritage
Callaway County (north of the river) has a rich rural heritage. Agriculture has been the backbone of its economy and has shaped the lifestyle and character of its people. A snapshot of that rural lifestyle is given here. The year is 1936-in the middle of the Great Depression. In many ways, rural families fared better than others did because at least they could grow their own food, but not this year. The drought was so severe that crops failed totally and grass dried up. This was the time of the Oklahoma dust bowl. Folks here saw redness in the sky because of it. People resorted to cutting tree sprouts to feed livestock.

Kenneth Dungan, a farmer, husband and father of two, drove his truck and stationary baler to Illinois where at least there was straw to bale. He hauled it back and sold it to those needing to feed their livestock. For his family, it was a summer of misfortunes as his baler caught on fire, he cut off his thumb at the sawmill and broke his leg. But the Dungan family survived. In fact, it was growing as they were expecting their third child.

It helped that there were no bills to pay. There was no water bill, only a cistern and an outhouse. Wood fueled the cook stove and kerosene provided light. Despite the drought, they were able to grow potatoes and watermelons. Water was dipped from a spring to water the three milk cows, hogs, chickens and guineas. These animals supplied milk, eggs, and meat for the family. Since it was very hot, they moved beds outside and slept out in the open. On these very hot days, eating a watermelon that had been chilled in the spring all day was a special treat. This kind of lifestyle produced strong and self-sufficient individuals.

[Photos and credits: Top photo: In this 1940 photo the Dugan children, Julia and "Sonny" are feeding chickens.
(Photo by Mrs. Kenneth Dungan);
2nd Photo: Children raised of farms usually had opportunities to get to know farm animals and to explore farms, and woods often barefoot.
(Photo by Mrs. Kenneth Dungan);
3rd Photo: Kenneth Dungan of Bachelor, Mo. hauled straw from Illinois and sold it in drought-stricken Callaway County in the mid-1930s.
(Photo by Mrs. Kenneth Dungan.);
4th Photo: Horse-drawn rakes were used to gather and bring loose hay to a stationary baler powered by a steam engine. The Dungan brothers operated this stationary bailer in 1925. Julia Brown (later Mrs. Kenneth Dungan) is pictured in the upper left.
(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Kenneth Dungan);
Pair of Photos on bottom: Life on a farm meant that there were a lot of daily chores to do: taking care of the children, animals, farm and home. Julia Dungan recalled that on her and Kenneth's first day together at the "home place" in 1925, they got up at 4 a.m. Kenneth told her about the cow, pigs, and sheep she should feed and water while he set out with a team of mules to drag logs to a sawmill. Julia said, "So, I was a bride one day and a chore-boy the next." Julia commented, "The time were pretty hard baack then, but we always made it and had a good life together too."
(Photo taken in the mid-1930s by Kenneth Dungan.)

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