Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Farming By Hand
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, February 25, 2021
1. Farming By Hand Marker
Inscription.
Farming By Hand. . , The earliest farming implements used in Louisiana were simple tools. Before tractors and other mechanized farm equipment changed the way people picked cotton, workers spent long hours in the hot Louisiana sun, chopping with hoes and digging with shovels. For cotton farmers in northeastern Louisiana, the years between 1900 and 1941 were generally marked by hardship because of the depressed cotton economy. As local historian Georgia Payne Durham Pinkston noted in the late 1970s, "one money crop was produced [locally] and that was cotton.” Low commodity prices, periodic flooding, and labor problems had plagued the local cotton industry during the post-Civil War era, but greater challenges awaited in he early twentieth century.
With the beginning of World War I (1914), Louisiana cotton farmers temporarily lost their European markets and prices plunged to 5 cents a pound. Following America's entry into the conflict, the federal government encouraged farmers to maximize agricultural productivity for the United States' war effort. The result, following the end of hostilities in November 1918, was a huge glut in commodities. This produced a regional depression that gripped the Deep South throughout the 1920s. The local economic stagnation was compounded by the devastation wrought by the 1927 flood and the onset of the national depression in 1929. Economic hardship was generalized, and no segment of the regional population was spared.
, Photo caption , A labor force carrying hoes returning home after a long day in the fields (above) , A boy transporting water in a cart to workers in the fields (left). . This historical marker is in Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish Louisiana
The earliest farming implements used in Louisiana were
simple tools. Before tractors and other mechanized farm
equipment changed the way people picked cotton, workers
spent long hours in the hot Louisiana sun, chopping with hoes
and digging with shovels. For cotton farmers in northeastern
Louisiana, the years between 1900 and 1941 were generally
marked by hardship because of the depressed cotton economy.
As local historian Georgia Payne Durham Pinkston noted in the
late 1970s, "one money crop was produced [locally] and that
was cotton.” Low commodity prices, periodic flooding, and
labor problems had plagued the local cotton industry during
the post-Civil War era, but greater challenges awaited in he
early twentieth century.
With the beginning of World War I (1914), Louisiana cotton farmers temporarily lost their European markets and prices plunged to
5 cents a pound. Following America's entry into the conflict, the federal government encouraged farmers to maximize agricultural
productivity for the United States' war effort. The result, following the end of hostilities in November 1918, was a huge glut in
commodities.
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This produced a regional depression that gripped the Deep South throughout the 1920s. The local economic stagnation
was compounded by the devastation wrought by the 1927 flood and the onset of the national depression in 1929. Economic hardship
was generalized, and no segment of the regional population was spared.
Photo caption A labor force carrying hoes returning home after a long day in the fields (above) A boy transporting water in a cart to workers in the fields (left).
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture.
Location. 32° 49.043′ N, 91° 12.573′ W. Marker is in Lake Providence, Louisiana, in East Carroll Parish. Marker can be reached from U.S. 65, half a mile south of Schrock Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7162 US-65, Lake Providence LA 71254, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Located on the grounds of the Louisiana Cotton Museum.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
