“Whatever happened to The American Dream?”

     Hearing so much about economic worries on news programs and from friends, my heart aches for those who must suffer, some having to choose whether to buy food or get their medicines. Also, I worry about the young people who trained for careers and are now unable to find jobs. I worry for those who are unemployed, having to ask parents, “Can I (or we if they have a family) move back home?” I worry for parents who may feel they have to say yes, then having to adjust to an enlarged household. I worry for those who have no family willing or able to take them in. We all wonder, “Whatever happened to the American Dream?”

     One of the oral history projects my RHS high school students did was centered on The Great Depression. It was funded by a grant proposal I submitted. The Richfield Reaper published a twelve-page special edition newspaper on March 25, 1998, titled Sevier County Remembers the Great Depression. The paper was created by RHS students, a tribute to the abilities and dedication of my sixteen-year-old pupils, as I guided them through the process.

     They learned so much from doing interviews with those who had lived the Great Depression. Transcribing their interviews gave the students time to reflect on what they had learned. The interviewees were glad to have their recollections made permanent and pleased to share how to survive hard times with the young people who interviewed them.

     When times of plenty shape human lives, it is often hard to think what times of want might mean. And perhaps the more difficult personal questions are what would I do and how could I survive; and perhaps the most difficult query is “Could I remain honest and noble and kind through economic difficulty?”

     Hopefully, the stories of people who lived through the Great Depression, which began in 1929 with the momentous stock market crash, will give guidance. I share excerpts from a few of the twenty-three interviews done as part of this oral history project. In a previous column, I discussed experiences of Verla Breinholt, Luzon Peterson, Tom Abbot, and Angie Wight.

Some stories to pique your curiosity

 Here, we share some of their reflections and experiences

and preserve their stories for future generations.

Click on the icon to read or listen.

Judy Busk taught English at Richfield High School. This oral history collection was developed from a student project that she and Elaine Street assigned to their English and Honors students as part of their coursework. She is also the author of this article.

Judy Busk

These are just a few of the lived experiences recorded. You can learn more by accessing SCHAS. Based on the answer to “Why do you archive history?” we answer, “Just SCAHS.”

SCAHS stands for Sevier County Archive and Heritage Services.

If you would like access to the oral recording of an interview and its transcription to learn more, here’s how.

• Go to https://www.seviercountyhistoryhub.org/
• Tap on 'Explore the Archive'
• Then Browse 'Collections'
• Click on the 'Judy Busk and Elaine Street Oral History Collection' 

Listen, read, and view the stories.

This article was published in the Richfield Reaper, November 4, 2026.

You can also browse by person's name, topics like the Great Depression. We hope you enjoy exploring the archive!

Visit Sevier County Archives and Heritage Services in person in the basement of the Sevier County Administration Building, Room B40, Monday-Friday, 8 am - 5 pm, or schedule an appointment. New items are added weekly; digitizing is a work in progress, so check back often or submit a request! Volunteers welcome.

Your local Richfield Library has transcriptions of these interviews housed in binders, alphabetized by last name. You can sit at a comfortable table and read memories of a person or persons of your choice. Through reading, you will be transported back to the years of the Great Depression through vivid recollections that reveal not only events but emotions.