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Postage During the Depression Era

By Capper's Staff
Published on February 27, 2012

My father had a job herding sheep that paid $25.00 a month. Our family of eleven existed on that and jobs us children could get working in the fields during the summer and fall.

The year I was sixteen I had seven cents to spend the first six months of the year. I bought a three cent stamp and four post cards. (Postage for letters was three cents and one cent for cards.) I sent for free samples of cosmetics and cookbooks for myself and the girls in my home economics class.

Our parents owned a small farm, a few horse, cattle and chickens. Even tho we didn’t have enough to eat or adequate clothing we thought we were better off than those people who traveled around and lived in covered wagons and sold crepe paper flowers.

Jeneal Riley
Rogers, Arkansas


Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.