State Historical Society of Iowa

Stacks of Sugarcane in Emmet County, Iowa, December 1936

 Download Image Resource

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Lee, Russell, "Several stacks of sugarcane, Emmet County, Iowa," United States Resettlement Administration, December 1936

Description

The photograph shows several stacks of sugarcane that are being grown in Emmet County, Iowa, in 1936. The sugarcane stacks are wide at the base and get narrow at the top. They dominate the picture. There is a partial image of a house on the far-left side of the picture, and another building far away on the horizon.

Source Dependent Questions

  • The image shows sugarcane being grown in Iowa. How does this image differ from the types of crops you see growing in Iowa fields today?
  • What would be the advantages of planting a crop that grows like sugarcane? Disadvantages?
  • What might have caused midwest farmers to move away from growing sugarcane? Use evidence solely from the the image.
  • This photograph was taken for the United States Resettlement Administration, a Depression-era New Deal agency. That group helped struggling families relocate to communities designed by the government. What would be the purpose of this photograph for that group?

Citation Information

Lee, Russell, "Several Stacks of Sugarcane, Emmet County, Iowa," United States Resettlement Administration, December 1936. Courtesy of Library of Congress Courtesy of Library of Congress