Aunt Mary in the Granary and Other Prairie Stories

Erin Millions teaches in the Department of History at the University of
Saskatchewan.

Every Canadian has heard tales about the hardships of the Great
Depression. Stories about dried cod, gopher tails, and grasshopper
infestations are the stuff of prairie legends. Books based on people’s
experiences during the 1930s abound, but each one holds memories for
those who lived through the Depression and lessons for those who did
not. In this book, Eileen Comstock, a Saskatchewan writer, farmer, and
former teacher, recounts growing up during the Dirty Thirties and her
life as a rural prairie dweller. She covers everything from the
poignancy of farm auctions, to the fine points of baking bread in a coal
oven, to the various ways in which farm kids found to amuse themselves.

The book is divided into approximately 60 brief, seemingly randomly
placed chapters. The result is a warm, anecdotal feeling, but with no
sense of continuity or organization. That said, the book is insightful.
Viewing events like crop destruction, drought, and poverty from a
child’s point of view is both compelling and refreshing. While
Comstock does not glorify the hardships of the Depression, her anecdotes
reveal that people in rural Saskatchewan still loved, laughed, and
played despite the difficult times.

There is something in this book for everybody. People who lived
through the Depression will identify with many of Comstock’s
experiences. History buffs and general readers will be fascinated by her
descriptions of rural life in the 1930s.