Depression Days — The Watkins and Dutton Families

Both the Dutton and Watkins families were hit hard by the Great Depression. Leonard Dutton's family struggled on their farm. Mary Elizabeth Watkins' family nearly starved.

Her father Andrew Watkins had already lost his arm in a milling accident, making it even harder to provide. Yet both families endured, and their children — Eugene and Mary Elizabeth — would eventually marry and carry both family lines forward.

The resilience of these families during the darkest economic period in American history is a testament to the strength of the people of Southwest Virginia. They relied on each other, on their community, and on the land itself to survive.