uring the Great Depression
Nebraskans became accustomed
to living under trying
conditions. People had to cope
not only with hard economic times,
but with the intense heat accompanied
by drought that plagued this state and
much of the rest of the country.
The relentless heat was hard on
everyone who suffered through the
summer of 1936. The heat wave
started in late June, when temperatures
across the United States exceeded 100
degrees. Temperatures reached record
levels in July. On July 25, 1936, the
Lincoln Journal Star's banner headline
said it all: "Mercury 114; Breaks
Record Here." The Star reported: "The
merciless heat followed the hottest
night in all Lincoln history. The lowest
temperature of the dark hours was 91."
Many people suffered from heat
stroke and heat exhaustion, particularly
the elderly. In the era before air-
conditioning and public swimming
pools, most people could rely only on
fans and blocks of ice for some degree
of cooling.
Ruth Godfrey Donovan and her
family lived in a small apartment in
downtown Lincoln. Donovan said,
"The iceman was still making his daily
rounds at that time. I prepared for his
coming by placing a large washtub
in the center of the living room floor.
Then I watched for him. When I saw
his small truck in front I rushed out
and asked for a fifty pound piece of the
delightfully cold product. He would
bring it into the apartment and place it
in the tub. Then I turned a strategically
placed electric fan to blow on the block
of ice. For several hours I gloated over
the cooling breezes!"
She recalled a neighbor's homemade
air conditioner, "the wonder of the
year," which consisted of little more
than an old automobile radiator in the
living room. "The window behind it
was open slightly, just enough to allow
a garden hose to be passed in to the
coils of the radiator and another piece
of hose to go from the coils and out of
the window. An electric fan was placed
behind the radiator and blew a steady
stream of air on the coils. The mixture
of cold water going through and the air
from the fan produced cool air for the
room!"
Some people could swim in lakes
and rivers, and cities opened fire
hydrants. Many slept outdoors. The
photo above, from the MacDonald
Studio Collection at the Nebraska State
Historical Society, depicts residents
of Lincoln sleeping on the lawn of the
Nebraska State Capitol to escape the
heat.
The summer of 1936 was the hottest
and driest ever recorded. The heat
wave and drought largely ended in
September, though fields and lawns
remained parched. ■
Visit the Nebraska State Historical
Society's website at Nebraskahistory.org.
NSHS,
RG2183-1936-725
A Brief History
It's Too Hot to Sleep
Inside
By Patricia C. Gaster,
Nebraska State Historical Society
D
Nebraska State Capitol, July 1936.
10 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2015
