A Kansas Memory Podcast

Mabel Holmes' Diary, 1935-1939, part 1

The document used in this podcast is available on

• Mabel Holmes' Diary Entries

Mabel Holmes, a longtime Topeka resident, kept a daily diary from January 1, 1935-December 31, 1939. During this time, storms resulting from the severe drought conditions blanketed the state in dust so thick that it could be pitch black in the middle of the day; Kansans were coping with an economic depression even worse than our current one; the threat of a second World War in Europe was looming. Against this backdrop, Mabel talks about the news, weather, shopping, outings with her sister, Elma and their friends and her volunteer work with her church and local women's groups. It's a personal time capsule of an era when Kansas and the nation was experiencing unprecedented change.

This podcast features excerpts from the same week in March, the 15th to 22nd, of each year. It also includes material found in the Topeka Daily Capital newspaper on microfilm, the State and Federal censuses and Topeka City Directories at the Kansas Historical Society's State Archives and Library.