Effects of World War II

DRAFT--This page is a draft. It is incomplete, not proof read and may contain research notes

World War II affected the community in deep and unforeseen ways. During the war Reardan and every other community in the country was asked to sacrifice:

• Rationing of food (sugar, butter, etc.).
• Rationing of gasoline and tires.
• Scrap drives to recycle unused iron.
• Bond drives to raise money for the war. Individual towns were tracked to pressure them into contributing their fair share.
• Maintain production of wheat and other farm products.

Sending young men and women off to war, meant that women had to pick up some of the slack by working in the fields. Death of several members of the community left a permanent scar upon the residents. These deaths were quickly commemorated with the establishment of the Memorial Clinic which became the Memorial Library in 1966. Money for the clinic was raised by re-establishing Community Day and that in turn was largely supported by the chartering of the Reardan Lions Club.

The Reardan area was also undergoing technological changes. Tractors were replacing horses to do field work. Self propelled combines were being introduced. Through the Rural Electrification Act (REA), farms were becoming electrified. Work on Grand Coulee Dam was completed and work on clearing the reservoir behind the dam was finishing up in 1940. The Bonneville high tension power lines were installed from Grand Coulee to Spokane, Portland and Seattle. This left permanent structures in the north part of the district from Mondovi to Seven Mile.