Utah had been economically devastated during the 1930s. As 1940 approached, Utah still had 30% to 60% more people on federal relief projects than the national average. The social dislocation arising from the war was also great. Family dynamics shifted with fathers being overseas for long periods of time, women entering the workforce to help with the war effort, in addition to a sense of impermanence, absence of normal attachments, competition for scarce resources, stress of the crisis, and numerous other factors of a less tangible nature, all came together to turn society topsy- turvy.
“With the war and the holiday season popularizing the railroad stations and the bus depots beyond wildest expectations” the increased burden of furnishing information and seeing that passengers are taken care of falls upon the Travelers’ Aid Society, depot passenger agents and station masters.
Quote and Photo Credit: Salt Lake Telegram (Salt Lake City, Utah) · Sat, Dec 23, 1943 · Page 13
*Source information (https://historytogo.utah.gov/wwii-utah/?)
