The Bay and Chickens, 1929

Ransom Abbott, Lillian Nichols, and Al Galford arrived in Oakland, California early in 1929. Ransom got his transfer and the new West Coast territory for Olympia Typewriters was the biggest and strongest they had, eleven states in total. He was happy to have been offered it. They quickly found a house to rent. this one even had a second little house on the lot. Maybe they could sublease it eventually and make a little extra cash in the deal.

Al was now 12 and quickly adapted to new surroundings and another new school. He helped around the house for his mother and, when he was allowed, he traveled with his step-father on his sales runs. It was warm, the neighborhood was alright, and he kept to himself, just like always.

Come the fall though, everything fell apart. The Stock Market collapsed in October. By the end of the year, no one was buying any typewriters at all and those who had placed orders had canceled them. Ransom had stopped going on sales runs at all. It was a waste of time. The little work Lillian had found initially had evaporated.

They bought some chickens and kept them in the spare house on the back of the property. At first they sold them for a quarter each and sol the few eggs too. After that they, when others were doing the same to get by, they just kept the eggs for themselves and started killing and eating the chickens to survive.

By mid-1930, they knew they were doomed if they stayed. They had no money left. Olympia had dissolved and there was no work in Oakland. So they decided to head back East. They packed their car and took off. When they left they lacked funds to make to back to the Midwest where any relatives lived that might help them. Their only plan was to go as far as they could on what they had and then to start working for money to move on until they got back.

For the next six months, that is how they traveled. At first, they drove straight through. After a couple days, they were broke. Then they started asking, as many others going both ways were doing, for work at farms and in small towns. when they found day labor, they ate, fill the car with gas and drove on. when they didn't, they stayed put until they located work to allow them to travel.

Eventually, they landed in Erlanger, Kentucky. There they found some relatives of Lillian. This would be but a temporary stop in the midst of the Depression.