Clockwise from top left: Newspapers around the state heralded the news of peace Nov. 11, 1918; The 1920s saw the cult of the automobile in full flourish; Communities across Oregon held gold star services to honor the war dead; The Civilian Conservation Corps played a key role in attempting to pull Oregon out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Oregonians emerged from World War I both empowered and chastened. Veterans had traveled the globe, seeing new and exotic places many had only dreamed about or seen in picture books. The economy had boomed during the war providing food, ships and other needed supplies for the war. Yet, many had witnessed the senseless killing on the battlefields of Europe and were repulsed. And the economy soon flagged as war demand dropped in 1919. This section examines life in Oregon after the war and looks at some of the precursors to the next world war.
Between World Wars: Oregon's Cloudy Future