Lucille Beard Groceries

The date is October 12, 1939. The past fifteen months my Grandmother Lucille Chase McCracken Beard had seen tremendous lows and highs. She has buried her first husband, Demar, worked multiple jobs to provide for her son and daughter, married her long time friend Elmer, and she is now nearing the delivery of her third child, who will be a son, Aaron.

As much as possible, the family table is spread with home grown produce, game, and eggs and dairy products fresh from the barn.  Food is preserved for the cold winter months, but, the growing season is short in Tetonia and gardens are plagued by late and early frosts, making self sufficiency a challenge.

This picture of the interior of A. C. Miner's Store in Tetonia was taken approximately during this time period and gives a glimpse into Grandma's shopping options. 

Here is an exterior photograph of the grocery.

The grocery store ads from The Ashton Herald newspaper on this date, October 12, 1939,  give us a glimpse of what Grandma would spend for foods to supplement what they could produce themselves.

I'm impressed with some of the prices, but not so much with the selection. Two pounds of peanut butter for a quarter sounds like a deal; I wonder if my dad ate PB & J's.