Mobilizing the rural home front : the extension service, Montana women, and World War II by Kathleen Elizabeth Werner A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Montana State University © Copyright by Kathleen Elizabeth Werner (2003) Abstract: The U.S. government’s push to mobilize all sectors of its population during World War II has taken many forms. For women, most of the attention has focused on urban workers and others who may have engaged in factory work. Rural women, however, were important during the war. Agricultural production was vital to America’s success; a country needs to feed its people to win a war. Unlike the popularization of work in the factories, women’s labor in agricultural production was not feminized. The government worked to create an ideology for rural women that preserved their identity as homemakers but also encouraged agricultural labor. In the rural front, women had to be pulled into the effort; mobilizing them to the cause was essential to national unity. The purpose of this research is to examine the mobilization efforts made towards rural Montana women. What kinds of messages did the national press issue to women, and specifically, to what extent did the Montana Home Extension Service participate in assisting the government’s construction of rural women’s wartime identity? Examining the Cooperative Extension Service’s annual reports in Montana demonstrates how the government sought to mobilize rural women. By looking at Montana State College Home Economics Department’s domestic and scientific training demonstrates how rural women were helped during the war years. Lastly, by comparing those findings with national magazines idea of women’s identity in World War II shows the importance of homemakers. The study reveals that rural women were presented as patriotic homemakers, whose sole aim was to preserve democratic ideals and safeguard the family. MOBILIZING THE RURAL HOME FRONT: THE EXTENSION SERVICE, MONTANA WOMEN, AND WORLD WAR TL by Kathleen Elizabeth Wemer A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana April 2003 © COPYRIGHT by Kathleen Elizabeth Wemer 2003 All Rights Reserved Spec upub VlHcJS ii APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Kathleen Elizabeth Wemer This thesis has been read by each member of the thesis committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency, and is ready for submission to the College of Graduate Studies. Dr. Mary Murphy Approved for the Department of History Dr. Robert Rydell (Signature) Approved for the College of Graduate Studies c Dr. Bmce R. McLej 7) ■ / r (Signature) / Date STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Montana State University, I agree that the Library shall make it available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. If I have indicated my intention to copyright this thesis by including a copyright notice page, copying is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this thesis in whole or in parts may be granted only by the copyright holder. Signature Date Jfr// TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................I Impact of the Extension Service in Montana..................................................... .............6 2. DON’T LEAVE THE FARM, GIRLS, UNCLE SAM DEPENDS ON YOU.............12 “How War Affects Home Demonstration” .................................................................... 14 Reaching Every Clientele: County Level Extension Work.........................................17 Securing the Well-Being of Every Family Member: Nutrition and Health................ 22 Making the Home Safe and Aesthetically Pleasing: Home Management...................27 From Beautification to Production: Victory Gardens.................................................. 34 Going the Extra Mile: Miscellaneous Programs...........................................................37 Conclusion........................................................................................................................ 3. TIES THAT BIND: MONTANA STATE COLLEGE HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT AND THE EXTENSION SERVICE................................................ 41 U.S. Home Economics: Managing the Home and a Career......................................... 43 Montana’s Home Economics Program..........................................................................47 Partnership from the Beginning: Extension Service and Home Economics................50 Home Economics during the War.................................................................................. 53 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 55 4. SERVING AMERICA’S HOUSEWIVES: MAGAZINE’S DEPICTION OF THE NATION’S HOMEMAKER................................................................................. 58 Montana Woman: A Magazine for the Housewife.......................................................61 Targeting Housewives and Single Women: National Magazines................................ 69 Conclusion....................................................................................................... 75 5. CONCLUSION................................... 77 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 82 ABSTRACT The U.S. government’s push to mobilize all sectors of its population during World War II has taken many forms. For women, most of the attention has focused on urban workers and others who may have engaged in factory work. Rural women, however, were important during the war. Agricultural production was vital to America’s success; a country needs to feed its people to win a war. Unlike the popularization of work in the factories, women’s labor in agricultural production was not feminized. The government worked to create an ideology for rural women that preserved their identity as homemakers but also encouraged agricultural labor. In the rural front, women had to be pulled into the effort; mobilizing them to the cause was essential to national unity. The purpose of this research is to examine the mobilization efforts made towards rural Montana women. What kinds of messages did the national press issue to women, and specifically, to what extent did the Montana Home Extension Service participate in assisting the government’s construction of rural women’s wartime identity? Examining the Cooperative Extension Service’s annual reports in Montana demonstrates how the government sought to mobilize rural women. By looking at Montana State College Home Economics Department’s domestic and scientific training demonstrates how rural women were helped during the war years. Lastly, by comparing those findings with national magazines idea of women’s identity in World War II shows the importance of homemakers. The study reveals that rural women were presented as patriotic homemakers, whose sole aim was to preserve democratic ideals and safeguard the family. I CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Last night it was the County Nutrition for Defense Committee. Things seem to be much nearer when you are on such committees. We are not only making plans for families to feed themselves since there will be a distinct shortage on the grocers shelves. But also should it be necessary to evacuate families on the West Coast, we will have to have something to feed them when they arrive until they can get adjusted. It isn’t the hectic planning for war gardens of War I, but rather serious sober planning. There won’t be tin cans available. I wish the whole thing were well over. —Harriette Cushman, 10 March 1942 Letter to Cushman Family. A very personal account of the work of extension agents in Montana, Harriette Cushman’s letters to her parents revealed the state’s need for a concerted effort in keeping rural citizens updated on and interested in World War DL More importantly, setting up Nutrition Committees and Production for Defense Committees, while geared to the agricultural sector of the extension work, demonstrated Montanans’ urge to participate in the war effort. Harriette Cushman also illustrated the unique way in which agricultural agents contributed to the overall effectiveness of Montana’s patriotic responsibilities. On July 1, 1922, Cushman began her thirty-two year career as Montana State College’s (MSC) Poultry Specialist.1 In fact, her appointment as a Poultry Specialist for the Extension Service made her one of the very first and, few, women in her field. She led the development of Montana’s cooperative turkey marketing pools, helped upgrade state poultry flocks, improved new techniques for egg marketing, and worked for the improvement of poultry production on the Indian reservations. Herjob would see her through a worldwide depression, a world war, and the political paranoia of the 1950s. 1 1 Montana State College was officially changed to Montana State University in 1965. 2 Through all these events, Cushman remained committed to Montana, the college, and its people. Bom in Birmingham, Alabama, Cushman did not seem destined for Montana. She was a gifted woman who had worked all over the nation. She served in non- academic