Historical Context

This letter, dated July 20, 1932, was written by Evan's father, Thomas.

Missions were expensive. Through the lens of the Great Depression, that $25 Thomas enclosed would be worth about $608 today. Based on consumer price index tracking through 2026, each $1 in 1932 had the same purchasing power as approximately $24.31 today. The sum Evan received for the typewriter, $61, translates to roughly $1,483 today. The typewriter was a premium piece of technology in the early 1930s, comparable to a premium laptop today. To put that $61 into perspective for a working-class family in 1932, the average weekly wage for those lucky enough to have a job (remember they were suffering with 25% unemployment) was often between $15 and $25. That typewriter represented multiple weeks...maybe even an entire month... of hard labor.

Thomas mentions clearing away "burned parts" to rebuild Dr. Beal's house on the same floor plan but with a different exterior shape. Dr. William W. Beal was a prominent early physician in Afton, Wyoming. Local historical records from Star Valley track the prominent structures of the town, and residential fires were devastating in these remote mountain valleys during the early 20th century because firefighting infrastructure was limited.

Thomas complains of a "heavy frost" in mid-July that threatened local gardens. Because Afton sits at an elevation of over 6,100 feet (1,860 meters) in a mountain valley, it is prone to extreme temperature swings. Even today, it is not uncommon for Star Valley to experience freezing temperatures and frost in July and August, making early American subsistence gardening a precarious gamble.