​Looking Back: The War Years

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 

In 1940, Grain Valley was still in the throes of the Depression. As the decade of the 1930s drug on, more and more families were finding it difficult to earn a living. I recall my Aunt Opal Fristoe telling me how folks saved money.  Before she threw away a worn-out item of clothing, she would take off the buttons and take out the zipper. Feed sacks were used to make clothing, especially for young children. Chicken necks were boiled for broth to make noodle soup, nearly everyone had a garden, but canning jars were in short supply. And, during the war, ration stamps were the lifeblood for nearly everyone. Needless to say, she had many more stories of “hard times.”
 
The United States officially entered World War II the day after Pearl Harbor  on December 8, 1941.  The war ended on September 2, 1945, when formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri, designating the day as the official Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day). During the war, life in Grain Valley, like the rest of our country, was in war mode.
 
In January and February of 2020, this column featured a series of articles from The Broadcaster, the student written newspaper at Grain Valley High School. Among other things, those articles talked about food rationing, defense stamps, gasoline rationing, and scrap iron collection days. Mr. Jay Walker, superintendent, made this plea at the end of his column. “We must lend all efforts in saving our school supplies and home supplies, we must sacrifice personal expenditures and prepare a regular schedule for buying defense stamps or bonds, we must remain calm in the face of all adversities and lend our sympathy and comfort to those in need.”
 
During the first half of the 1940s, like the rest of the nation, Grain Valley was in war mode, but a few progressive actions did occur. Although we did not officially become a fourth-class city until April 13, 1954, we were designated a fourth-class city in 1945. In 1949, Jackson County’s schools were organized into districts. Rural schools closed and Grain Valley became Reorganized District No. 5.
 
While the 1940s were dominated by World War II, that decade also saw the rise of major global conflicts, the Holocaust, the development of atomic weapons and the beginning of the Cold War, with significant social and technological shifts following the war’s end.
 
While "most famous" is subjective, June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Normandy landings, is widely considered one of the most significant and famous days in history due to its pivotal role in the Allied victory in World War II and the liberation of Europe. 
 
And on the lighter side, the 1940s gave us Frank Sinatra, Big Band music, silly putty and the bikini!

The Honor Roll stood in Grain Valley for many years, honoring WW II veterans. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society