So you've seen the old pics of S.D.:


and here's S.D. today:

Here's the saloon:

here's the bank/post office:

and here's everything else:


And that is Letcher, South Dakota. The only thing I left out was the grain Silo.

I've met with people my age who didn't have running water in their house until a few years ago.
They grew up with a set-up like this:

Seriously, I shit you not.

I thought it was fairly severe that my dad grew up in this county, didn't have running water or an indoor toilet. The Floor AND the roof were made of Dirt! (or mud, as the case may be)
Both parents were deaf mutes, so especially during the depression the odds of having an actual job were pretty slim. I guess they survived by the graces of the local church.

holy shit

Wasn't something he was happy or proud about and never talked about it much. I saw the house once when I was about 12. The door hinges were made of fabric. No one lived there. By this time we had welfare in this country and his mom and step dad (also deaf) lived in a regular house with running water.

I would say though that this is a perfect example of what happens without socialism. The poor and the weak live in the dirt while those with some money don't even look down to notice them.