The Land

(41:26), b/w, sound
Documentary showing the poor state that American agriculture had fallen into during the Great Depression. Flaherty made this documentary about the dire consequences of 100 years of over-production of cotton just as the USA was entering World War2, & it wasn’t shown then, because it might give the enemy a propaganda advantage. In fact the musical score, which fills the entire 45 minutes of the film is as striking as the poetic imagery of the dus...

Creator: Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Department of Agriculture, United States Film Service

Year: 1942

Quality: Excellent

Rural Electrification

(29:51) b/w, sound
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN OHIO features three films commissioned by Rural Electrification Administration for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and created by legendary filmmakers Pare Lorentz and Joris Ivens. The landmark 1940 documentary Power and the Land tells the story of the Parkinson family, farmers in rural Ohio who electrified their farm with the help of a REA loan. Before electrification, work was done in old-fashioned, manual-labor...

Creator: Department of Agriculture, Rural Electrification Administration

Year: 1940

Quality: Excellent

Rain on the Plains

(8:08) b/w sound
8 minute film on the aridity of the Great Plains.

Creator: Department of Agriculture, Office of Public Affairs

Year: 1938

Quality: Fair

Smoke

(10:14) b/w silent
Shows how forest fires can be prevented by carefully extinguishing camp fires, exercising care in smoking habits while in the woods, and maintaining strict watch over fires built in brush and wooded areas. Includes shots of Civilian Conservation Corps members fighting a forest fire.

Trout Stream Improvement

(10:20) b/w, silent
Civilian Conservation Corps units dredge silt from the beds of trout streams, construct dams to filter debris from the streams, check stagnant ponds and creeks from flowing into the streams, and stock the streams with young trout taken from a fish hatchery.

We Can Take It CCC

(20:48) b/w, silent
Civilian Conservation Corps members work in the national forests of California. Reel 1, a camp site is selected and tents are erected. CCC units fell snag, clear brush along fire lines, erect telephone lines, build a forest bridge, terrace denuded slopes, and construct check dams to control erosion. Reel 2, Ponderosa Way, a huge fire lane in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is cleared. Heavy equipment is used to construct a truck trail up Mt....

Creator: Department of Agriculture, federal extension service

Year: 1933

Quality: Poor

Brick Pavements

(9:33) b/w, sound
On the construction of brick pavements. Describes the steps in the construction of a brick highway. Shows a completed four lane brick highway.

Telephone Line Construction

(9:44) b/w, sound
Telephone lines are constructed between fire lookout stations in the national forests of the United States. Poles are creosoted, placed in position, and bolstered with guide wires. Wire is reeled out on the ground along the right-of-way and then raised on the poles by linemen. Includes shots of various methods of attaching the line to poles and to trees, of installing insulators, and of splicing wire.

Winter Sports in White Mountains

(19:29) b/w, silent
Reel 1 shows skiing and mountain climbing activities in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. Includes shots of Civilian Conservation Corps members constructing ski and hiking trails. Reel 2, dog sled teams race across the countryside. Men and women fish through the ice.

Learn to Swim

(11:01) b/w, silent
A swimming instructor teaches a boy how to float and to swim. Illustrates, in detail, the different types of leg and arm motions used in recognized swimming styles. Emphasizes the need to build confidence in the novice swimmer.