Bonnie & Clyde
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Life of the Legends
ith “King Cotton” as its main crop, Texas in the
1920’s was optimistic that its new endeavors; the lumber
industry in the Piney Woods of East Texas, irrigation in
the Rio Grande River Valley, and livestock in west Texas
would shoulder the economy and prove to bring a boom
to the Lone Star State. Oil and gas produced at Spindletop, also made for the possibility of wealth untold. Black
Tuesday would leave many Texans quaking in their
boots, as “16,000,000 shares of stock changed hands
and the New York Times plunged 40 points”. Over a
short period of time, $26 billion dollars was lost. The
stock market crash and the economic devastation that
followed was felt throughout the entire United States.
Drought and famine followed, depleting the crop stores
and causing prices to drop dramatically. Debts rose, and
foreclosures ensued, causing a vast amount of dislocated,
destitute farmers. Texas in the 30’s was in no better
18 | Acoustic Drive
shape than the rest of the country, despite the economic
strength they thought they had. These conditions led
some to take drastic measures to feed themselves and
their families.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, both native Texans,
were the most infamous duo in the United States during
The Great Depression. With the stock market crash in
1929, and the economic devastation that followed, Bonnie and Clyde’s trail of crime was like a backlash against
bank and business owners that the nation’s poor felt. In
a way, they were champions to the poor – counterattacking the men who were repossessing their homes,
farms and belongings. But their story goes further than
the crimes they committed. Thiers is a story of a fierce
and intense love and loyalty, where only in death would
they part.