At the time of the Bunion Derby the Roaring '20s had reached a fever pitch. The country was enjoying an economic boom that fed the frenzy of outrageousness. The distance between the haves and the have-nots was wider and the newspapers were filled with the exploits of the rich and famous. The conspicuous consumption by the elite overshadowed the poverty of the rest of the country.

Prohibition, which began in 1920, created a new criminal class and the elite rubbed elbows with organized crime in the speakeasies that grew up overnight in many places.

Early in the decade American citizens with Communist or Socialist leanings were targeted for harassment, and laws to control immigration were passed based on a person’s color and political persuasion.

The decade was beset with unrest among workers. Attempts to organize often led to violence and death. The changing face of the work week, strikes and labor disputes fueled the unrest and violence.

The Ku Klux Klan stepped up their terrorist activities nationwide early in the decade. An attempt in 1922 to pass an Anti-lynching bill failed, after passing the House, during a filibuster by southern states. Race riots in Oklahoma and Florida resulted in the deaths of both blacks and whites and the fiery destruction of black homes and towns.

The '20s were marked by endurance tests and bizarre stunts of all sorts: marathon dances, six-day bicycle races, barn storming, transcontinental and trans-Atlantic flights. A team of sled dogs, led by the now-immortal Balto, took part in the desperate relay from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, carrying the serum needed to save the diphtheria stricken children of Nome. Lindbergh, Teapot Dome, Yankee Stadium and Mickey Mouse became household words. Babe Ruth was at the top of his game, Jim Thorpe a star professional athlete in both baseball and football, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney fought it out for the world’s heavyweight championship, twice. Red Grange turned pro under the wing of C. C. Pyle in the fledgling National Football League. French tennis star Suzanne Lenglen played the tennis match of the decade against Helen Wills of the US. C. C. Pyle, who had managed Grange, managed Lenglen’s subsequent American tour.

America was beginning its love affair with the automobile. Ford introduced mass production of the automobile and was offering his “Tin Lizzie” for an amount that made it affordable to middle America. In 1927 Ford replaced the outdated Model “T” with the more up to date Model “A.”


Homes and highways
Most homes still had iceboxes for keeping food cold. The electric refrigerator was an invention that was just being introduced to the market. Air conditioning was usually a fan blowing over a basin of ice. Many homes, particularly in rural areas, didn’t have electricity, anyway.

On the coasts and in the more populated cities and states the major highways were mostly paved. In the rural states and less populated places in the country there were mainly dirt or gravel farm-to-market roads. In 1926 when the US Highway Association designated Route 66 only one-third of the highway was good paved road. It wasn’t until the late 1930s that all of Route 66 was paved.


What things cost in the '20s
In the '20s men’s suits and women’s dresses ranged from $35 to $50, shoes from $8.50 to $12.50 a pair, glasses cost $5. Luxury used cars sold for $600 to $900 and a new car went for around $1200.
You could take your date to a movie for 15¢ each and have a steak dinner afterwards for $1.25 per person. If you were serious about her, three pounds of chocolates ran $2.50, a dozen roses was $1.00 and an engagement ring cost $100. You could spend your honeymoon at the Hotel Mayfair in St. Louis for $3.00 a night.

On the other hand, a policeman in Passaic, NJ could expect a starting salary of $2,100 a year. That’s just a little more than $40 a week. Ford Motor Company was paying factory workers $25 a week. These were considered good jobs. There were a lot of people making much less, especially in the rural areas of America.