The year was 1935.
Alcoholics Anonymous was created. Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Persia became known as Iran. A big year with a lot of big developments happened in 1935.
The United States was in the middle of the Great Depression. The stock market was in the tank. Farmers were barely making ends meet. Well, those that could still make ends meet did. Many and given up on the endeavor and moved elsewhere.
The Midwest was in the middle of a drought that had been going on for years. Water was scarce and the rain that brought it was even more so.