Dyess, Arkansas, Depression-Era Farmer Colony

From Wikipedia.

It was founded in 1934 and in 2000 had a population of 515.

It was a planned community, part of FDR's New Deal program with streets laid out in a wheel pattern, but it was actually more of a colony named after W.R. Dyess, the first Works Progress Administration administrator in Arkansas.

Its purpose was to give poor families the chance to start over again with land they could work toward owning.  Originally, there were 500 individually-owned and operated farms, each between 20 and 40 acres.

The town is best-known as the boyhood home of country singer Johnny Cash who grew up at 4791 West County Road 924.  The house is now owned by Arkansas State University.

Dyess was also the boyhood homes of singers Gene Williams, Tommy Cash and Buddy Jewell.

"Hello, My name is...  --Cooter

Depression-era Colony Cashing In On Johnny Cash's fame-- Part 2

Before he was the Man in Black, he was J.R. Cash, a son of Kingsland, Arkansas, farmers who successfully applied to take part in a 1930s Works Progress Administration experiment.  The government brought in 487 families, gave them land and a mule.

"This was a practice in socialism," said Roscoe Phillips, who was born at Dyess 77 years ago.  "They took people who had nothing and gave us something.  It wouldn't happen today."

Under the selection criteria--  the application ran on for eight pages-- families were rewarded for their rugged independence but on arrival had to share their excess with the community.  Their contributions qualified them for "doodlum," a paper currency not unlike the script issued at company towns.

--Cooter

Depression-era Colony Cashing in On Johnny Cash's Fame--Part 1

from the August 16, 2014, Northwest Herald (Illinois) Buzz.

Dyess, Arkansas.

Money and memorabilia from Johnny Cash's family and friends have helped preservationists restore a large part of the Historic Dyess Colony, a government collective built during the Great Depression to help agricultural families out of poverty.  Johnny Cash's family lived here while he was growing up and his boyhood home and the colony's former headquarters opened Saturday.

The colony and town is in northeastern Arkansas and was on once sunken land.

Ruth Hawkins, executive director of the heritage Sites Program at Arkansas State University said, "Restoring the Dyess Colony Administration Building, and even saving at least one of the typical colony houses, would have been a worthwhile project, even without the Johnny Cash connection.

"But the project would not have gotten anywhere near the public support that it has, and it would not be a major tourism draw.

I am aware of a lot of the projects developed to help get the country out of the Great Depression, but hadn't heard of this one.

"Because You're Mine, i walk the ___."  --Dacoot in Black