A+Lost+Lady+Paper

Historical Background of //A Lost Lady// Willa Cathers novel takes place in the small railroad town of Sweet Water situated in the American Midwest during the 1920’s. This decade was also known as the “Roaring 20’s” which was a decade of post war recovery, an economic boom, and a cultural explosion which made the United States seem like a jazz crazed nation with nothing but constant celebrating, and underground drinking because of prohibition. However in the Midwest, was least affected by this change of the 1920’s as it mostly remained a place of agricultural labor. The American Midwest during the decade brought the little known but essential agricultural boom in America as it gave America an abundance of crops. Crops left over from total war usage were enough to supply America’s needs from 1918-1921 and from there on, most soldiers that came back from the war worked filled jobs in industry and agriculture. The town of Sweet Water Nebraska is neither an agricultural or industrial town but a rail-road town. The town of Sweet Water itself was given its name based springs from the Ogallala Aquifer which supplied the US 1/3 of its water supplies. The town was small town that never contributed much. It had a post office as a public meeting place and a train station.