Western Springs' 1942 Victory Gardens

While most village residents are aware that tires and automobiles were rationed during World War II, many don’t realize that the government also rationed sugar, butter, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat, and canned goods. In addition, war-time labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and ship fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government also encouraged citizens to plant “victory gardens” to supply many of their own fruits and vegetables.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Western Springs was one of the most active Chicago suburbs in war garden projects. In 1942, 800 families had 23 acres of gardens, which produced an estimated 500 tons of fruits and vegetables. Some were located on vacant lots, while others were found in back yards.

In February 1943, the program moved into high gear when the Western Springs Garden Club sponsored a planning session at the McClure school gymnasium. Volunteer workers visited every home beforehand to encourage attendance. Speakers included the manager of Vaughan’s seed store, a professor from the University of Illinois, a representative from the Garfield Park conservatory, and the superintendent of several of Vaughan’s greenhouses.

Later that year, the Garden Club replaced its annual Flower Show with a Country Fair in which all civic organizations were invited to take part. The club also organized a canning program for the late summer to help residents save their surplus garden crops. Unfortunately, with sugar supplies being severely rationed, many canned fruits had to be canned without sweetener.

By 1943, Western Springs, with a population of just 5,000, had an estimated 1,000 victory gardens occupying 60 acres. And, nationally, an estimated 20 million gardens were planted with an estimated harvest of 9 to 10 million tons, an amount equal to the pre-war commercial production of fresh vegetables.

Flash forward to 2015 and the village is once again involved in community gardening. The Fair Elms Community Garden is beginning its 2015 planting/growing season this month. The garden is located at 5424 Fair Elms Avenue. Residents, community groups and local business owners may join and grow flowers or vegetables this summer, It is a sunny site (at least 12 hours during the summer months), with water and electricity available. Interested participants should visit the garden organization’s website at http://fairelmscg.wix.com/fair-elms-cg.

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.