The Great Depression had been shrinking the American economy for more than eighteen months, causing thousands of bank closures and putting millions of people out of work, when Ellen Lindsay Ralph was born on July 8, 1931. She entered mortality in Dingle, Bear Lake County, Idaho. She was the last of five children born to William and May Lindsay, her siblings being Harold, Mary, Willard, and Rao.

    The towns of southeastern Idaho were mostly farming communities with some local industries supporting the agricultural environment. Even in the best of times, farming in Idaho was a risky venture due to the region’s climate and short growing season. However, in the 1930s, the usual challenges were magnified by extreme distress and frequent droughts, making farming a hazardous industry. Already, the Depression caused an increasing number of Americans to lose their farms, but many were holding on, including the Lindsays. They survived largely due to Ellen’s father William’s determination to broaden the farm’s sustainability and provide for their own needs as much as possible.