"[I remember the repatriation in the ‘30’s] slightly. My father didn’t want to go back at all. He chose to stay; he didn’t want to go back. They had a program there by twos they would go and explore the mines and find some mining to do and they would mine for two or three months before they could fill one of the big trains that used to come from Metcalf to El Paso to take the copper. It was a long, I don’t the name of it, vagón or something like that. Can you imagine two men trying to mine and fill that up to take it to El Paso? That’s what they did. Yes, [he was still working for the company]. Lots of men did that; got to stay that way but it was a very hard life. It wasn’t good at all. Maybe when they came back they gave us a hundred dollar check and that was two or three months something like that. It was a very hard time. [He worked] right there in Metcalf. This was before Morenci.

In the Depression we were all poor. It was when they were giving people food. My father used to walk to Morenci for whatever rations they were giving out. They gave them out in Morenci. I think every week [he] had to go up there.
I was the oldest so I did work for the Youth Administration. I worked with that. I used to go help the ladies that were doing the cooking for the schools. They gave free lunches at the school. I had already graduated from high school. We did that and we did a lot of sewing. There were three schools in Morenci, the high school and two elementaries. In one of the elementaries, they loaned some of the area there so they could cook and sew. I felt all right [about the work] because it was helping the family. They [my brothers] were not old enough to join the CCC.

Of course he [Franklin Delano Roosevelt] came at the right time and established the WPA. It was a saving grace at that particular time. They felt very good about FDR. Yes, he [my father] did [participate in the WPA]. [My father did] whatever was assigned to the man, different things even just cleaning the areas, whatever. Whatever was assigned, he did it right there in the area. They even went up the Coronado Highway. They helped there. My father was excellent in [building] trincheras (rock walls). He did the most beautiful work you’re ever going to see in your life with no mortar of any kind, just putting the little rocks. Those people were good at trincheras.

We lived in Metcalf [during the Depression] so [we bought our groceries in] Solis’ store. That’s all there was. There were other little stores but that was the one we patronized, Solis’ store. Las tres “B's” [bueno, barato, y bonito] was way back when. By the time I came around, that didn’t exist at all. Then they were there, that was one of the few things that was left, las tres “B.” That was way back then when Metcalf was in its hey day. It was empty. I never went in because I was not that adventurous. My brother went lots of time to see what was there. Nothing. They [the company] did not even have the curiosity to bring it down and use the brick because it was sturdy.

Yes, he [Solis] did [give people credit]. We had an account to pay when we had the money. [Solis had the store] and bring the mail from Clifton. He brought the mail and took it to the post office for Mrs. Farnsworth to disperse. [We had to pick up our mail] at the post office. They had boxes. "