14 Sm all Tow n R u l e s Why Small Towns Survive Rural entrepreneurs have consistently survived economic hardships and natural disasters for centuries. If they managed to come through the reces- sion any better than urban counterparts or big brands, it's likely because of a fresher memory of the Great Depression. Because rural families are more likely to live close by extended family, it means they grew up spending sig- nificant time with Depression-era grandparents who spoke about this dif- ficult time. For example, the Dust Bowl also started with an economic boom that went bust. Wheat prices soared in the 1910s and 1920s, more than tripling over the course of a decade. At the high point, wheat approached $4 per bushel. With the 1929 market crash, wheat prices dropped 90 percent to 40 cents a bushel. After the price hit this record low, it then declined even more. Then, a second disaster hit: It stopped raining. After two years with drasti- cally reduced or even no income because of the price drop, wheat farmers lost first one crop, then another, as a result of the drought. With no crops to cover the ground, dust began to blow. 14 Becky's grandparents--and