clair055

Boom and bust – basic social studies vocabulary words, right?   Think about how you learned these words.   I would imagine you were taught about boom and bust during an exploration of the Gold Rush, right? Most everyone is….and that’s my point.  Are there other situations where the terms boom and bust could be used?  Of course there are, and recently I stumbled across one that I found really interesting via a friend.   Let’s examine Fruithurst, Alabama – a rural little hamlet near the Georgia border in Cleburne County.   As far as population goes most elementary schools have a larger student body than Fruithurst’s total population.  The 2000 census indicates the population tops out at a whopping 200 people.  If we transported ourselves back to 1890 and the area where Fruithurst is located we might be lucky if we found 200 people. In fact, the area wasn’t even known as Fruithurst in 1890.   The area was first known as Summit Cut and later Zidonia (pronounced “Zildonee”) by Scotch-Irish