How to Use the Images

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Photo 2: Cotton fields, with the
Sierra Ponce in the background.

Photo 3: Old cotton gin at Castolon.

Photo 3 is the remains of the Castolon cotton gin. Cotton gins were used to separate the cotton lint (fibers) from the seeds and stalks of the plants. Mr. Cartledge had the gin built in 1923 and brought an expert into the community to teach the farmers how to use it. Families in the area grew cotton and ginned it in the Castolon gin for most of the next 20 years.

Questions for Photos 2 & 3

1. Why do you think cotton farming was never very profitable? (If needed, refer to Map 1 and Reading 2 for your answer.)

2. Do you think the cotton gin was profitable for Mr. Cartledge? Why or why not?

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 2 and Photo 3, but be aware that each file will take as much as 30 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.