Although the 1920s was the era of prohibition for the rest of the country, Valley Junction had officially become a dry town in 1915. The 1920s were not all doom and gloom for Valley Junction. The businessmen of the community dress in drag for a play called ""The Womenless Wedding"". Simple joys of small-town life were reflected in the faces of the children: having a part in the school play, flying the first kite, dressing up for the May Day pageant, or riding in the Fourth of July Parade. The older kids enjoyed the chance to take the trolley to Des Moines for an afternoon of shopping and maybe lunch along the river. The notion of mobile society was embraced by the youth. A joy ride in a fast jalopy to Greenwood Park for a game of tennis, or off to the country for a picnic mirrored the infatuation America had for the car. The wealthier, older, and more established were not left out either. By purchasing land from the Ashworth family farm, the Des Moines Golf and Country Club left Des Moines in 1923 for a more picturesque setting along the White Pole Road auto trail at 8th Street allowing the High Society of Des Moines a relaxing and rather pleasant drive away from the hussle and bussle of the city for a day of golf in the Valley. By the close of the decade, however, the picnic was over. The Depression was especially hard for the workers of Valley Junction because the railroads had finished pulling out by 1936, and the Keystone Coal Factory had to close because of flooding in the tunnels.