Into the 1940s, corn was picked not by machine but by hand. Local, state, and national corn husking contests were all the rage in the 1930s. Seen here (left to right) are Ecus Vaughn of Piatt County, Illinois; Leland Klein of Metamora, Illinois; and Lawrence Pitzer of Attica, Indiana in early November 1939 at the national husking championship outside of Lawrence, Kansas.Pitzer captured the title, husking 28.39 bushels in 80 minutes. Vaughn, the Illinois state champion in 1938, 1939, and 1940, finished third
