Von Wald, Katherine - Polk County

Describe what you remember about the fear surrounding polio epidemics:

When I was growing up in Mason City in the mid 1940's I regularly went to the movies on Saturday afternoons. I saw a lot of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry films. But what I vividly remember is the news reels with pictures of children in iron lungs. That image is still with me which is probably why I had nightmares about it at the time.