Canyon Ridge Students Explore History with Rosie the Riveters

As an important element of global historical studies, and an exploration of America during the Second World War, the seventh grade team at Canyon Ridge School participated in an assembly with members of the American Rosie the Riveters Association (ARRA) Sun City Chapter. 

Florence Cook, who served as a Rosie the Riveter in the California defense industry in 1944, shared her recollections of the early days of World War Two and her work on aircraft components for the Boeing company. 

"The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shocking thing and young ladies wanted to do their part to support our country. I started work as a Rosie at the age of 18; right out of high school. You didn’t think about the broader war too much, you just kept doing your job.” 

Over six million Rosie the Riveters served on the home front during the war. In factories across the country, they collectively produced over three hundred thousand aircraft, one hundred thousand tanks, fifteen million guns and over forty-one million rounds of ammunition. Their efforts were key to the American and Allied victory in the conflict.

“Rosies came from all walks of life and did so much more than just rivets,” states ARRA Vice President Linda Lundberg. “Some Rosies were mechanics, electricians, welders, trainers and inspectors. They even became pilots and flew many types of aircraft from the factory to transport points that shipped war materials overseas.”

The students at Canyon Ridge School prepared detailed questions with follow up comments for all of the presenters. Students offered facts regarding the Second World War that they had learned in Social Studies class through reading, discussion, and internet research. They applied this knowledge to the real world scenarios, experiences, and the recollections of the presenters. This established strong community connections and a baseline for the historical context of events. Students came to recognize how major trends in history affect individual lives; as well as the fate of nations.

“The contribution of the Rosie the Riveters was one of the main reasons we won the war,” declared ARRA Sun City Chapter President, Barbara Cook. “Our Rosies had to do their best with every machine or component they built as American lives were at stake. Rosies were never considered Veterans by the Armed Forces but they managed to win the war without ever firing a gun. They built over fifteen million of them instead.”