I love to browse stories from newspapers. There is so much history in these newspapers that is not taught in schools any more. One such story I happened upon was during the Dust Bowl years. Having grown up in Illinois where we get plenty of rain, especially in the spring, and living now in Arizona where rain mainly comes during the monsoon season and dust storms can come multiple times a year, this story struck a chord with me.
The Black Sunday storm happened on April 14, 1935
Most of us were taught about the horrible almost 10 year drought and bad land management that brought about the dust bowl. But I had never heard of the Black Sunday storm that happened on April 14, 1935? It started with a storm in the panhandle of Oklahoma where the temperatures dropped quickly and the wind picked up. Being in a drought the topsoil was loose from the lack of native grasses to keep it in place. As the storm continued it kept picking up more and more dirt and dust. The storm went across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. People said it turned day into night and everything was coated with dirt. Can you even imagine? I know our dust storms are short and leave dust on everything in their wake, but this sounds more intense when you hear the carnage left behind.
People talked about how they were in the barn and couldn’t see the house that was 50 yards away. Coming out after the storm and seeing the new crops had been reduced to stubble. Cows stood dead because their lungs were full of dirt. Witnesses talked about how there were 20 foot sand dunes against buildings, roads with two feet of sand, and fences buried under sand. The worst was what happened to so many people. There was so much dust in the air that many people developed pneumonia and died.
The Soil Conservation Act of 1935
On April 27, 1935 Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act to help landowners and government agencies maintain healthy landscapes. Yet, in many ways weather plays a part of all this regardless of any conservation. Right now many states are not getting enough rain but also not getting enough snow to help with keeping the aquifers filled. Having grown up with never wishing for rain and only wishing for it to stop. I now live where everyone in the area prays and fasts for rain because it is getting so bad.
Newspapers: a Valuable Resource
Newspapers are a great resource for learning about history. They help us get some details we may not get in school about major events. While droughts come and go for many areas. Only time will tell if another long and dangerous dust bowl could happen again. However, it is important that in some cases newspapers also can remind us of how history can repeat itself.
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