The 1930s were known as the Dirty Thirties because of a severe drought that affected the plains in the United States and Canada. Worst hit were the panhandles in Texas and Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Montana.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was an influx of settlers to the plains. They set up ranches and farms in order to support the increasing demand for agricultural products.
The Drought of the 1930s
By the time the drought hit in the 1930s, the damage had been done due to over-farming the land. The natural grasses that held the soil in place and retained moisture in the ground were being overtaken by crops.
Farmers were not rotating their crops, thus causing the soil to erode. Crops were failing and farmers left the fields empty. Topsoil from the exposed fields was being carried away by the winds and creating dense clouds of dust. The plains became a barren wasteland and dust storms became more frequent.
As described by Living History; “In 1932, 14 dust storms were recorded on the Plains. In 1933, there were 38 storms. By 1934, it was estimated that 100 million acres of farmland had lost all or most of the topsoil to the winds.”
Black Sunday Dust Storm April 14, 1935
The day started out sunny on April 14, 1935 and people were relieved to see sunshine after weeks of dust storms. In the mid-afternoon, the temperature dropped and a huge black cloud appeared on the horizon. The cloud approached quickly and with a thunderous roar. According to Living History, the winds were clocked at 60 mph.
Residents described the dust storm as a black blizzard and the bright, sunny day turned into the darkness of night. One man compared it to the feeling of getting a shovel of sand thrown in the face.
People scrambled indoors or into their storm cellars. Cars were stranded on the roads due to poor visibility or dust smothering the engines. Some people who were caught outside could not see in front of them and became disorientated.
Residents used towels and blankets to stop the fine dust from blowing through cracks of their homes. They covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs.
After the Black Sunday Dust Storm, a reporter for the Associated Press described the southern plains as a Dust Bowl and this is how the name originated.
The storm blew away the topsoil from empty fields. It ruined the livelihood of many struggling farmers. They were forced to abandon their land and travel to other states.
The migration of the plains people was described in the program, Surviving the Dust Bowl produced by the American Experience for PBS.
“Many people abandoned their land. Others would have stayed but were forced out when they lost their land in bank foreclosures. The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history. By 1940, 2.5 million people had moved out of the Plains states; of those, 200,000 moved to California.”
Aftermath of the Black Sunday Dust Storm
When the Black Sunday cloud reached the east coast, it made the American government more aware of the soil erosion problem. As a result, the Soil Conservation Act was passed the same year, 1935.
Government programs were implemented to educate farmers on soil conservation. This included the practice of strip farming, terracing, contour plowing and crop rotating. Farmers were paid incentives to use the new techniques.
The Civilian Conservation Corps planted more than 200 million trees to serve as windbreaks and to allow water to penetrate the soil. As a result, the amount of blowing soil began to reduce. After 1939, normal amounts of rainfall returned to the plains and the drought ended.
Periods of drought have occurred since the 1930s but the damage has not been as severe due to the soil conservation practices established in Dust Bowl years.
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