The Black Sunday Dust Storm of 1935

"Dust storm. It was conditions of this sort which forced many
 farmers to abandon the area. Spring 1935. New Mexico" - Dorothea Lange

(Wikipedia) Black Sunday refers to a particularly severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, as part of the Dust Bowl. It was one of the worst dust storms in American history and it caused immense economic and agricultural damage.

It is estimated to have displaced 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairie area in the US. On the afternoon of April 14, the residents of the Plains States were forced to take cover as a dust storm, or "black blizzard", blew through the region.

The storm hit the Oklahoma Panhandle and Northwestern Oklahoma first, and moved south for the remainder of the day. It hit Beaver around 4:00 p.m., Boise City around 5:15 p.m., and Amarillo, Texas, at 7:20 p.m.

The conditions were the most severe in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, but the storm's effects were felt in other surrounding areas. Continued

Darrel Coble

Coble headstone featuring the famous 1936 photograph by Arthur Rothstein of the FSA.

 Darrel Coble was the smallest member of the Coble family in the picture posted above. He had every right to be proud. Not only was it a great & famous picture of the Dust Bowl days, it served to point out that not everybody was leaving the Great Plains, many were sticking it out. This at a time when politicians in Washington were considering just giving the whole thing back to the buffalo, or even paving it all over. Believe you me, crazier things happened, back in the '30's.

I like the scenes on the back of stones that show when everything's just right,
those rare moments we all live for,
 the one's that try and explain just why people stuck it out.

And stick it out they did, there are still Coble's in Cimarron County, Oklahoma.

Arthur Rothstein

Perhaps Rothstein's most famous photo, and an icon of the Dust Bowl:
 a farmer and his two sons during a dust storm in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, 1936

(Wikipedia) Arthur Rothstein (July 17, 1915 – November 11, 1985) was an American photographer. Rothstein is recognized as one of America’s premier photojournalists. During a career that spanned five decades, he provoked, entertained and informed the American people. His photographs ranged from a hometown baseball game to the drama of war, from struggling rural farmers to US Presidents. Continued

Black Sunday Dust Storm of 1935

 

(Wikipedia) Black Sunday refers to a particularly severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, as part of the Dust Bowl. It was one of the worst dust storms in American history and it caused immense economic and agricultural damage. It is estimated to have displaced 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairie area in the US. On the afternoon of April 14, the residents of the Plains States were forced to take cover as a dust storm, or "black blizzard", blew through the region.
The storm hit the Oklahoma Panhandle and Northwestern Oklahoma first, and moved south for the remainder of the day. It hit Beaver around 4:00 p.m., Boise City around 5:15 p.m., and Amarillo, Texas, at 7:20 p.m. The conditions were the most severe in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, but the storm's effects were felt in other surrounding areas. Continued

Arthur Rothstein

Perhaps Rothstein's most famous photo, and an icon of the Dust Bowl:
 a farmer and his two sons during a dust storm in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, 1936

(Wikipedia) Arthur Rothstein (July 17, 1915 – November 11, 1985) was an American photographer. Rothstein is recognized as one of America’s premier photojournalists. During a career that spanned five decades, he provoked, entertained and informed the American people. His photographs ranged from a hometown baseball game to the drama of war, from struggling rural farmers to US Presidents. Continued

The Black Sunday Dust Storm of 1935

(Wikipedia) Black Sunday refers to a particularly severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, as part of the Dust Bowl. It was one of the worst dust storms in American history and it caused immense economic and agricultural damage. It is estimated to have displaced 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairie area in the US. On the afternoon of April 14, the residents of the Plains States were forced to take cover as a dust storm, or "black blizzard", blew through the region.
The storm hit the Oklahoma Panhandle and Northwestern Oklahoma first, and moved south for the remainder of the day. It hit Beaver around 4:00 p.m., Boise City around 5:15 p.m., and Amarillo, Texas, at 7:20 p.m. The conditions were the most severe in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, but the storm's effects were felt in other surrounding areas. Continued

Coming Attractions: The Dust Bowl

Watch The Dust Bowl Intro on PBS. See more from The Dust Bowl.