Black Dust
The economic depression reached across the country, and the farmers in Oklahoma were hit hard as the prices of wheat dropped. As if the hardships of the depression were not enough, they were burdened with a prolongued drought that further threatened their crops. As the drought continued, the dust storms began as the dry earth lifted up and was carried away through the skies.
The worst storm came on "Black Sunday" in April, 1933.
Major County, Oklahoma, where Jim and Mattie Garrison had a farm, experienced this bleak day.
A sunny, warm, spring day found most families going to
church in the morning, with some staying afterward to socialize with friends for the traditional picnic
sharing. This section of Oklahoma had been in a drought for some time, and with
most of the population being farmers, many prayers that morning would surely
have been said for rain. They had already experienced some dust storms. But
nothing like what was to come that day. In the afternoon a giant storm out of
the north poured into the region, rolling in suddenly with lightning, thunder,
and billowing with walls of dirt 8,000 ft. high.
A local weather observer stated “"Severe dust storm hit
at 4:20 p.m., turning afternoon brightness immediately into midnight darkness,
and absolutely zero visibility. It was totally dark and impossible to see
without searchlight, for at least 15 minutes...the storm came from the north
and northeast and traveled at a very great speed." 1
Those caught outside
had it the worst- crawling on the ground in an attempt to find shelter in the
midst of total darkness. Cars were quickly choked by the dust, their inhabitants
trapped until the storm subsided.
Some thought the end of the world had come. The end of the “dust
bowl” did not come for some time; there was dust in the air all month, though
not anything like that of Black Sunday. This storm was the genesis of the term “dust
bowl” which was used by a local news writer who concluded in his report “Three
little words… rule life in the dust bowl of the continent – ‘if it rains’.”
In the hardest hit regions, thousands of “Okies” headed west
to California, where they were far from welcomed and their lives remained
terribly hard. Luckily Alfalfa county and Major county were not as hard hit as
the nearby panhandle region.
Jim and Mattie Garrison were able to hold on to their farm.
 |
Mattie Garrison  |
2010 marked the 75th anniversary of the Black Sunday. Below is a link to a PBS series telling more about this climatic crisis and how it affected our ancestors.
Here is a preview of the program
1-
http://climate.ok.gov/index.php/site/page/news/black_sunday_remembered
Thanks for the great story, Janice! I never knew about this...or, more likely, don't remember. How fun to see a photo of their house! I remember going in there once and, of course, who could forget the buffalo wallows and the red ants on the land!
ReplyDeleteDad warned me so strongly about the red ants that I was terrified of them! Stan just shared with me a story he had heard about them having to cover their faces with a wet washcloth to breathe!
ReplyDelete