When the Dust Settled

The Fireside—News and Views from The Living New Deal

When the Dust Settled

Black Sunday

Black Sunday
Courtesy, Wikipedia

On April 14, 1935, known as “Black Sunday,” a dark cloud roiled the Great Plains. The dust storm carried 300 million tons of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas east to the Atlantic Ocean. A decade-long drought, overgrazing and poor farming practices dried up 100 million acres of prairie, rendered a half million people homeless and ultimately displaced two and a half million people. It was the largest migration in American history. The New Deal’s response—stabilizing crop prices, making loans to help farmers pay their bills, planting trees as wind breaks, teaching farming methods to conserve soil and water—and eventually, rain—brought relief to the land and hope to those who stayed.

WATCH: Woody Guthrie, Dust Bowl Blues

 

Susan Ives is communications director for the Living New Deal and editor of the Living New Deal newsletter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.