Life In The 1930's

On January 12, 1888, the weather in the west was mild, compared to previous weeks. Little did the people know that a massive cold front was in route and would be catastrophic to the people, their livestock, and the economy in the dekota and nebraska praries. The cold front would cause one of the worst blizzards for the region, killing close to 500 people. The factors that made the death toll so high involve the mild weather before the storm, the lack of technology for warning systems, and bad timing.

Egan also describes the physical effects of the Dust Bowl, in which many children and weak adults suffered, from diseases such as dust pneumonia, livestock’s insides were packed with soil, thus blocking their stomachs and so they died of starvation. People couldn’t hug or even hand shake because the static electricity was enough to knock someone down. He also described the way of life they had, in which in order for dust to not leak into houses, they had to seal cracks around the windows and the door with wet sheets, and however the next day they still had to throw away the soil with a shovel. In order to discharge the static electricity in cars, they had to trail chains. Many were affected economically when they started losing their savings; banks, schools, and businesses closed. Black Sunday, on April 14, 1935, became the worst dust storm ever witnessed. Egan describes the story of a man who was lost in this storm; he became blind for the rest of his life. Temperature raised up to 141 degrees, such weather increased the population of rabbits, grasshoppers, tarantulas, and black widows. These insects were killed with boiled water and, “on Sundays, a mob of people with clubs herded rabbits into a corral and smashed their skulls.” Egan shows a similarity between the homesteaders’ thirst for extreme harvest and the grasshoppers devouring the rest of what was left in the plains,

In some cases, school was cancelled because of these storms. In the same year, slightly after noon on January 21st, a dust storm was reported that rose up to 10,000 feet in the air with winds that blew 60 miles per hour. According to Duncan, the local weather bureau called it “awe-inspiring” and “most spectacular”. An Associated Press reporter gave the Dust Bowl its name the day after Black Sunday, which was the worst dust storm reported (Ganzel). These storms were so devastating that people had to cover their faces with wet rags in fear they would get dust pneumonia, a deadly condition where dirt would clog up the lungs (Klein). They were also fearful of being caught outside of their house in the middle of a dust storm, because the storms rolled with thousands upon thousands of fine particles of dirt that would completely block out the sun, and no light could penetrate the blanket of darkness (Ganzel). The residents of the Great Plains couldn’t even escape the dust inside their own homes. The dust would somehow percolate through the tiniest of cracks, crevices, or gaps in the walls, windowsills, and door frames (Duncan 51). These deadly storms were also capable of producing so much static electricity between the ground and the airborne dust that even a simple handshake could initiate a spark so powerful it would knock them to the ground (Klein). The entire region of the Plains was affected, and eventually the entire country (Ganzel).

“…when the nation was balanced precariously between the darkness of the Great Depression on one side and

One has not experienced the life of living in dirt until he has been in the dust bowl. It was a decade-long dust storm that impacted hundreds of farmers and their farmlands. Hardship was among one of the influences of the storm, which affected both farm workers and city folks. The storm also brought the elements of destruction and darkness, which reigned chaos across the Plains. Together, these issues gave the storm its popular name, “black blizzard” (Documentary, 2014). Such a name was given due to the storm’s visibility as a large black cloud, which made it look evil and scary. Although the black blizzard is what some people call the dust storm, most will refer it as the dust bowl.

Did you know that chinchillas took dust baths? Well Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado had took their own in the years of 1930’s. The Dust Bowl was a ten year dust storm that was a continuous downpour destroying millions of agriculture and lives of thousands of people. The Dust Bowl later called the “ Dirty Thirties” was caused by a continuous drought that happened a year before the Dust Bowl and the next ten years of it. Over the ten years of the Dust Bowl, the more time that grew the more dust and destruction it caused to everything around it.

In “Black Blizzard” from Scholastic Scope it describes how people survived the Dust Bowl during The Great Depression. Dust storms could be as high as 7,000 feet and were similar to tidal waves, but made from dirt, dirt so thick that people would be able to taste it and could suffocate from inhaling it. States on the Great Plains, such as Kansas and Oklahoma, suffered from hundreds of these destructive storms that destroyed the land, economy, and forced people to move west, mainly to California. In the early 1900’s people moved to the Plain states and successfully grew crops and raised cattle, destroying something they didn’t realize would save their lives. When farmer’s invaded they wiped out the native grasses and replaced it with cash crops,

Welcome to the 1930's, a time of Fassion changes, the Great Depression, and severe panhandling increases. The society at this time was very respectful, most boys always were expected to say sir or ma'am after every sentence if talking to an elder. Most people were dressed formally,,it was like having our schools dress code everywhere. A lot of people where poor, as they actually had to panhandle sometimes. Fassion changes, major economic problems, and panhandling increases were events that occurred during the 1930's.

As with the huge snowstorm of December 1974 another even more powerful (in terms of intensity/extent) storm is of strong interest to all meteorologists who have studied winter storms in the Great Lakes. This storm is also of interest and remembrance to many longtime residents of the Great Lakes, the Upper Ohio Valley and Ontario, Canada who had to deal with winter's full fury late in January of 1978. In addition, the storm certainly casts many memories for those of us who were on duty and worked during the storm...while being in awe of the development and subsequent immense strength of this great monster. With the 30th anniversary of this Great Blizzard at hand, it is worth taking a step back in time to re-live this monumental example of nature's fury.

Timothy Egan called it the “Worst hard time”. Over 300 storms of dust hit the South Great Plains. The panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas were hit harder than all other places. This is what is called The Dust Bowl. These dust storms hit during the midst of the Great Depression causing an even harder time for America. Dust clouds traveled at speeds up to 60 - 65 mph at 30,000 feet tall. The 3 main causes of these storms were loss of short grass prairie, new farm machinery, and lack of rain.

Siringo first experience in school was in 1859 where he would have to walk a mile with his sister upon arriving to “a little old frame building” under Mr. Hale’s instruction (7). Unfortunately three years later, Mr. Hale’s teachings came to a quick end when he decide to leave to “Yankeedom to join the blue coats” and Siringo’s families move to Indianola so that Siringo’s mother can live with her new husband. Because it was rare to have education, especially for cowboys, it was not a popular topic of discussion and was usually given if the individual’s boss or caregiver would give them the opportunity. Siringo only received this opportunity to receive a paid education when he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Myers and was sent to an all boys school. Not knowing how to correctly adapt to his new environment because it has been years since he last read a book, let alone enter a schoolhouse, it became difficult for him to understand and adapt successfully to his surroundings.

As forecasted, the skies were overcast the next morning. The air was humid and dense as dark storm clouds gathered in the distance, promising rain. Every once in a while, great bursts of wind blew dust and sand into the atmosphere, coating our windshield with a fine layer of grime.

The uncommon raining period ended in 1930. The remaining crops rapidly dried out and died leaving the barren land and empty fields susceptible to wind erosion (“Great Depression”). In 1933 a robust South Dakota storm was the start of what would end up being the “Dust Bowl”, but that was just the start of thirty-eight more malicious storms in that year. In 1934 over twelve million pounds of topsoil blew from Chicago to the east, reaching as far as New England and New York. People were hiding in their houses, stuffing old rags and clothes into every possible crack to escape the dust. Similarly, they would tie cloths to their faces just so they wouldn’t have to inhale so much dirt and grime; accounts from farmers in the “Black Blizzard” said that if they held their hand out in front of their face they couldn’t even see it. Americans were prisoners in their own homes. The “Black Death” had become menace, leaving over 500,000 Americans homeless and forcing over

In the beginning of the thirties, there was a demand for more wheat, and farmers all across the nation wanted to take advantage of market (Hibbs 2). When the available farmland got scarcer, farmers started plowing up the originally untouched plains. The droughts started in the early 30’s and the vast wheat fields started withering away causing the soil to become loose and grainy (3). The winds were not an uncommon occurrence; however, it is the first time the winds came through without prairie grass to hold down the soil. The wind picked up the soil in a tremendous cloud of dust. Therefore the dust got in every crook and cranny.

1895: The one-year program reaches out to two years. From the earliest starting point, perception of youngsters and work on educating are vital to the Wheelock School program. Administration to the groups of settler kids and families in the numerous settlement places of Boston turns into another center part of the system and each understudy takes an interest. Lucy turns into the IKU's second President.