In the 1930’s, industrialized farming mixed with scorching drought lifted topsoil in parts of Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. A deadly force of dust swept over the prairies for six years. As the storms intensified, crops disintegrated and children perished from pneumonia. These conditions killed 7,000 and left millions without a home. Still reeling from the Depression, some fled, others committed suicide.
Those who stayed prayed for relief that never came.
1935, Oklahoma
Dawn breaks with a muted glow, the sun obscured behind a coppery haze of dust. I wake not to the crow of our rooster, but the abrasive howl of sand hitting the clapboard walls. I dress quickly, tying a cloth over my mouth and nose before stepping outside. It’s the only defense I have against the dust.
An opaque wall of dirt barrels down from the sky, shrouding our small farmhouse in a ghostly haze. The morning is spent tending to our withered crops, their leaves coated in a fine, gritty powder. Father and I knock the dust off the best we can, hoping the weakened stalks might yield the food we so desperately need. The air is stifling, heavy with the scent of dried earth. The soil…
