Summary

Introduction

The 1930s were times of tremendous hardship on the Great Plains. Settlers dealt not only with the Great Depression, but also with years of drought that plunged an already-suffering society into an onslaught of relentless dust storms for days and months on end. They were known as dirt storms, sand storms, black blizzards, and “dusters.” It seemed as if it could get no worse, but on Sunday, the 14th of April 1935, it got worse. The day is known in history as “Black Sunday,” when a mountain of blackness swept across the High Plains and instantly turned a warm, sunny afternoon into a horrible blackness that was darker than the darkest night. Famous songs were written about it, and on the following day, the world would hear the region referred to for the first time as “The Dust Bowl.”

The wall of blowing sand and dust first blasted into the eastern Oklahoma panhandle and far northwestern Oklahoma around 4 PM. It raced to the south and southeast across the main body of Oklahoma that evening, accompanied by heavy blowing dust, winds of 40 MPH or more, and rapidly falling temperatures. But the worst conditions were in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, where the rolling mass raced more toward the south-southwest - accompanied by a massive wall of blowing dust that resembled a land-based tsunami. Winds in the panhandle reached upwards of 60 MPH, and for at least a brief time, the blackness was so complete that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. It struck Beaver around 4 PM, Boise City around 5:15 PM, and Amarillo at 7:20 PM.

Dusty Old Dust

Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, who was born and grew up in Okemah, Oklahoma, moved to Pampa, Texas in 1931. Many of his early songs were inspired by his personal experiences on the Texas High Plains during the dust storms of the 1930s. Among them is the song “Dusty Old Dust,” which also became known as “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh.” In the original lyrics, he sings, “Of the place that I lived on the wild windy plains, in the month called April, county called Gray…” (Pampa was, and is, in Gray County .) Also among the lyrics:

“A dust storm hit, an’ it hit like thunder;
It dusted us over, an’ it covered us under;
Blocked out the traffic and blocked out the sun,
Straight for home all the people did run,
Singin’:

So long, it’s been good to know yuh;
So long, it’s been good to know yuh;
So long, it’s been good to know yuh.
This dusty old dust is a-getting’ my home,
And I got to be driftin’ along.”

class="summary"The lyrics are highly representative of the events of Black Sunday in the Texas panhandle, and suggest that Black Sunday may well have been the specific event that inspired those words more than any other.

The Dust Bowl Gets Its Name

Robert E. Geiger was a reporter for the Associated Press. He and photographer Harry G. Eisenhard were overtaken by the storm six miles from Boise City, Oklahoma, and were forced to wait two hours before returning to town. Mr. Geiger then wrote an article that appeared in the Lubbock Evening Journal the next day, which began: “Residents of the southwestern dust bowl marked up another black duster today…” Another article, also attributed to “an Associated Press reporter” and published the next day, included the following: “Three little words… rule life in the dust bowl of the continent – ‘if it rains’.” These cases generally are acknowledged to be the first-ever usages of the phrase by which the events of the 1930s have been known to history ever since: The Dust Bowl.

Dust Goes to Washington

The blowing dust that blasted the High Plains in the 1930s was attributed not only to dry weather, but to poor soil conservation techniques that were in use at the time. In March 1935 (several weeks before Black Sunday), one of President Roosevelt’s advisors, Hugh Hammond Bennett, testified before congress about the need for better soil conservation techniques. Ironically, dust from the Great Plains was transported all the way to the East Coast, blotting out the sun even in the Nation’s capital. Mr. Bennett only needed to point out the window to the evidence supporting his position, and say, “This, gentlemen, is what I’ve been talking about.” Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act before the end of the year.

Web Links

• "Black Blizzard" news article written by former NWS meteorlogist Jenifer Bowen in the Spring 2010 Southern Plains Cyclone Newsletter


• Dust Bowl Symposium - Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Black Sunday - Facebook Page


• Black Sunday Remembered (Oklahoma Climatological Survey)


• OCS/Mesonet Ticker web page for April 14, 1935


• Duststorms In The Southwestern Plains Area, H. F. Chotin, Weather Bureau, Denver, Colo., April 1936. Source: Monthly Weather Review, June 1936


• The Dust Bowl - A Film by Ken Burns, PBS

Research Notes

Quotes

"Suddenly there appeared on the northern horizon a black blizzard, moving toward them; there was no sound, no wind, nothing but an immense 'boogery' cloud.  Donald Worster, Dust Bowl – The Southern Plains in the 1930s. [From https://www.perryton.com/black.htm]

"Borger reported the storm struck at 6:15 PM; Amarillo at 7:20 PM; Boise City, Oklahoma, at 5:35 PM; and Dalhart at 5:15 PM."  Ochiltree County Herald (Perryton TX), 18 April 1935. [Other reports suggest the actual time in Boise City was more likely 4:35 PM.]

"Some People Thought the End of the World was at Hand when Every Trace of Daylight was Obliterated at 4:00 PM." Liberal News, 15 April 1935.

"The Worst I Ever Seen." Northwest Oklahoman (Shattuck), 16 April 1935.

"Worst dust storm ever known in this country on 14 of April."  Observer, Beaver OK.

"When dust obscures sun, is it 'cloudy?'"  Observer, Pampa TX.

"...A huge cloud of black top soil swooped down upon Laverne in the manner of a heavy cloud flattening out upon the earth and spread absolute darkness the like of which has never been experienced by most Harper county folk." The Leader Tribune, Laverne, 18 April 1935.

"...a great black bank rolled in out of the northeast, and in a twinkling when it struck Liberal, plunged everything into inky blackness, worse than that on any midnight, when there is at least some starlight and outlines of objects can be seen.  When the storm struck it was impossible to see one's hand before his face even two inches away.  And it was several minutes before any trace of daylight whatsoever returned." Liberal News, 15 April 1935.

"The billowing black cloud struck Amarillo at 7:20 o'clock and visibility was zero for 12 minutes." Amarillo Daily News, 15 April 1935 (from the Associated Press).

"Mr. Williamson... had mounted a horse and was headed toward the fire when he met this great dust cloud, and was enveloped in darkness. The electrical current was so strong that it snapped from ear to ear on his bronco, and the cow chips ignited by the fire would roll hundreds of yards kindling the grass as they rolled and burned." Panhandle Herald, Guymon, 15 April 1935.

 "Now, as we recall that day, we are glad that we were eye-witnesses to perhaps the most awe-inspiring and majestic upheaval of Nature that ever occurred in this section of the United States." Pauline Winkler Grey, The Black Sunday of April 14, 1935.  Kansas Historical Society.

"The wind was travelling at a speed of sixty miles an hour; when it struck, visibility was reduced to zero for a period of twenty minutes, after which time visibility was limited to ten feet or less, lasting for forty-five minutes, then visibility increased to fifty feet or more at sporadic intervals and thereafter gradually increasing until normal nightfall." U. S. Government Weather Bureau at Dodge City KS.  From The Black Sunday of April 14, 1935. Kansas Historical Society.

"It was as though the sky was divided into two opposite worlds.  On the south there was blue sky, golden sunlight and tranquility; on the north, there was a menacing curtain of boiling black dust that appeared to reach a thousand or more feet into the air. It had the appearance of a mammoth waterfall in reverse – color as well as form.  The apex of the cloud was plumed and curling, seething and tumbling over itself from north to south and whipping trash, papers, sticks, and cardboard cartons before it.  Even the birds were helpless in the turbulent onslaught and dipped and dived without benefit of wings as the wind propelled them.  As the wall of dust and sand struck our house the sun was instantly blotted out completely.  Gravel particles clattered against the windows and pounded down on the roof.  The floor shook with the impact of the wind, and the rafters creaked threateningly.  We stood in our living room in pitch blackness.  We were stunned.  Never had we been in such all-enveloping blackness before, such impenetrable gloom."  Pauline Winkler Grey, The Black Sunday of April 14, 1935.  Kansas Historical Society.

"Tommy Peckham lost his way in the storm and stopped to knock on a door. 'Mr. (Loefbourrow),' he said, 'This is Tommy Peckham and I'm lost. May I come in?' He was at home and didn't know it.  Forgan Advocate, 18 April 1935.

"Residents of the southwestern dust bowl marked up another black duster today and wondered how long it would be before another one came along." Associated Press, Lubbock Evening Journal, 15 April 1935. (Probably written by Robert Geiger; may be the first appearance of "dust bowl.")

Cooperative Observer Forms – Comments

• Altus: "Numerous dust storms"
• Alva:  "Dust storms 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 28, 30"
• Arnett (14th): "Dust storm 5PM vis zero" (15th): "Dust storm at night" [observation time 7PM]
• Beaver: "Worst dust storm ever known in this country on 14 of April"
• Buffalo: "We had just a few days the dust was not blowing" 
• Camargo (14th) "Dust storm 6PM"
• Canadian TX (14th): [very hard to read] "Black (?) rolling in at...(???)"  Remarks: "Continuation of dust dirt sand from (??) through month of Apr. Nothing like it ...(??)... on record."
• Canton (14th-15th): "Dust storm"
• Chandler: "Worst dust storm of the season started at 4 PM April 10th blew all night and all day the 11th. Gardens are fine."
• Chattanooga: "You will note I put in 3 days of dust.  Honest I could not tell if it was cloudy or not, dust was all I could see so I put it down." 15th: "Dust storm PM" [ob time 7 PM?]
• Childress TX: "Excessive dust storms throughout the entire month-"
• Cloud Chief (15th): "Sand storm night" [ob time 6PM]
• Dalhart TX: "Very dry with heavy soil blowing.  Much of the time the sun has been hidden by dust clouds"
• Enid: "Dust = 9th – 10th bad – 11 – 13 – 14th bad -15 – 16 – 17 – 25 – 26 bad –"
• Erick (14th): "Dust storm at 7PM"
• Follett TX: Dry and dusty with plenty of wind." (14th): "DUST STORM"
• Fort Reno: "Dust storms 9, 10, 11, 15, 25, 26" (15th): "Severe dust storm night" [ob time 4:00 PM]
• Guthrie: "Dust storm on the 10th & 11 visibility 200 yds and on the 26th"
• Hammon: "Sand storm" (9th-14th)
• Hennessey (14th) "Dust storm from NW at 6 PM" [ob time 6 PM]
• Hobart: "Much dust but scarcely any erosion"
• Hooker: "Most of month was very severe electric dust storms. Elect (?) and lack of moisture has killed about all the wheat." (14th) "430 severe dust storm" (15th): Bad dust storm"
• Jefferson (14th): Dust storm [ob time 4PM]
• Kenton: "The month was slightly warm and very dry.  It was the driest April in history of Weather Bureau.  It was probably one of the windiest months on record.  Sandstorms and Dust Storms prevailed on at least 17 days to a marked (?) extent.  Severe Dust Storm April 14th caused the afternoon to turn as dark as darkest possible night."
• Kingfisher: "14 – Gale dust hit at 6 PM"
• Lawton: "Terrific dust storm beginning afternoon of 10th continued through the 11th and during night of 11th" [no mention of dust on 14th]
• Lubbock: "The month continued dry warm with 23 days in which sand and duststorms were recorded. No planting can be attempted until it rains."
• Munday TX: (14th) "Worst sand storm of season"
• Pampa TX:  "Recurring dusters.  Little soil damage; wheat dying." (14th) "duster" Side note: "When dust obscures sun, is it 'cloudy?'"
• Perryton TX "Extremely dry. No wheat."
• Ponca City (14th): "dusty"
• Spearman TX: "14th 515 PM Bad Sandstorm from NE... Fields all damaged by blowing – " (14th): "Clear until 515 PM"
• Stratford TX: "The 14th another duster black as night at 5:40.  Stayed so for 20 minutes then got so you could see about 10 feet away and stayed so all night." (14th): "Worst dust storm"
• Vernon TX (15th): "Sand Storm"
• Waukomis (14th): "Dust storm at 530 PM" [ob time 6 PM]

Notes

• This also was Palm Sunday 1935.
• Temperatures on the morning of the 13th were the coldest of the month in many areas; they were followed roughly 36 hours later by the warmest/hottest readings of the month just ahead of the dust storm, on the afternoon/evening of the 14th.
• Dust storms were commonly referred to as "dusters" at the time.  The terms "Dust Storm," "Sand Storm," and "Duster" all appeared regularly, and sometimes interchangeably, in accounts of the event.  Interestingly, "norther" was rarely used, and "black norther" has not been encountered in any of the accounts.
• The speed of the dust cloud, from all accounts, was between 50 and 60 MPH as it moved through southwestern KS and the OK-TX panhandles.
• Accounts all agree that day quickly turned into darkest night as it hit, but the period of total darkness was fairly brief – less than an hour, and as little as 12 minutes (Amarillo account).
• It is generally established that the term "Dust Bowl" originated from the events of Black Sunday.  A news article, from the Associated Press, began, "Residents of the southwestern dust bowl marked up another black duster today..." [emphasis added].  This is believed to be the first usage of the term.  The article is credited to Robert Geiger, who was caught in the dust storm with photographer Harry Eisenhand, in a vehicle 6 miles north of Boise City.  It appeared in the Lubbock Evening Journal on 15 April.  Another article, also attributed to "an Associated Press reporter" and also issued the day after Black Sunday, included, "Three little words, achingly familiar on the Western farmer's tongue, rule life in the dust bowl of the continent – 'if it rains'."
• There are several reports indicating that static electricity, generated by the dust particles, disrupted the ignition systems of motor vehicles.

Other Phrases and Terms

• Black Duster
• Black Blizzard
• Black Roller
• Norther
• Dirt Storm

Arrival Times

Maps and Photos

NWS Norman Graphicast Depicting the Surface Weather Conditions at 7:00 am CST on April 13, 1935

NWS Norman Graphicast Depicting the Surface Weather Conditions at 7:00 am CST on April 14, 1935

NWS Norman Graphicast Depicting the Surface Weather Conditions at 6:00 pm CST on April 14, 1935

U.S. Weather Bureau Surface Analysis at 7:00 am CST (1300 UTC) on April 13, 1935. Map Credit: NOAA Central Library Data Imaging Project. Daily Weather Maps, 13 April 1935.

U.S. Weather Bureau Surface Analysis at 7:00 am CST (1300 UTC) on April 14, 1935. Map Credit: NOAA Central Library Data Imaging Project. Daily Weather Maps, 14 April 1935.

U.S. Weather Bureau Surface Analysis at 7:00 am CST (1300 UTC) on April 15, 1935. Map Credit: NOAA Central Library Data Imaging Project. Daily Weather Maps, 15 April 1935.

This is an image of a typical monthly report form circa 1935. The form is the USWB monthly cooperative observer form from the observer in Arnett, OK for April 1935.

The Black Sunday dust storm located near Beaver, Oklahoma on 04/14/1935. Source: The National Archives

The Black Sunday dust storm approaching Liberal, Kansas on 04/14/1935. Source: The National Archives

The Black Sunday dust storm approaching Rolla, Kansas on 04/14/1935. Source: The National Archives

The Black Sunday dust storm approaching Spearman, Texas on 04/14/1935. Source: The National Archives

The Black Sunday dust storm approaching Spearman, Texas on 4/14/1935. In: "Monthly Weather Review," Volume 63, April 1935, p. 148. Source: NOAA Photo Library

Dust and sand heaped up against fence windbreak. "Local drifting began almost imperceptibly and finally merged with regional blowing."Prior to the 1930's there had been a number of episodes of dust storms occurring in the Dust Bowl area. In: "Erosion and Its Control in Oklahoma Territory," Angus H. McDonald, Misc. Publication No. 301, Department of Agriculture. 1938. Figure 2. S21.A46. Source: NOAA Photo Library

Dust buried farms and equipment, killed livestock, and caused human death and misery during the height of the Dust Bowl years. In: "Monthly Weather Review," June 1936, p.196. Source: NOAA Photo Library

Photo # 1 of sequence. Garden City at 5:15 p.m. Note street lights and compare to photo 2 to orient picture. In: "Effect of Dust Storms on Health," U. S. Public Health Service, Reprint No,. 1707 from the Public Health Reports, Vol. 50, no. 40, October 4, 1935. Source: NOAA Photo Library

Photo # 2 of sequence. Garden City approximately 15 minutes later after dust storm blotted out the sun. Street lights are on allowing orientation of picture . In: "Effect of Dust Storms on Health," U. S. Public Health Service, Reprint No,. 1707 from the Public Health Reports, Vol. 50, no. 40, October 4, 1935. Source: NOAA Photo Library