Volume 18 , Issue 25

NW Okie's Journey

What stories did your parents, grandparents, great grandparents tell you of the "Black Sunday," April 14, 1935? Were they farmers, ranchers? Were they tenant farmers hired by the "suitcase farmers?" Did the federal government and the soil conservationists help them restore their farm, pasture lands after the "dust bowl" of 1935 blew through Northeastern New Mexico, Southeastern Colorado, and the Panhandles of They Oklahoma and Texas?

They came to the conclusion that overgrazing and later over-cultivation produced the "dust bowl." It also believed that the return of much of the land to grass was the only permanent solution of the problem of wind erosion.

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Walking With Sweet Silly Sadie

This week NW Okie is continuing her research on the "Dust Bowl" era with the dreaded "suitcase farmers" who came from the big cities; bought land, hiring tenant farmers to plow up the buffalo grass to plant wheat during the war.

The definition of suitcase farmer: a grower of wheat or other crops who lives outside the community except during the plowing, seeding, and harvesting seasons, often has a farm without buildings, and does much of the farming by hired custom operators.

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1937 - Southwest Is Challenged By Magazine 'Dust Bowl' Expert

In September, 1937, there was a magazine story about the "Dust Bowl:" Land Where Our Children Die," written by Walter Davenport. It appeared in Collier's Magazine in 1937. Davenport's facts had been questioned and he had been widely denounced for his findings.

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1935 - U. S. Will Check Suitcase Farmers

On page 7, The Scranton Republican, dated 19 November 1935, Tuesday, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, reported: "U. S. Will Check Suitcase Farmers." Steps were being taken to curb movement.

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1935 - Scores 'Rich Quick" Tillers

The Wilkes-Barre Record, dated Friday, December 13, 1935, reported how the "Scores 'Rich Quick' Tillers" (suitcase farmers) leave worthless soil, hiring tenant farmers to do the work.

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1937 - Writer Tours American Dust Bowl

It was in the Montana Butte Standard, Butte, Montana, dated 26 March 1937, Sunday, page 28, that we found this article: "Writer Tours American Dust Bowl Where Storms Are Terrifying Menace," written by Frank Lee.

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1937 - U. S. Dust Bowl In Southwest Blooms Again

It was in The Hancock Democrat, Greenfield, Indiana, dated 5 August 1937, Thursday, page 5, reported on the dust bowl and the suitcase farmers.

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1937 - Difficult Task Ahead Of Federal Coordinator In the Dust Bowl Area

This is what Iola Register, in Iola, Kansas, dated 11 June 1937, Friday, page 1, reported on the dust bowl area. This was the second of two articles on current conditions in the dust bowl compiled in a 1,000 mile tour through that area by auto, train, freight car and afoot as written by Paul D. Shoemaker.

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1936 - Enemies of the Earth

What Dust Storms and floods meant to America in the 1930s. This is what we found on page 3, of the Kentucky Advocate, Danville, Kentucky, dated 8 July 1936, Wednesday: "Enemies of the Earth, What Dust Storms and Floods Mean to America." This was the third in a series of six articles describing dust terms and floods and what they mean to America. The article was written by Charles Norman, associated press staff writer. The photographer was flying at an altitude of 12,000 feet when he caught this view of a dust storm 30 miles south of Denver, Colorado. The dust - pay dirt to the farmers who lost it - blew 8,000 feet in the air.

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