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Dust Bowl Anthology

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In the 1930s; severe drought conditions and a lack of experience by people from the east who had migrated to the Great plains of America to take up farming, resulted in a disaster which became known as the Dust Bowl. the main causes were inexperience and drought .

Natura deep rooted grasses which held the soil in place were dug out and ordinary seed planted then a drought came and dried the soil out making it brittle and the strong winds on the plains took the top soil away forming giant dust clouds.

The dust clouds even blew east and one winter in New England red snow fell due to the dust in the atmosphere.Many people died including livestock.

Had the dry farming method been followed it may have never have happened on such a large scale

The severe conditions lasted about eight years.

a mass migration heading west to farm the land ~ inexperienced in the arid soil ordinary crops planted ~ dry farming ignored drought and poor farming topsoil blowing in the wind ~ dust bowl created deep rooted plains grass taken out and wheat planted ~ devastation looms across the great plains a dusty black flag unfurled ~ the days become nights in all the plains homes dust blowing in through fine cracks ~ powdery cover the deadly dust clouds respiratory problems ~ cause of many deaths clouds of fine red dust settles all over the plains ~ a crimson carpet new england winter fine dust in the atmosphere ~ causes red snowfall kansas city news edward stanley editor ~ coined the term dust bowl

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Valsa George

Date: 4/2/2023 5:30:00 AM

It is a horrible situation ! Dust and soot invariably cause breathing problems and health hazards. Your haiku powerfully delineates the horror of the situation.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 4/2/2023 6:38:00 AM

Thank you very much Valsa, you can only work with nature not against it, many were ignorant how to farm and that's what caused the devastation, thankfully they learnt from their mistakes. Tom

Panagiota Romios

Date: 7/1/2020 5:10:00 PM

Another show of your poetic way of explaining history. It's pure magic to me, Thank you, winner! Panagiota xx

Tom Cunningham
Date: 7/1/2020 5:21:00 PM

Thank you Panagiota, I love history and putting it into verse. Tom

Brenda Chiri

Date: 2/20/2020 3:21:00 AM

Tom congrats on your win!;)

Tom Cunningham
Date: 2/20/2020 5:29:00 AM

Thank you Brenda, I hope you're well. Tom

Timothy Mcguire

Date: 7/27/2018 8:00:00 AM

My parents were raised in the 20s & 30s. I heard about the dust bowl. Your piece brought them to mind. Thank you for that. I heard just the other day they are predicting another on in the near future.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 7/27/2018 9:53:00 AM

They were hard times indeed Timothy, the trouble with man is he uses up resources until there's nothing left not giving things a chance to recover and animals hunt them until they're extinct. Mankind is foolish without a doubt. Tom

Gershon Wolf

Date: 5/13/2018 9:16:00 PM

Publish this in the history books, someone, please! What an innovative, masterful way to make significant history/environmental history come alive---a history which so many students snooze through. Kudos to you, Tom! ~ gershon

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/13/2018 10:22:00 PM

Thank you very much Gershon, I'm glad that you liked it. It was such a sad time for all involved and took years to recover. Tom

Jan Allison

Date: 5/12/2018 4:04:00 PM

what a tragic story told in haiku form - have never heard of the red snow before Tom.Hugs Jan xx

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/13/2018 1:00:00 AM

Thank you Jan, it must have been a spectacular sight to see.Early one morning I got up for work and we'd had rain in the night but strong winds from the Sahara had blown dust which had got mixed up with the rain and there was a fine coating of red dust, thankfully not as bad as the dust bowl. Tom.

Caren Krutsinger

Date: 5/11/2018 12:22:00 PM

Ten glorious succinct haikus that explain the story of the hard 1930's in the dustbowl as well as could be told. Nice.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/11/2018 12:34:00 PM

Thank you very much Caren, yes they were hard times indeed. Tom

Cheryl Hoffman

Date: 5/10/2018 7:49:00 PM

I can only imagine what those farming families went through; this awesome write is a reminder of how mother nature can cause such havoc in our fragile lives!~Che :)

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 9:58:00 PM

Thanks Cheryl, you're right, mother nature takes no prisoners, it was mainly drought and inexperience that caused the disaster. Tom.

Sara Kendrick

Date: 5/10/2018 5:00:00 PM

I remember reading about this in school and maybe my father talking about it. Those times were hard on many people. Some lost everything in those severe conditions. Enjoyed reading your work. Thanks for the visit to my page. Sara

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 9:56:00 PM

Thanks Sara, It was the time if the great depression, as if things weren't bad enough.Yes, folk lost everything, Really we have nothing to complain about today. Tom

Kim Rodrigues

Date: 5/10/2018 3:48:00 PM

Never heard the part about the red snow! Great historic haiku, Tom!

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 4:34:00 PM

Thanks Kim, yes red snow fell in New England in the winter of 1934/1935. The dust even reached ships in the Atlantic. Tom

Anne-Lise Andresen

Date: 5/10/2018 12:35:00 PM

- A great story told in haiku form, excellent Tom - A time that will never be forgotten - hugs // Anne-Lise :)

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 1:25:00 PM

Thank you very much Sunshine, it was a tragic story, mistakes were made and hopefully.they have learnt from them,You can grow crops in arid lands but you have to use the dry farm method. Tom.

Heidi Sands

Date: 5/10/2018 8:54:00 AM

Wow, this is interesting Tom. I had never heard of the red snow falling. Well done :)

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 9:32:00 AM

Thanks Heidi, it must have been an awesome sight, sometimes we have rain and there is sometimes a reddish colour in it from.the Sahara here in the UK. Tom

Harry Horsman

Date: 5/10/2018 7:51:00 AM

A wonderful and historic herd of haikus, Tom, Being raise in a farming community, i sympathise with the plight you write of here.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 8:22:00 AM

Thank you Harry, it must be one of the worst tragedies to hit the settlers on the plains, such a tragic story it is. Tom.

Demetrios Trifiatis

Date: 5/10/2018 5:41:00 AM

A monument of human ignorance that condemned land and people to slow death! Educational Haikus poetically expressing a sad truth dear, Tom! Another, POTD perhaps!

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/10/2018 6:00:00 AM

Thanks Demetrios I've never blown my own trumpet if they want me at the grooms table let them speak haha. It was a tragic time indeed, you have to work with nature not against it that's for sure. Tom.

Charles Messina

Date: 5/9/2018 3:45:00 PM

you have a great hand Tom, very well done haiku! You taught me some knowledge as well...and I'm from the U.S. (lol) Stay well my friend!

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 4:03:00 PM

Thank you very much Charles, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Tom.

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 5/9/2018 1:09:00 PM

Very educational Tom. It was a difficult time in history.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 4:02:00 PM

Thank you Richard, yes it certainly was if only dry farming methods' had been used it could have been a different story. Tom.

Eve Roper

Date: 5/9/2018 12:28:00 PM

Enjoyed reading,Tom, the haikus are great and the old nostalgic photos are just wonderful . If, this is for a contest Good luck .. Thank you for reading my write on the Roosevelt Elk they are just beautiful and fascinating to watch. Hugs Eve

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 1:02:00 PM

Thank you very much Eve, it was Woody Guthrie's song that gave me the inspiration to do it.I had known about it years ago, when I heard the song I researched it, fascinating but a tragic story.How those people suffered you cant imagine.Thanks but it's not for a contest. You're lucky to see those elk in the wild. Tom.

Mike Gentile

Date: 5/9/2018 9:13:00 AM

How interesting Tom and told in such beautiful form, I really enjoyed this !!!

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 10:22:00 AM

Thank you Mike, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Tom

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 5/9/2018 8:43:00 AM

I never knew it was called red snowfall. It would have been so horrible to be part of that. I recall the movie Grapes of Wrath . I think this is the reason they moved west. Can you imagine how hard it must have been on these people? We have it very lucky today.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 10:19:00 AM

Thanks Andrea, it was only in New England that the snowfall was red due to the dust in the atmosphere. It was also known as the black blizzard's, the great dust storm and of course the dust bowl.It was of course the great depression at that time too, your right Andrea we are so lucky today.The grapes of wrath , excellent film. Tom.

Ravi Sathasivam

Date: 5/9/2018 6:14:00 AM

Excellent. Well penned. Thanks for sharing it.

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 6:34:00 AM

Your welcome Ravi, thank you. Tom.

Maria Williams

Date: 5/9/2018 6:03:00 AM

Great history lesson Tom with great pics and appropriate music. I do remember reading something about this in passing and now you've written it in a string of Haiku in masterful fashion...Maria hugs :)

Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/9/2018 6:09:00 AM

Thank you Maria, its a fascinating story but such a tragic one, mankind can never take on mother nature and win.The removal of natural grass, strong winds and drought was a lethal combination. Tom