Rebecca Harrison Digital Journal
33727
Feb. 12- Stinging Dust Forgotten Lives
The Dust Bowl was one moment in time where no none knew what to do. It was not something planned, nor was it something people knew how to handle. When the dust storms hit, the people did not realize the type of impact it would make in history. The Dust Bowl was strong dust storms that came from all direction and hit anything. People's lives were put in danger. Not only for death, but also for health. Americans became creative and would wet rags and place them around their mouths and nose to have minimal dust pass through. The dust storms did not just occur in the Midwest, but everywhere in the country. On April 14, 1935, a huge dust storm arose. It went on for hundreds of miles and covered anything on its way. The dust was thick and black. The storm dropped about 12 million tons of dust on Chicago and reached New York City. The day became known as Black Sunday. Farmers and family out on the plains, at some point, had to grow accustomed to the storms that would occur. It was a daily thing. Animals were dying and people were getting sick.The dust would creep into the lungs and caused children and elderly to die from dust pneumonia. Animals choked to death with the amount of dust stored inside their lungs and cavities. The Storm caused for families to leave the plains in search of a new place to live. Unknown to these farmers and families this was also occurring throughout the country, and the availability of jobs became rare and scarce. After the dust storms affected Washington D.C. the government started coming up with ideas and organizations to help prevent and control these storms. The government started implementing the planting of trees and grasses so that the dirt would not erode. The government also restricted a lot of farming practices that was effecting the lands. The Dust Bowl remains an important and sad time in history.