Abraham Eitzen farm, Marion County, Kansas
Date: 1904
A photograph of the Abraham Eitzen farm located 2 miles east and 2 1/2 miles south of Hillsboro, Kansas.

A dust cloud near Hugoton, Kansas
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
A dust cloud rolling over the prairie near Hugoton, Kansas. Southwest Kansas was among the hardest hit areas during the Dust Bowl. Dust storms, such as the one depicted here, could blow for a full day, coating everything in their path with a layer of dirt.

A memory of old Fort Harker
Creator: The Club Member
Date: February 1908
This reminiscence by Mrs. Henry Inman, published in The Club Member, describes her experiences as a Kansas pioneer. She moved to Fort Harker in January 1868 after a difficult journey in severe winter weather. She details various aspects of frontier life, including the U.S. military's conflicts with Native Americans and the daily struggle for survival. She also mentions how she met "Mother" Bickerdyke, and that her husband served in the Seventh Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer.

Approaching dust storm
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
View of an approaching dust storm somewhere on the southern Plains. The photograph was taken by Frank D. ("Pop") Conard, a well known photographer in Garden City, Kansas. Dust storms, such as this one, rolled over the the southern Great Plains from 1932-1936, removing top soil from agricultural lands and prompting important changes in agricultural practice.

Approaching dust storm
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: Around 1935
View of a huge wall of dust approaching a farm during the Dust Bowl, possibly in Ford County, Kansas. The Stovall photography studio was located in Dodge City, Kansas.

Approaching dust storm
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: Between 1935 and 1936
A photograph of an approaching dust storm in the Middle West; most likely in southwest Kansas. The southwest corner of the state was one of the hardest hit areas during the Dust Bowl. Dust storms, such as this one, rolled over the the southern Great Plains from 1932-1936, removing top soil from agricultural lands and prompting important changes in agricultural practice.

Approaching dust storm, Hugoton, Kansas
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
Approaching dust storm five miles away, Hugoton, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway bridge, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Booth, Norman C.
Date: July 28, 1951
Viewing the aftermath of the 1951 flood to the Santa Fe Railway bridge in Topeka, Kansas. The extremely heavy rains during June and July of 1951 caused some of the greatest flooding ever seen in Kansas history. These high waters affected all the area river basins of the Kansas, Neosho, Marais des Cygnes and Verdigris.

Blizzard, Oakley, Kansas
Date: 1912
View of men clearing the railroad tracks after a blizzard in Oakley, Kansas.

Blizzard in Ford County, Kansas
Date: 1886
View of steam locomotives trying to cut through large drifts of snow. People are standing in snow next to the tracks. The photograph was taken east of Dodge City, Kansas.

Brewery album
Date: Between 1906 and 1911
A photograph album containing 37 photographs of saloons, Turner Halls, breweries, Shawnee County Courthouse, and shipping and delivery of beer in northeast Kansas.

Carl Engel Drug, Grocery, and Hardware Store; Manhattan, Kansas
Date: 1902-1903
These photographs show the Carl Engel Drug, Grocery, and Hardware Store located in the 200 block of Poyntz Avenue in Manhattan, Kansas. The first photograph shows an interior view of the drug and grocery store. There are several men and women standing in the store, and display cases and shelves full of items for sale are also visible. The second photograph shows an interior view of the Engel Hardware Store. There are three men standing in the store, and visible hardware items include metal pots, kettles, cans, a display case full of scissors, brooms, and many other items. The third photograph shows an interior view of the drug and grocery store. There are three men and a woman standing in the store, and display cases and shelves full of items for sale are also visible. There is also a large potted plant visible on the left side of the picture. The fourth photograph is an exterior view of the Carl Engel Drug Store during the 1903 flood. Several men are visible standing on what appear to be rafts on the water in front of the store. One man is seen standing in the water with the water nearly up to his waist. The top of the building shows a construction date of 1885.

Cattle in a blizzard on the plains
Date: 1886
This is a photo of a drawing of a herd of cattle in a blizzard drawn by Charles Graham from a sketch by Henry Worrall.

Chapter IV: Destructive effects of undesirable tendencies, in The future of the Great Plains: Report of the Great Plains Committee
Creator: Great Plains Committee
Date: December, 1936
This report was created by the Great Plains Committee, which had been called by President Roosevelt to investigate the effects of drought and wind erosion in the southwestern United States. Chapter IV of the report, titled "Destructive Effects of Undesirable Tendencies," outlines some of the major problems in this region, composed of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. These problems included the decreasing amount of range land, soil erosion, and the depletion of ground water. A large part of the chapter deals with relief efforts and homestead rehabilitation. It also contains illustrations and tables that provide comparative data on the situation in each of these states.

Children sledding in the snow, Russell, Kansas
Date: Between 1905 and 1915
A photograph produced from a dry plate glass negative showing possibly Wentworth children sledding, Russell, Kansas.

Citizens of Liberal wearing dust masks
Date: 1935
In this photograph, residents of Liberal, Seward County, have donned gas masks to protect their lungs from blowing dust. The photograph was taken in front of the Red Cross building in Liberal.

Copeland Hotel fire, Topeka, Kansas
Date: January 14, 1909
View of the ruins of the Copeland Hotel of Topeka,Kansas, after its destruction by fire. The south side of the building is propped up with poles.

Copeland Hotel fire, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Wolcott
Date: January 14, 1909
View of firemen's ladders, hoses, and wagons at the Copeland Hotel fire in downtown Topeka, Kansas. Also visible are spectators along the snow-covered city street, two white horses, and a utility pole and power lines.

Damage caused by an ice storm, McLouth, Kansas
Date: Unknown
Photograph view of damage caused by an ice storm in McLouth, Kansas.

David H. Fisher Jr. oral history
Creator: Fisher, David H. Jr.
Date: April 4, 2008
Topeka, Kansas, resident David H. Fisher, Jr. relates his experience during the June 8, 1966, tornado in Topeka.

Daybook
Creator: Emery, James S., 1826-1899
Date: July 4, 1856 through June 19, 1857
The account book entries record Emery's loss of personal property as a result of July, 1856, violence between free state and proslavery advocates. Emery also recordes his expenses for making repairs to his damaged law office.

Dividends of safety
Creator: Union Pacific Railway Company
Date: September 30, 1925
This pamphlet contains the text of the address made by Carl R. Gray, president of the Union Pacific System, before an annual banquet of the National Safety Council in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 30, 1925. The address begins with a brief history of railroads excerpted from "First Spikes in Railway History in England and America" by A. Saintsby (1925). Gray then describes the history of the Safety Movement on Railroad, and the safety measures employed by the Union Pacific Railway Company to guarantee safe rail travel on their system ("Lives saved, limbs saved, homes saved -- 'these are the Dividends of Safety'").

Drifts of dust around a western Kansas farm
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
A postcard showing drifts of dust around a farm located near Hugoton, Kansas.

Dust Storm
Creator: Logan, Herschel C., 1901-1987
Date: 1938
A black ink on white paper woodcut showing dust clouds behind a frame house. A windmill, barn, fence and mailbox are visible in the woodcut. Dust Storm was drawn by Herschel C. Logan, who was born April 19, 1901 in Magnolia, Missouri, and shortly after his birth the family moved to Winfield, Kansas. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts for one year. Logan was a commercial and advertising artist in Salina, Kansas, until his retirement in 1968. After retirement, Logan moved to Santa Ana, California.

"Dust Storm Collection," Kansas Author's Bulletin
Creator: Kansas Authors Club
Date: 1934
This collection of the poems, written during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, provides insight into the hardships of daily life in drought-stricken Kansas. The poets' subjects range from harsh despair created by persistent dust storms to thankful verses about much-needed rain.