A Dust Cloud Rolling Over the Prairies (near Hugoton, Kansas)
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
This is a photograph of 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. It was taken by the Stovall Studio in Dodge City, Kansas on Sunday April 14, 1935. It is labeled #3.

Aftermath of a dust storm in Kansas
Date: Between 1934 and 1936
This photograph shows agricultural equipment covered with dust after a storm, possibly in Scott County, 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
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
A postcard view of a huge wall of dust approaching a farm during the Dust Bowl period. The photograph was possibly taken in Ford County, Kansas.

Approaching dust storm
Date: Around 1935
This undated photograph captures a large dust storm about to hit this family's homestead. These storms were frequent occurrences in western Kansas during the 1930s Dust Bowl.

Approaching Dust Storm 5 mi Away - Western Kansas
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
This approaching dust storm is five miles away. The photograph was taken near Hugoton, Kansas, on April 14, 1935, by the Stovall Studio, Dodge City, Kansas. It is labeled #1.

Approaching dust storm in middle west
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: Between 1935 and 1936
A postcard showing a dust cloud rolling across a field in Kansas. Frank "Pop" Conard of Garden City, Kansas, created this and other postcards of the Dust Bowl during the mid 1930s.

Approaching Dust Storm in Middle West
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
This is a 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. The image is labeled #24 Conard.

Approaching dust storm in the middle west
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
This is a postcard showing an approaching dust storm in western Kansas.

Approaching dust storm in the middle west
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
This is a postcard showing an approaching dust storm in western Kansas.

Approaching dust storm in the middle west
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
This is a postcard showing an approaching dust storm in western Kansas.

Black Friday meets its master
Creator: Garden City Daily Telegram
Date: April 10, 1935
Several articles about life in the Dust Bowl can be found on the front page of this newspaper from Garden City. Articles of particular interest include two articles on "raging dusters," one on the winter wheat crop, and a brief article discussing the postponement of community meetings to distribute aid under the soil erosion program. The newspaper also includes articles about other newsworthy events occurring in Garden City and around the state of Kansas.

Cattle in a dust storm
Date: Between 1935 and 1936
A photograph showing cattle standing near a fence during a dust storm.

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.

Citizens wearing dust masks in Liberal, Kansas
Date: 1935
In this photograph, Red Cross volunteers in 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, Kansas.

Couple lost in dust, wander thruout night
Creator: Topeka Capital
Date: March 19, 1935
This article describes the harrowing experience of the Modlins, a couple from Esbon, Kansas, whose car was forced off the road during a dust storm. After leaving the car to seek help, the couple got lost in a cornfield. Mrs. Modlin suffered from cuts to her legs and injury to her eyes from the blowing dust.

Curbing the wind
Creator: Aicher, L. C.
Date: 1935
The twenty-ninth biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture includes this short article by L. C. Aicher, superintendent of the Fort Hays Experiment Station in Hays, Kansas. In the article ("Curbing the Wind" in Twenty-Ninth Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture for the Years 1933 to 1934"), Aicher describes the most effective techniques for preventing wind erosion, stating that "the secret in preventing soil from blowing is to keep the surface in a roughened condition." He also gives directions about the best methods for listing land and caring for fallow fields.

Drifts of dust
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
This image illustrates drifts of dust in Ford County deposited during the raging storms that swept the area during the Dust Bowl. The drifts have grown large enough to smother the farm machinery, which has fallen into disuse since the drought. The photograph was taken by Stovall Studio, dodge City, Kansas, and is labeled #10.

Drifts of Dust
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
This photograph shows farm machinery covered with drifts of dust, Ford County, Kansas. The equipment shown was made by McCormick-Deering. The image was taken by Stovall Studio, Dodge City, Kansas, and it is labeled #3.

Drifts of dust around a western Kansas farm
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
This postcard shows drifts of dust around a farm located near Hugoton, Kansas. It was taken by Stovall Studio, Dodge City, Kansas, and is labeled #13.

Dust Bowl soil is now same as Chinese desert
Creator: Hubbard, J. R.
Date: August 9, 1936
This article in the Topeka Capital discusses some of the causes of soil erosion and diminished soil moisture, as well as ways to counteract these forces. Both WPA engineers and scientists at the Hays Engineering Station have been measuring soil moisture and developing techniques to counteract the negative effects of the farming trends in use since World War I.

Dust cloud rolling over western Kansas prairie
Date: February 21, 1935
View of a dust cloud rolling across the western Kansas prairie.

Dust cloud rolling over western Kansas prairie
Creator: Potter
Date: February 21, 1935
A postcard showing a dust cloud rolling across a field in western Kansas.

Dust clouds rolling over the prairies, Hugoton, Kansas
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
This is a postcard view of a dust storm rolling over Hugoton, Kansas, on Sunday, April 14, 1935. Southwest Kansas was among the hardest hit areas during the Dust Bowl. Dust storms, such as this one, rolled over the southern Great Plains from 1932-1936, removing top soil from agricultural lands and prompting important changes in agricultural practice. The photograph was taken by Stovall Studio, Dodge City, Kansas, and is labeled #5.

Dust drifted road, Ford County, Kansas
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: 1935
Dust drifted road, Ford County, Kansas. Fences and utility poles are visible in the photograph.