Darkness at Mid-Day

January 21, 1933  We got _____ __________ and also one cow.  We got a big dust storm, so it got all dark.  11° warm [57° F.].  Southwest wind.

The Great Depression in the United States started with the collapse of the stock market in October 1929.  The resulting loss of wealth and jobs was devastating for city dwellers and affected farmers too, but farmers continued to do better than city dwellers for several years because they were more self-sufficient.  But 1932 had been a year of disaster for the Siemens family (and for many other farmers).  The 1932 harvest had been so bad because of drought that the Siemens stopped harvesting soon after they started because the value of the grain was less than the cost of harvesting. 

Now in the winter of 1932-1933, the dust was starting to blow.  Three days earlier, on January 18, the Siemens had had a dust storm that Cornelius had noted in his diary.  Today so much dust blew that it got completely dark when the sun was shining brightly.  Imagine the sensation of day turning into night as the wind blew and the dust clouds rolled in.  Imagine Cornelius watching as the howling winds carried away the good topsoil that produced his crops and left only hardpan.  And imagine Margaret cleaning up the next day as every surface in the house was covered with a thick layer of dust. 

And this was only the beginning – there were several more years of worse and worse dust storms to come.  No wonder so many people gave up in despair and left for California.  But the Siemens never left.

[Note - The blanks are where Cornelius' handwriting cannot be read.]

Dust storm approaching Stratford, Tex., in 1935.  Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl

Map of areas affected by Dust Bowl.  Source: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/about/history/?cid=stelprdb1049437