Remembering Black Sunday: 90 Years of Conservation in the Panhandle
On Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, a massive dust storm swept across the Great Plains, turning day into night across the Oklahoma Panhandle. This catastrophic event came to symbolize nearly a decade of environmental disaster and ultimately contributed to the creation of our modern system of soil and water conservation that continues today.
An image of employees of the Soil Conservation Service wearing gas masks in the Guymon office, during a dust storm in the 1930s.
This April, the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society (OCHS) traveled to Guymon to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Black Sunday and celebrate nine decades of soil conservation in the Panhandle. We were honored to welcome 70 community members to Victory United Methodist Church for an evening of historical reflection and conservation insights.
Oklahoma Conservation Commissioner for Region 1 welcomes the audience to OCHS’s "Remembering Black Sunday: 90 Years of Conservation in the Panhandle" event.
The program began with welcomes from Dan Herald, long-time Texas County Conservation District leader and Oklahoma Conservation Commissioner for Area 1, along with OCHS Board President Ben Pollard and Vice President Stan Rice.
More than 70 people came out to the Victory United Methodist Church for "Remembering Black Sunday: 90 Years of Conservation in the Panhandle"
Many thanks to our featured speakers:
Dr. Matt Pearce, Oklahoma State Historian with the Oklahoma Historical Society, explained how the demand for grains during World War I led to the "great plow up" that replaced native grasslands with wheat, sorghum, and other crops. When drought arrived in the early 1930s, crop failures exposed the soil to wind erosion.
Oklahoma State Historian Matt Pearce talks with an audience member after the event.
Gayle Brown, a Texas County native who began working in the Guymon field office of the Soil Conservation Service in 1958, shared his career-long perspective on irrigation development in the Panhandle. He is featured in the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society's oral history collection. You can access a transcript of his oral history and view the video embedded below.
Kevin Norton, Oklahoma native, range conservationist, and former NRCS Associate Chief, highlighted three key developments that have helped to prevent another Dust Bowl: the development of irrigation on the high plains, land revegetation programs (occurring in waves during the 1930s, 1950s, and 1980s), and the success of the conservation partnership.
Featured speaker Kevin Norton discusses the importance of conservation in preventing another dust bowl.
A common theme throughout the evening was the importance of Panhandle farmers' openness to innovation and willingness to adopt cutting-edge techniques to preserve their land and livelihoods.
A photograph of the Texas County landscape from Highway 412.
Special thanks to OCHS Board Member Tom Lucas for leadership and organizational skills, and without whom we would not have enjoyed the "Taste of the Dust Bowl" refreshments before and after the event.
"A Taste of the Dust Bowl" refreshments included Red Bud and Sand Plum Jelly, Johnny Cakes, and Mock Apple Pie.
OCHS wishes to thank the Oklahoma Historical Society for supporting this event through its Oklahoma Heritage Grant Program.
Special thanks go to the Texas County Farm Bureau for helping to sponsor the evening. Thanks also to the Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron County Conservation Districts for their support, and assistance in organizing the evening.
As always we are proud of the support we receive from the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.