Dustbowl Days - The Dirty Thirties....

Over-farming of the land during the early 20th century led to the environmental disaster known as the Dustbowl era during the 1930's. Compounded by the Wall Street Crash and the ensuing economic depression, things got desperately grim and there was a mass population exodus towards the West Coast. (Famously the subject of Steinbecks classic "The Grapes of Wrath")

Oklahoma was at the center of this regional catastrophe which is still a living memory for the older generation.


I was surprised to learn just how huge and dense the dust storms would get.

And if that were n't bad enough, there was also Prohibition to contend with.

Here is an example of a 'Moonshine' still - so named because it was worked while the moon was shining. Moonshine would be made out of anything people could lay their hands on.....