A black cloud on the horizon races towards your homestead. In the life of an Oklahoma farmer during the Dust Bowl, this was not an unusual sight. You'd herd what livestock remained into the barn and gather your family inside your house, stuffing wet sheets into the cracks to keep out the incoming dust. Then, … Continue reading The Winged Plague
Month: August 2018
#ShareYourRejections, Oz Style
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. To me, the title alone stirs up images from my childhood, curled in bed as my mother made the story come alive or hiding my face behind the pillow every single time Margaret Hamilton's neon face came on screen during the classic film adaption. It's a tale universally known by … Continue reading #ShareYourRejections, Oz Style
The Man Who Saved The Plains
In the 1930s, as drought and dust ravaged the Great Plains, many came forward with solutions to the "Dust Bowl" problem. New Jersey's Barber Asphalt Company offered to pave over the area for a bargain price of just $5 an acre...for the entire 100 million acres. Similarly, a Pittsburgh steel manufacturer suggested installing some of … Continue reading The Man Who Saved The Plains
Boise City: The Town That Wasn’t…Then Was
Paved streets lined with beautiful, mature trees. An artesian well in the middle of town, gushing cold, clean, abundant water. Rows upon rows of quaint, sturdy houses with manicured lawns and picket fences. Blocks of booming businesses connected to the larger cities by railroad and, just beyond the city limits, hundreds of miles of rich … Continue reading Boise City: The Town That Wasn’t…Then Was