Dirty Thirties, Déjà vu

Westerly winds increase on a county road off South 14th Street this past Thursday evening, March 24,  blotting out the sun, and eventually obscuring it.

Not many southeast Colorado residents are alive who recall the early days of the Dust Bowl era, some 80 years ago. The recent combination of drought, dust and wind can’t help but stir the memories of those who endured those years, or make new memories for the younger generation. This reporter recalls an afternoon in the early 1980’s when the sky turned brown and orange from the dust and winds, and the street lights along downtown Lamar turned on in mid afternoon.

Better farming techniques and regulations have helped protect our lands from a repeat of that time, but those who make their living from the land are still concerned about spring rains. The winds from this past week overturned the usual garbage cans, loosened up some shingles and leveled a couple of neighborhood fences. The Prowers County Commissioners recently reenacted a ban on open fires in the county until further notice.