"It fell across our city
Like a curtain of black rolled down,
We thought it was our judgment
We thought it was our doom."
—Woody Guthrie, Dust Storm Disaster

Seventy-one years ago, Oklahomans and much of the Midwest suffered through a devastating disaster. On April 14, 1935, a brutal dust storm turned day into night. More than 5 million of acres of wheat were destroyed, countless farm animals were killed and homes and cars were covered in piles of dust. Many people who experienced Black Sunday believed the world was coming to an end.

After weeks of studying the Dust Bowl, students in two James L. Dennis fourth-grade classes wrote about it. Their assignment was to write about the Dust Bowl as if they had been living during that time. Below are excerpts from their narratives that describe Black Sunday:

"I got out of bed on Sunday, April 14, 1935, and looked outside. It was 70 degrees. Birds were singing and crickets were chirping." (Alyssa)

"It had been a sunny day. Then the sky turned black and looked like a boiling cloud. The cloud was getting bigger very fast. It suddenly turned darker than nighttime." (Raymond)

"Then we saw a big, black, cloudy nightmare in the north, and it came toward us like it was a bullet." (Jordan)

"I was in my car traveling to visit my aunt. My mother, father and I saw a huge rolling cloud approaching toward us from the north. Flocks of birds were panicking and frantically trying to fly from it. Some of the birds hit our car like hailstones. Even after the dirt engulfed us bird were hitting our car. We could not even see the faintest outline of our hands or each other for a couple of hours." (Maya)

"The storm came in real fast and we all ran inside and went straight to the closet. It got so dark I couldn’t even see mama or papa or my brother and sister. We all held on to each other very tight and didn’t let go." (Anthony)

"When it hit, the radio shut off and the candle went out. The house was shaking so much our glass cups fell on the floor and broke. I was scared. I tried to look at my hand, but I saw nothing because it was so black. I thought the world was going to end." (Chris)

"It was pitch black, there was no light whatsoever. The men led horses home feeling the fence along the way. It affected our family by dust coming into our house. There was dust in our food, clothes and hair." (Mia)

"We wetted sheets and covered the windows and doors. Momma wetted sheets and put them over our faces." (Anthony)

"My brother found the rope we tied from our barn to the house. It guided him to the house. He coughed so much it sounded like he had dust pneumonia because he had so much dust in his lungs." (Emily)

"Some of the animals suffocated from the dirt and died. Some animals tried to outrun the dirt. The chickens were rolling like tumbleweeds." (Cathy)

"Most people thought it was the end of the world. I’ll tell you I got on my hands and knees and prayed until the storm was over." (Jake)

"The next day I went to feed the animals. When I walked into the barn I found four cows dead. Horses eyes were sealed shut with dirt like cement. I was trying not to cry, but I did. Two weeks later my dad died of dust pneumonia." (Amanda)

"I saw dead animals and people’s cars piled with dust. Fields were destroyed with dust. People were wearing masks and shoveling dust out of their homes." (Kiante)

"I’ll never forget my memories of the Dust Bowl and that horrible dust cloud. It had to be the worst day of my life." (Kooper)

Photos courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce.