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Letters from the Dust Bowl
In May 1936 Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace wrote to Caroline Henderson to praise her contributions to American "understanding of some of our farm problems." His comments reflected the national attention aroused by Henderson’s articles, which had been published in Atlantic Monthly since 1931. Even today, Henderson’s articles are frequently cited for her vivid descriptions of the dust storms that ravaged the Plains. Caroline Henderson was a Mount Holyoke graduate who moved to Oklahoma’s panhandle to homestead and teach in 1907. This collection of Henderson’s letters and articles published from 1908 to1966 presents an intimate portrait of a woman’s life in the Great Plains. Her writing mirrors her love of the land and the literature that sustained her as she struggled for survival. Alvin O. Turner has collected and edited Henderson’s published materials together with her private correspondence. Accompanying biographical sketch, chapter introductions, and annotations provide details on Henderson’s life and context for her frequent literary allusions and comments on contemporary issues.
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 1, 2012
Letters from the Dust Bowl, while delivering a first-person view of life in the Oklahoma Panhandle from the early part of the 20th Century through the sixties, didn't quite deliver the dramatic punch its chapter summaries promised, and (dare I say it) was a bit dry.
Caroline Henderson's voice was straightforward and matter-of-fact, and seemed to me to be representative of most of the Okies I have known from that generation. The author's cantankerousness and parsimony were on full and sometimes humorous display, and her powers of description were good enough. Most of the letters, however, were of the everyday sort and would be of interest to academics and historians more than to the general public.
Nevertheless, I finished the book with an admiring regard for its author and her stubborn, freethinking ways.
Caroline Henderson's voice was straightforward and matter-of-fact, and seemed to me to be representative of most of the Okies I have known from that generation. The author's cantankerousness and parsimony were on full and sometimes humorous display, and her powers of description were good enough. Most of the letters, however, were of the everyday sort and would be of interest to academics and historians more than to the general public.
Nevertheless, I finished the book with an admiring regard for its author and her stubborn, freethinking ways.
April 12, 2017
This book was recommended to me by a coworker. It is not something I would pick up and read of my own accord. I remember him mentioning it to me and absentmindedly agreeing that it sounded interesting. The next day he handed it to me. It hung around in my bedroom for a few days while I wrapped up some other reading I was doing.
I don't like to borrow things from people for a long time. I like to read it or play it or watch it and then give it back as soon as I can. I dreaded picking it up. I worried it would be dull and, if you'll allow me the pun, dry.
What I found instead was an amazing set of letters and other bits of writing from an incredible woman. Caroline Henderson's firsthand experience of the Dust Bowl in the Oklahoma panhandle became an important part of Ken Burns' 2012 documentary.
While the Dust Bowl letters are important and interesting, Henderson's whole life story is its own compelling tale. The text of the book encompasses her whole homesteading endeavor. Disillusioned with a teaching job, Henderson moved to Oklahoma to fulfill a kind of naturalistic desire. She married the man who dug her well, in a cute anecdote from early in the book.
The minutiae of farm life are elevated off the page by Henderson's excellent literary talent. There are pieces of writing completed as part of her pursuance of a Master's degree in literature. Her words and descriptions seem almost effortless, coming from gift I suppose.
When things were good, they were good. Celebrating the birth of a new calf or sharing a joy of reading with her husband, it's hard not to fall in love with the idea of everything she depicts. When things were bad, they were bad. Henderson was traumatized by her experiences in the Dust Bowl, always tending towards anxious thoughts about how it could get bad again. Regretting not doing more with her education, the death of her son-in-law, even the death of a farm cat comes through with such clear pathos.
There are so many little moments in this book that I cherish and I hope I always will. Caroline Henderson fulfilling her dream before getting married, her daughter Eleanor completing a college education and becoming a doctor before getting married. A Communist man who got beat up for his views becomes a correspondent. Caroline's political views are very interesting. She never quite agrees with the man, Eli Jaffe, but does feel the imbalance of power his views seek to right. There are moments in the back of the book where Henderson is worrying unnecessarily about her husband's failing hearing, or how much electricity they used that month. The last chapter takes a bit of a dark turn.
It's almost too much. There's a voyeuristic quality to reading someone's letters. Would the book be better as a dramatization of the Hendersons' lives? I would hardly argue so. Caroline Henderson's writing is so much a part of her that to take a step back from it would take the soul out of the stories contained in the text. It's a quick read with Henderson's letters usually being brief. It covers a large amount of time and her comments on current events are always interesting. It's a perfect encapsulation of the human spirit and well worth a read.
I don't like to borrow things from people for a long time. I like to read it or play it or watch it and then give it back as soon as I can. I dreaded picking it up. I worried it would be dull and, if you'll allow me the pun, dry.
What I found instead was an amazing set of letters and other bits of writing from an incredible woman. Caroline Henderson's firsthand experience of the Dust Bowl in the Oklahoma panhandle became an important part of Ken Burns' 2012 documentary.
While the Dust Bowl letters are important and interesting, Henderson's whole life story is its own compelling tale. The text of the book encompasses her whole homesteading endeavor. Disillusioned with a teaching job, Henderson moved to Oklahoma to fulfill a kind of naturalistic desire. She married the man who dug her well, in a cute anecdote from early in the book.
The minutiae of farm life are elevated off the page by Henderson's excellent literary talent. There are pieces of writing completed as part of her pursuance of a Master's degree in literature. Her words and descriptions seem almost effortless, coming from gift I suppose.
When things were good, they were good. Celebrating the birth of a new calf or sharing a joy of reading with her husband, it's hard not to fall in love with the idea of everything she depicts. When things were bad, they were bad. Henderson was traumatized by her experiences in the Dust Bowl, always tending towards anxious thoughts about how it could get bad again. Regretting not doing more with her education, the death of her son-in-law, even the death of a farm cat comes through with such clear pathos.
There are so many little moments in this book that I cherish and I hope I always will. Caroline Henderson fulfilling her dream before getting married, her daughter Eleanor completing a college education and becoming a doctor before getting married. A Communist man who got beat up for his views becomes a correspondent. Caroline's political views are very interesting. She never quite agrees with the man, Eli Jaffe, but does feel the imbalance of power his views seek to right. There are moments in the back of the book where Henderson is worrying unnecessarily about her husband's failing hearing, or how much electricity they used that month. The last chapter takes a bit of a dark turn.
It's almost too much. There's a voyeuristic quality to reading someone's letters. Would the book be better as a dramatization of the Hendersons' lives? I would hardly argue so. Caroline Henderson's writing is so much a part of her that to take a step back from it would take the soul out of the stories contained in the text. It's a quick read with Henderson's letters usually being brief. It covers a large amount of time and her comments on current events are always interesting. It's a perfect encapsulation of the human spirit and well worth a read.
October 4, 2019
“I wondered how so young a man could have such insight. He spoke of ‘The character required at the end of a long life when there is no chance to redeem one’s mistakes and one realizes-too late-the utter failure of all he has hoped for and striven for, the sturdy tenacity of purpose needed to keep on trying anyway in the face of inevitable failure.’ I very much fear I don’t have that character or perseverance.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. A collection of writings I already admired, put into chronological order from the boom of the Homestead Act, to the continuing harsh Oklahoma conditions of the 1960s. It’s a rare glimpse at one’s hunt for a dream through a lifetime. From Caroline’s establishment of her ranch, to her last days upon being forced to retire, she maintains an admirable quality of writing and undying spirit to claim her piece of the American dream. I’ll re read this every year until I too fail at everything and die.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. A collection of writings I already admired, put into chronological order from the boom of the Homestead Act, to the continuing harsh Oklahoma conditions of the 1960s. It’s a rare glimpse at one’s hunt for a dream through a lifetime. From Caroline’s establishment of her ranch, to her last days upon being forced to retire, she maintains an admirable quality of writing and undying spirit to claim her piece of the American dream. I’ll re read this every year until I too fail at everything and die.
September 25, 2024
My brother recommended this to me, and a lot of the reason it appealed to me (and, I'm sure, to him) is because my great-grandparents also settled in the Oklahoma panhandle and my grandpa told us stories of what it was like growing up there during the Dust Bowl.
In some ways, that common history was very obvious while reading it. When her letters discussed trips to Guymon or the possibility of a dam being built near Optima (ha!) or information about the Air Force Base in Liberal, Kansas, she was discussing my own backyard and places I was already familiar with. The many times she talked about the frustration of crop prices and how impossible it was to make a living, it was like talking to my grandparents all over again (that was a situation not unique to her time, and it led to fruitless farmers' strikes and marches in Washington in the decade following Henderson's death). Seeing the day-to-day description of conditions in the area over the course of several decades gave me a further understanding of what it is my great-grandparents and grandparents faced trying to farm in the area.
In other ways, however, her experience was somewhat foreign to me. Henderson, in some ways, reminds me of a lot of farmers from that area - hardworking, tenacious, resourceful, in love with the land. But in many others, she is so different from most of the people I know, especially of that age, who lived in the panhandle. I don't know if I would call Henderson a liberal, but she does seem to be very forward thinking for her time, while that area is one of the most conservative in the country. For example, I can't even begin to imagine the "old timers" from that area corresponding for years with someone who was openly a Communist. (I have so much respect for the way she was able to keep up a friendship with someone despite a difference in political opinion.) There are other differences as well, and she also has her own unique voice. Also, because I was reading a series of letters, it started to feel like corresponding with a friend - to the point that I was in tears when I read the last letter.
Henderson was a well-written and well-educated lady, and I would say this book is worth reading for that alone. It's great as a first-hand account of the Dust Bowl and of farming in general, but it's also interesting to read about the daily life and thoughts of someone who lived through so much history (World War I, World War II, the Dust Bowl, Brown v Board of Education, etc.).
In some ways, that common history was very obvious while reading it. When her letters discussed trips to Guymon or the possibility of a dam being built near Optima (ha!) or information about the Air Force Base in Liberal, Kansas, she was discussing my own backyard and places I was already familiar with. The many times she talked about the frustration of crop prices and how impossible it was to make a living, it was like talking to my grandparents all over again (that was a situation not unique to her time, and it led to fruitless farmers' strikes and marches in Washington in the decade following Henderson's death). Seeing the day-to-day description of conditions in the area over the course of several decades gave me a further understanding of what it is my great-grandparents and grandparents faced trying to farm in the area.
In other ways, however, her experience was somewhat foreign to me. Henderson, in some ways, reminds me of a lot of farmers from that area - hardworking, tenacious, resourceful, in love with the land. But in many others, she is so different from most of the people I know, especially of that age, who lived in the panhandle. I don't know if I would call Henderson a liberal, but she does seem to be very forward thinking for her time, while that area is one of the most conservative in the country. For example, I can't even begin to imagine the "old timers" from that area corresponding for years with someone who was openly a Communist. (I have so much respect for the way she was able to keep up a friendship with someone despite a difference in political opinion.) There are other differences as well, and she also has her own unique voice. Also, because I was reading a series of letters, it started to feel like corresponding with a friend - to the point that I was in tears when I read the last letter.
Henderson was a well-written and well-educated lady, and I would say this book is worth reading for that alone. It's great as a first-hand account of the Dust Bowl and of farming in general, but it's also interesting to read about the daily life and thoughts of someone who lived through so much history (World War I, World War II, the Dust Bowl, Brown v Board of Education, etc.).
September 15, 2022
This book provides excellent insight into life in the Oklahoma panhandle, with the "highlight" being the Dust Bowl years. The thing is, life was hard before that and there were plenty of hard times following as well. I am in awe of the perseverance demonstrated just to scrape by.
That being said, it's not an easy read. These are mostly personal letters. The articles written for publication are of course more thoughtfully written. There are some wry observations about life (my favorite: "We brought home with us my mother who is now past 85 and a very great responsibility. She feels that she must assume the direction of everything here and every day brings up new problems. So we all get our training." 1928) There is much description of hardship, as she matter-of-factly describes injuries, failed crops, difficult weather, frustrations with government, etc. She grows increasingly weary of the difficulties, and her anxiety grows more and more apparent. And just from a practical standpoint, the paperback uses small serif font that seems a bit tight on the page.
I will not quickly forget this woman, though. She did seek to mark small happinesses such as flowers blooming, birds flying overheard, and antics of the livestock.
And wow, I take so many daily luxuries for granted.
That being said, it's not an easy read. These are mostly personal letters. The articles written for publication are of course more thoughtfully written. There are some wry observations about life (my favorite: "We brought home with us my mother who is now past 85 and a very great responsibility. She feels that she must assume the direction of everything here and every day brings up new problems. So we all get our training." 1928) There is much description of hardship, as she matter-of-factly describes injuries, failed crops, difficult weather, frustrations with government, etc. She grows increasingly weary of the difficulties, and her anxiety grows more and more apparent. And just from a practical standpoint, the paperback uses small serif font that seems a bit tight on the page.
I will not quickly forget this woman, though. She did seek to mark small happinesses such as flowers blooming, birds flying overheard, and antics of the livestock.
And wow, I take so many daily luxuries for granted.
December 11, 2020
The PBS documentary "The Dust Bowl", uses the writings of Caroline Henderson to provide actual accounts of what life was like at the time. Henderson was a well educated woman, eventually earning a Masters degree in English. She was born in 1877, married in 1908, and died in 1966. Sometimes a professional writer, always a farm women and avid reader, Henderson tells the story of a hard life eking out a living in the Oklahoma Panhandle. During the lean, dry years many gave up and left the land, but the Hendersons remained.
Her letters were written to friends and her daughter. Some of her published articles are also included in the book. Sometimes written on the fly, while in the midst of farm work, in the end she wondered what her life had meant. Her education did nothing to prepare her for the life she chose. Her plans and dreams of a gentrified farm life were crushed by the harsh reality of the dust bowl.
Her letters were written to friends and her daughter. Some of her published articles are also included in the book. Sometimes written on the fly, while in the midst of farm work, in the end she wondered what her life had meant. Her education did nothing to prepare her for the life she chose. Her plans and dreams of a gentrified farm life were crushed by the harsh reality of the dust bowl.
July 21, 2020
This was an important read for 2020. For this time in history. To compare our plight against Caroline's in the Depression era? To see the lingering effects of the dust bowl? It really put things in perspective for me. She was a brilliant writer and I couldn't help but feel sad for the tragedy that compounded upon her life!
March 31, 2018
I found the beginning a little hard to get into, but I very much enjoyed the last half. Maybe the only book to ever cause me to cry.
June 12, 2024
Elegantly and thoughtfully written. Definitely the best book I've read about the dust bowl.
April 12, 2016
The Letters of the Dust Bowl is a very interesting book in the format of a memoir. In this book, I really enjoyed how you actually read letters between two people. Caroline Henderson also goes into a lot of detail as to dates and titles (in a way summarize the letter). For example “June 1916, “homestead ladies scribbling pad”” (79) asserting the time and what to expect from the letter, also gives you a feeling about how much time has passed since the last letter. Supplying the reader with more detail and a personal feeling to the text of having to wait for something that you want, in this case a letter. Another important trait with the letters is that you get to travel through their lives through their eyes from their emotion filled writing. Dictating their lives from “Beginnings, 1908” (contents) through “When hope has gone, 1966” (contents) almost 60 years. Which is significant since it connects the reader to a personal level even more making it more enjoyable to read as well. Although there are aspects to the book that can make it less enjoyable. One example of this is that, since it is a letter some of the content can be boring and drawn out, and the letters don't always connect since they jump between long periods. For example, in one letter she explains about the soon to come “snow and cool spring” (37) only for the next letter, from the same writer displaying joy about “you and Mabel” (39) writing so much. Which is confusing because you aren't even introduced to Mabel yet, but she talks about as if she had just sent a letter, also confusing since those were from 1909-1911.
February 5, 2013
My dear husband got me this book for Christmas, after we heard excerpts of it in the Ken Burns documentary about the Dust Bowl. It is one of the best nonfiction books I have read. I have a fondness for letters anyway and this woman, Caroline Henderson, was a marvel. Born to a prosperous farming family in 1877, she graduated from Mt. Holyoke, lived with her family for a short time in Iowa and then in 1907 followed her dream to farm (farm! A single woman in 1907!) by moving to the Oklahoma panhandle where she staked a claim and taught school. She soon married Will Henderson, her farm hand, (coincidentally the same age as he was) and their marriage endured until his death in 1966, followed by hers that same year.
They lived on that homestead until 1965, raising one daughter and farming as hard as they could, mostly with only moderate success due to conditions beyond their control. She wrote for various publications, including Atlantic Monthly and corresponded with a number of people. She comes alive in these letters, intelligent, independent, deeply spiritual, thoughtful and about as hard-working as a person can be (as was her also amazing husband).
Highly recommend this for anyone who loves Willa Cather, Ole Rolvaag, John Steinbeck and similar writers. OR someone who wants an accounting of farming life in the early 20th century.
They lived on that homestead until 1965, raising one daughter and farming as hard as they could, mostly with only moderate success due to conditions beyond their control. She wrote for various publications, including Atlantic Monthly and corresponded with a number of people. She comes alive in these letters, intelligent, independent, deeply spiritual, thoughtful and about as hard-working as a person can be (as was her also amazing husband).
Highly recommend this for anyone who loves Willa Cather, Ole Rolvaag, John Steinbeck and similar writers. OR someone who wants an accounting of farming life in the early 20th century.
September 11, 2011
It took me a long time to finish reading Letters from the Dust Bowl and I almost gave up. So glad I persevered and followed Caroline Henderson's life full circle. Caroline Henderson was an amazing woman-- a pioneer and pathfinder; an intellectual and esthete. This remarkable collection of letters deftly describe her dream of a Jeffersonian life of self-sufficiency by nurturing the soil and are accompanied by discourses on the social/political issues of local, national and international consequence. One can only marvel at her unfaltering love for the land and commitment to her dream in spite of the horrendous challenges nature threw in her path at nearly every turn. Yet, no matter how severe the hardship, she never failed to acknowledge the special gifts of flora and fauna nature provided--a spring bloom, a special tree or hedge row, or a kitten, calf or chick. Read “Letters” and you will experience the physical, intellectual and spiritual courage and endurance of a true pioneer.
May 21, 2017
Caroline Henderson was a remarkable woman. She left her teaching job and moved to what was No - Man's land and began homesteading. She was well educated and very brave, but little of that comes across in this book. It seems to hit on a few major themes: pining for rain, loss of crops and animals, thinking about leaving next year. Her friend Rose saved most of the letters that were written during their friendship and I wished the letters were a bit more rounded. Even as everything was failing around her, through her articles that are published in the book, we see her falling into books, but that life doesn't always show up on the page.
And this is a minor complaint, but when her friend Rose's mother passed away we hear nothing from Henderson about how she felt, or what she wrote to Rose. Toward the end of the book letters to Rose become fewer and I wondered about when Rose may have passed away. A couple of notes about when those two events happened would have been nice.
And this is a minor complaint, but when her friend Rose's mother passed away we hear nothing from Henderson about how she felt, or what she wrote to Rose. Toward the end of the book letters to Rose become fewer and I wondered about when Rose may have passed away. A couple of notes about when those two events happened would have been nice.
July 8, 2014
I might have given this book more stars, except that the last section is so depressing. It is not for the faint of heart. Caroline Agnes Boa, eldest child of prosperous farmers, was a teacher with a degree from Mt. Holyoke when, in 1907, she decided to go out to "no man's land" in the Oklahoma panhandle and homestead a farm. Why she did this is never explained, but within a short time she had met and married Will Henderson. Thereafter, until they both died in 1966, they struggled to make that homestead a successful farm. Until the great depression, they did fairly well. But from 1931 onward, with the advent of the drought conditions that brought about the Dust Bowl, they barely survived. It's worth reading, but it's not up-lifting. It's also worth noting that the PBS special mini-series on the Dust Bowl quoted frequently from Caroline's letters.
April 6, 2015
Interesting look into the life of a college educated woman who chose to be a farm wife in "No Man's Land". The book is actually a compilation of letters and articles written by the author. As such, the reader didn't always understand the communication between the author and the receivers of the letters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were not so depressing. It does not help to be living in Southwest Oklahoma during the current drought. I, too, have been watching our land and lakes dry up causing the trees to die. Wildlife is suffering from diminished food sources and ranchers are having difficulty feeding their cattle.
October 9, 2009
Wonderful look into life in the "Dust Bowl" - more of an educational read - very informative. Never knew much about this time period or experience, through Caroline Henderson's letters, we experience her life as a college-educated, farm wife. From excitement and a sunny outlook to her final days on the farm, an in-depth look at what life was really like from 1908 until 1965. Besides the historical aspect, it really proves that we should never judge someone by their job or where they live - she was truly an intellect who loved the land, no matter how it treated her.
August 21, 2012
This book provided great insight on what it was like living through the Depression and the Dust Bowl. Henderson is a talented writer, and her flair with words came through in her everyday correspondence with friends and family. While some of the mundane details of everyday life slowed down the pace, it was worth the time needed to read all the way through and understand how her mindset changed through the years and struggles. I recommend the book for insight and education more than for entertainment value.
May 29, 2013
Excellent autobiography of a pioneer lady and her husband who farmed and lived on the Oklahoma prairie during the Great Depression and through the Great Dust bowl. Her life story is told through stories she wrote and had published in several magazines of the day and letters she wrote to friends and her daughter Evelyn over a span of 50 plus years. It is poignant and heart breaking at the same time. So many hardships to over come. History come to life. If you loved the Grapes of Wrath and the Joads, this factual book is a must read.
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January 29, 2013Very good but also very sad. C. Henderson was an incredible woman. Provided insight into living during the dust bowl, and before and after how dust storms still occurred. Some entries a little tiresome, redundant, describing farm tasks in detail- but I guess that was what her life was like.
April 9, 2015
Really excellent. The best part of this book was the excerpt from Henderson's published story, "When the Well Ran Dry." (Approximate title.)
This isn't a novel, but instead a collection of letters, so you don't have to read it from start to finish.
This isn't a novel, but instead a collection of letters, so you don't have to read it from start to finish.
June 16, 2008
I can't imagine a more unique lens through which we view the maturation and industrialization of our country.
March 11, 2011
This is a stunning view of a life lived on the margin. Unbelievable.
December 15, 2012
Well written, an eye opening look at the life of one family.
July 8, 2015
"Is it in vain that the flowers bloom by the edge of alpine glaciers or on the Siberian meadows, where no one sees their color or enjoys their fragrance?" Beautiful book!
February 27, 2016
Absolutely invaluable for research purposes. A ground-level look at life on the Plains during some of the country's hardest years.
April 26, 2017
This is a collection of letters written to or from Caroline Henderson, who lived on a farm in the Oklahoma panhandle from the year 1908 to 1966. This is an excellent read about the struggles of farm life.
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