Dakota Datebook: Ding Darling

April 20, 2018 — The “dirty thirties” conjure up images of bankruptcy, soup lines, drought and awe-inspiring dust storms. On the Great Plains, conditions were disastrous for waterfowl, and conservationists became greatly alarmed when they realized ducks were quickly disappearing.

Jay Darling, of Iowa, was a renowned political cartoonist of that time – he used a shortened version of his last name,...