The Forum reported a March 1935 Dust Storm deposited 146 tons of dust on Maryville’s then area of  2.28 square miles (based on a sampling of how much had fallen in a 2×3 square foot area).  Numerous dust storms hit Maryville during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.  The March storm was particularly bad.  I can’t find photos from Maryville but the image above is of Union Station in the same storm. 

Maryville Daily Forum March 22, 1935

146 Tons of dust were deposited in City Wednesday by the “Worst Dust Storm.”

Some might figure that the City of Maryville now covers more ground than it did two or three days ago, but it might be more nearly correct to say that more ground covers Maryville than it did at that time. Reference, of course, is made to the immense amount of western Kansas dust carried here in the fierce dust storm of Wednesday, which was said to have been the worst in many years. Dennis Durbin, 522 North Market Street, came into the Daily Forum office yesterday bearing a paper sack of dust and a sheet of figures. He informed us that a smooth wooden structure lay in his yard, measuring exactly 2×3 feet, and that, after the dust storm, his curiosity was aroused when he saw it covered with fine dust. Painstakingly, he scraped up the dust, and, as he had formerly been engaged in the photography business and had a delicate Troy weight scale handy, he weighed the dust he gathered and found it weighed exactly 213 grains.

With this as a basis for calculation, he realized that someone mathematically inclined could determine the approximate amount of dirt carried in by the storm and deposited within the Maryville city limits. By dint of a little checking up and the diligent use of a pencil, it has been figured that, approximately 146 tons 1,421 pounds of Plains states’ earth was deposited within the confines of the city. The area of the city, as nearly as can be figured, is 2.28 square miles

Mr. Durbin stated that at the close of a dust storm in Omaha last year, some mathematically minded person figured up that inside that city’s limits 1,800 pounds of dust was distributed by the winds, but taking into consideration the above statistics on Maryville’s recent storm, it is easily seen that Omaha must have “had no storm at all.” Of course, it is possible, that some other points, particularly in Kansas might figure the same thing about|Maryville and her Wednesday’s storm, or an Associated Press dispatch from Phillipsburg, Kan., states the janitor of the high school there decided to weigh the “sweepings” after the dust storm and found that more than 500 pounds were swept up in the eight room structure.

Background

The 1930s dust storms (or Dust Bowl) that impacted Missouri, particularly in its western and northern regions, resulted from a catastrophic mix of severe, multi-year drought and intensive, poor farming practices. Decades of deep plowing removed native prairie grasses, leaving the soil unprotected and susceptible to wind erosion. 
Key factors for the excessive dust storms in the 1930s included:

• Extreme Drought: A severe, decade-long drought in the Great Plains (hitting waves in 1934, 1936, and 1939–1940) dried out the soil, turning the land into dust.
• Poor Land Management: Settlers and farmers extensively removed native, deep-rooted prairie grasses to plant wheat, breaking the natural anchor for the soil.
• Intense Wind Erosion: With no vegetation holding it down, high winds in the region whipped up topsoil, creating “black blizzards” that traveled over hundreds of miles.
• Economic Pressures: Increased agricultural production, including deep plowing techniques, left the land vulnerable to drying and erosion, which was compounded by the economic struggles of the Great Depression.

While the hardest-hit areas were in the Southern Plains (Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico), the effects of these storms were felt throughout Missouri, disrupting farming and causing significant economic damage

1. “In the 1930s, Missouri, the forecast read: sunny, then dusty, then bring everything inside — including your furniture and your horse.”

2. “They didn’t need to shovel snow in Missouri back then — you just waited a dust storm and swept up a whole season’s worth.”

3. “Local bank put up a new sign during the dust: ‘Open for business. Cashiers may be temporarily sandblinded.'”

4. “Dating in the Dust Bowl: ‘Do you want to come over?’ ‘Sure — but bring a towel and a clean hat.'”

5. “Kids learned to tell time by how long it took the house to go from ‘barely visible’ to ‘we should’ve moved the milk.'”

6. “They say hindsight is 20/20— in 1930s Missouri it was more like 20% visibility and 80% grit.”

7. “Advertising slogan: ‘Visit Missouri — we’ve got atmosphere!’ (Terms: atmosphere may contain dust.)”

8. “When newspapers said ‘storm brewing,’ folks packed sandwiches, a radio, and their best broom.”