The early 1900’s were a time of great turmoil for farmers in the United States, especially those in the Great Plains region. During the 1930’s, the Great Plains were plagued by a period of drought called “The Dust Bowl”. In this time, the dirt dried up and became a loose dust, which got caught in the wind and contaminated the air. At times, the clouds blackened the sky, reaching all the way to East Coast cities such as New York and Washington, D.C. The time of the Dust Bowl, often called “The Dirty Thirties”, was caused simply by severe drought combined with poor farming methods.
When farmers first came to the Midwest, they farmed as much as possible to meet the demand. This was good at first, however, the farmers let their greed take over them. A new invention was introduced in the 1920’s: the tractor that “did the work of ten horses” (Document C). Once they finished cultivating their land, they began plowing grasslands that were not made for planting. A Texan sheepherder in Stuart Chase once said that “Grass is what counts. It’s what saves us all- far as we get saved… Grass is what holds the earth together” (Document B). The acreage of harvested crops increased significantly from 1879 to 1929 in the Great Plains, according to the Great Plains Drought Area Committee Report at that time (Document D). As a result of the farmer’s constant plowing year after year and the lack of rainfall, the soil quickly lost its fertility. John Wesley Powell had determined that at least 20 inches of rain annually was necessary for successful farming on the plains (Document E). The Great Plains, however, were below this minimum at the time. With unfertile, dry land, the crop began to die and blow away with the wind.
With no crop or rainfall to anchor it down, the soil was free to fly with the breeze. These dust storms were often unbearable, making it hard to hear, see, and breathe. “It was as if someone had put a blindfold over [my] eyes” says Nate White, about his experiences during the Dust Bowl (Document A). This extreme weather was deemed unlivable, and the Dust Bowl inspired a mass migration from the Great Plains to other places, such as California. The Dust Bowl was an awful phenomenon that devastated the Midwest, and was caused by poor agricultural practices and sustained drought.
127 our experts are availableright now
