How Did Drought, and Dust Storms Compound Depression Era Problems for Farmers? THE DUST BOWL

When/Where? When: 1930s Where: The Dust Bowl was the name given to an area of the Great Plains (southwestern Kansas, Oklahoma panhandle, Texas panhandle, northeastern New Mexico, and southeastern Colorado)

Where was the Dust Bowl?

What was it? a decade of drought and soil erosion during the 1930s.

Why? The Dust Bowl disaster? Severe drought (no rain) Overgrazing by cattle Over plowing by farmers High winds All these conditions destroyed the grasses that held the soil in place These storms were called “Black Blizzards” Parts of the Great Plains became known as the Dust Bowl

Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust Storm over Oklahoma

Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust Storm over Texas

Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust Storm over Kansas

Who did the drought hit the hardest? Migrant workers Poor farmers from Oklahoma and Arkansas headed west to escape the Dust Bowl Many moved to the west coast to find jobs on farms They were not welcomed by locals Locals feared that the migrants would take local jobs Migrant workers lived in poor conditions (tents, no water or electricity)

Lack of rain and the overuse of land made farmers problems worse Conclusion: How did drought, and dust storms compound depression era problems for farmers? Farmers were already struggling through the economic depression (due to overproduction of crops) Lack of rain and the overuse of land made farmers problems worse Conditions forced farmers of the Great Plains to migrate west where they were unwelcome and faced an even harder life Many were left displaced/homeless as farm land became useless