1. Scenes from the Dust Bowl

2. Background Times were tough for everyone during the Great Depression. Farmers were especially hit hard because the price of crops and livestock dropped and farmers were unable to make a profit. Farmers were unable to pay the banks for their loans and many lost their farms as a result. Times were tough for everyone during the Great Depression. Farmers were especially hit hard because the price of crops and livestock dropped and farmers were unable to make a profit. Farmers were unable to pay the banks for their loans and many lost their farms as a result. The New Deal offered help to farmers by giving them loans so they would not lose their farms. However, farmers now had another problem. The New Deal offered help to farmers by giving them loans so they would not lose their farms. However, farmers now had another problem.

3. Drought!

4. A drought hit the Great Plains in the early 1930s. Strong winds formed and dust storms turned day into night.

5. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Abandoned farm in the dust bowl area. Oklahoma.

6. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Son of farmer in dust bowl area. Cimarron County, Oklahoma.

7. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Auto camp north of Calipatria, California. Approximately eighty families from the Dust Bowl are camped here. They pay fifty cents a week. The only available work now is agricultural labor.

8. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust bowl refugee in California. "We was starved out and we live on perhaps. We could maybe find a little work if we could afford to roll". Dust bowl refugee in California. "We was starved out and we live on perhaps. We could maybe find a little work if we could afford to roll".

9. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust bowl refugee from Chickasaw, Oklahoma. Imperial Valley, California. "Black Sunday, 1934, that was the awfullest dust we ever did see".

10. Scenes from the Dust Bowl The winds of the "dust bowl" have piled up large drifts of soil against this farmer's barn near Liberal, Kansas.

11. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust storm. Oklahoma.

12. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust storm near Mills, New Mexico.

13. Scenes from the Dust Bowl Dust is too much for this farmer's son in Cimarron County, Oklahoma.

14. All images and captions were obtained through the American Memory Collection. American Memory Collection American Memory Collection