The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s
The decade that became known as the "Dirty Thirties" was literally quite what its name implied-dirty! During the period of 1930-1940, located in the heart of the Great Plains of the United States, was a series of massive dust storms and long-term drought. Another well-earned nickname this region was known for was the Dust Bowl. The Great Depression occurred at this time as well and added to the suffering placed upon the many poor farmers of the Southwest region. What could have caused one of the worst and longest droughts in recent U.S. history? Unfortunately, decades of human influence from bad farming practices, loss of soil moisture, and depletion of vegetation helped create wind-blown erosion that shaped the massive dust storms and severe droughts. Other natural causes were unusual weather patterns: warmer Atlantic and colder Pacific sea-surface temperatures, feedback mechanisms from dry air, and a strong jet stream confined to the north of a continental high pressure system that left little chance for rainfall.
Many of the residents of the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl were poor farmers reliant on agriculture to sustain their income and family’s well being. An usually wet season before the 1930s brought many farmers to the central U.S. to cultivate and settle the area. Unfortunately, the climate and soil conditions changed drastically after the start of the 1930s. Once it began, the severe drought, dry soil, and dust storms made planting crops almost impossible. Farmers with livelihood’s lost and future looking bleak packed up their families to look for better prospects elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of these individuals started a great migration to places farther west like California. They became known as “Oakies” because many traveled from Oklahoma in their familiar dust-covered trucks. The novel, “The Grapes of Wrath”, describes the story of a Dust Bowl sharecropping family traveling to California after experiencing
The decade that became known as the "Dirty Thirties" was literally quite what its name implied-dirty! During the period of 1930-1940, located in the heart of the Great Plains of the United States, was a series of massive dust storms and long-term drought. Another well-earned nickname this region was known for was the Dust Bowl. The Great Depression occurred at this time as well and added to the suffering placed upon the many poor farmers of the Southwest region. What could have caused one of the worst and longest droughts in recent U.S. history? Unfortunately, decades of human influence from bad farming practices, loss of soil moisture, and depletion of vegetation helped create wind-blown erosion that shaped the massive dust storms and severe droughts. Other natural causes were unusual weather patterns: warmer Atlantic and colder Pacific sea-surface temperatures, feedback mechanisms from dry air, and a strong jet stream confined to the north of a continental high pressure system that left little chance for rainfall.
Many of the residents of the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl were poor farmers reliant on agriculture to sustain their income and family’s well being. An usually wet season before the 1930s brought many farmers to the central U.S. to cultivate and settle the area. Unfortunately, the climate and soil conditions changed drastically after the start of the 1930s. Once it began, the severe drought, dry soil, and dust storms made planting crops almost impossible. Farmers with livelihood’s lost and future looking bleak packed up their families to look for better prospects elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of these individuals started a great migration to places farther west like California. They became known as “Oakies” because many traveled from Oklahoma in their familiar dust-covered trucks. The novel, “The Grapes of Wrath”, describes the story of a Dust Bowl sharecropping family traveling to California after experiencing
Bibliography: "Approaching dust storm at Prowers County, CO, 1936. Storm lasted from 4:15 PM to 7:00 PM." by Wind Erosion Research Tannehill, Ivan Ray. Drought; Its Causes and Effects. Princeton: University Press, 1947. Rosenberg, N. J. North American Droughts: Symposium; (Denver - Col., February 21, 1977). Boulder - Col: Westview, 1978. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub., 2002. Hurt, Douglas, The Dust Bowl: an agricultural and social history. Taylor Trade Publications, 1981.