The History Of Dust Storms
Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado were hit by hundreds of dust storms during the mid 1930s. Combined the dust storms made up one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history.
The dust storms ruined lands, it threatened the lives of most of the population, some people had to move West if they could, becoming the biggest peacetime in America.
How did it occur? Well, in 1900 to 1930 a lot of families rented or obtained small pieces of land in the Plain states and built farms. The area was mainly arid grasslands. Luckily overtime the farmers were lucky to produce wheat, corn, and to raise cattle.
A drought fell across the middle of the nation during 1931. America already suffering from the Great Depression and the
stock market crash of 1929. The farmers almost got no rain during 1931 to 1935.
Farmers could also unfortunately not pay their income and their mortgages because for five years in a row their corn and wheat wouldn’t grow.
The earth in the area became dusty, dry, and loose. The native wild grass was meant to hold the soil together but had been replaced by crops long ago which were now flying around the area.
Heavy winds began to howl, the soil being lifted from the ground. The winds reached 50 to 60 miles an hour picking the topsoil right up from the ground. The airborne dust blocked roads and flew through the walls and windows of unstable farmhouses. It was ferocious and killed cattle and ruined cars. If children and elderly were to get stuck outside they would suffocate to death. “Dust pneumonia” would also kill thousands of other people.
Farmers headed west after banks, and mortgage companies brought tractors to knock down their houses and run them off the land.
One million people wandered around the West. They dug out roads and worked picking crop to keep their families from starving to death.
From the Westerns point of view they didn’t have enough jobs to give the new arrivals. And the migrants squatted in area’s where they could.
The Californians named them “Okies,” and sent out rumors saying that they were mentally retarded. Hordes of local men with clubs and ex handles beat the migrants until they left.
Migrants started having sort of a better life once America came of the Great Depression. Once a few years had passed rain started falling in the Dust Bowl and farmers began farming once again. The Dust Bowl will always be remembered as the worst of all.
The dust storms ruined lands, it threatened the lives of most of the population, some people had to move West if they could, becoming the biggest peacetime in America.
How did it occur? Well, in 1900 to 1930 a lot of families rented or obtained small pieces of land in the Plain states and built farms. The area was mainly arid grasslands. Luckily overtime the farmers were lucky to produce wheat, corn, and to raise cattle.
A drought fell across the middle of the nation during 1931. America already suffering from the Great Depression and the
stock market crash of 1929. The farmers almost got no rain during 1931 to 1935.
Farmers could also unfortunately not pay their income and their mortgages because for five years in a row their corn and wheat wouldn’t grow.
The earth in the area became dusty, dry, and loose. The native wild grass was meant to hold the soil together but had been replaced by crops long ago which were now flying around the area.
Heavy winds began to howl, the soil being lifted from the ground. The winds reached 50 to 60 miles an hour picking the topsoil right up from the ground. The airborne dust blocked roads and flew through the walls and windows of unstable farmhouses. It was ferocious and killed cattle and ruined cars. If children and elderly were to get stuck outside they would suffocate to death. “Dust pneumonia” would also kill thousands of other people.
Farmers headed west after banks, and mortgage companies brought tractors to knock down their houses and run them off the land.
One million people wandered around the West. They dug out roads and worked picking crop to keep their families from starving to death.
From the Westerns point of view they didn’t have enough jobs to give the new arrivals. And the migrants squatted in area’s where they could.
The Californians named them “Okies,” and sent out rumors saying that they were mentally retarded. Hordes of local men with clubs and ex handles beat the migrants until they left.
Migrants started having sort of a better life once America came of the Great Depression. Once a few years had passed rain started falling in the Dust Bowl and farmers began farming once again. The Dust Bowl will always be remembered as the worst of all.