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Dust Bowl:
Results of a Dust Storm in Oklahoma
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Dust Bowl Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Dust Bowl.
What was the Dust Bowl? The Dust Bowl is
a term that describes the massive area of
farming land in the prairie states of
America that literally turned to dust.
What date did the Dust Bowl start and when
did it end? The Dust Bowl began with
drought of 1930 and lasted a decade
throughout the 1930s until the last drought
of 1940.
What caused the Dust Bowl?
The Dust Bowl was caused by a series of
droughts, poor farming practices and
over-farming.
What was the destination of most
Dust Bowl migrants?
The destination of most Dust Bowl migrants
was California.
Dust Bowl
Facts for kids
The devastation caused by the Dust
Bowl is reflected in the 1934 “Yearbook of Agriculture”, produced by
the US Department of Agriculture. The 1934 “Yearbook of Agriculture”
reviewed developments in agriculture over the previous year and
stated that:
● Approximately 35 million
acres of formerly cultivated land have essentially been
destroyed for crop production
● 100 million acres now in
crops have lost all, or most, of the topsoil
● 125 million acres of land
now in crops are rapidly losing topsoil
Dust Bowl
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Dust Bowl.
Facts
about the Dust Bowl for kids
Dust Bowl Fact 1:
There were 4
distinct droughts that hit the United States in the
1930s - 1930-1931, 1934, 1936, and 1939-1940 which all
contributed to the disaster.
Dust Bowl Fact
2:
What is a drought? A drought is a prolonged
period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage
of water that adversely affects the growing of crops,
the lives of animals and the living conditions of people
in the area.
Dust Bowl Fact 3:
Droughts occured regularly on the Great
Plains, but most are not prolonged and extreme. An extreme drought
might occur once every 20 years. The series of 1930s droughts were
accompanied by wind erosion that caused terrible dust storms, which
had never before been witnessed in American history.
Dust Bowl Fact 4:
Where was the Dust Bowl?
The Dust Bowl extended across the prairie
states of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas,
Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. The core of the Dust Bowl was
located in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico
(see Dust Bowl Map below).
Dust Bowl Fact
5: By 1935 the Dust bowl
covered 100 million acres. By 1940 the area had declined
to 22 million acres and disappeared in the 1940s.
Farming income, that supported between 25% - 30% of
Americans, was devastated.
Dust Bowl Fact 6:
Dryland farming: Dryland
farming is an agricultural technique used for lands without
irrigation in regions of limited moisture. A typical crop is wheat.
The nature of dryland farming is dependent on tapping into the
moisture stored in soil to grow crops, rather than using irrigation
or rainfall . Dryland farming makes the area particularly
susceptible to wind erosion and makes the ground vulnerable to dust
storms. Cattle farming and sheep ranching had left much of the
states devoid of natural grass and shrubs to anchor the soil. Farmers of the period were ignorant of an efficient
management system that led to over-farming and the desertification
of the land. Poor Dryland farming methods was a major cause of
the 1930s Dust Bowl.
Dust Bowl Fact 7:
What is a Dust Storm? A dust
storm is created by a strong, turbulent wind which carries clouds of
fine dust, soil, dirt and sand over a large arid area. They were a
terrifying phenomena that were sometimes accompanied by thunder and
lightning or, even worse, by an eerie silence. There were basically
two types of storms. Those referred to as "sand blows" left the
sandy soils that drifted into dunes along walls, fences and ditches
as shown in the above picture. The Black Blizzards were the massive,
dark dust storms that ripped up the topsoil sweeping thousands of
tons of dirt across the whole region.
Dust Bowl Fact 8:
The Dust Storms began in 1932
and would eventually cover more than 75% of the country and severely
affect all of the prairie states.
Dust Bowl Fact 9:
The Environmental effects of the Dust Bowl
included:
● 300 million tons of topsoil from the
prairie states
● Millions of aces of crops were lost and
irreparable damage to the land
● There were epic plagues of spiders,
crickets, centipedes and grasshoppers
● Cattle, sheep, roosters and wildlife died
from suffocation
Dust Bowl Fact 10:
During the 1930’s, dust storms
were commonly called “dusters”, “black blizzards” or “sand blows”.
Dust Bowl Fact 11:
The "black blizzards" started in the Eastern
states in 1930.
How many serious dust-storms or black
blizzards were there?
The consecutive droughts resulted in the
first major, severe storms in 1932.The number of storms of regional
extent were as follows:
Year - Number
of Dust Storms
1932 - 14
1933 - 38
1934 - 22
1935 - 40
1936 - 68
1937 - 72
1938 - 61
1939 - 30
1940 - 17
Facts
about Black Blizzards
● The table
indicates severe storms, the vicious Black
Blizzards, that impacted large regions
● Millions of
tons of dirt were swept from the dry, barren fields
and swirled up into the air
● Stinging,
stinking dust was carried by up to 60mph winds of the
black blizzards
● The black
blizzards were terrifying events and sometimes the
visibility levels were zero
● Total
blackouts were recorded as lasting as long as 11
hours
● Single black
blizzard storms could rage for up to 3½ days
● Towering black
pillar of clouds reached over 1000 feet tall
Dust Bowl Fact 12:
The worst "Black Blizzard" of
the Dust Bowl occured on Palm Sunday on April 14, 1935 - it was
called 'Black Sunday'. The Black Blizzard is estimated to have
displaced 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairie states of the
US. The photograph shows the "Black Sunday" blizzard approaching
Spearman in northern Texas. The devastating "Black Sunday" blizzard
was seen coming. The millions of tons of dirt formed massive black
clouds, so terrifying that people believed that the world was coming
to an end. Thousands of birds desperate to escape the ominous black
clouds collapsed with exhaustion. Wildlife on the ground died of
suffocation. No matter how families tried to seal their homes, the
dust still got everywhere. Meals were eaten immediately after
preparation; otherwise dust would completely cover the food.
Dust Bowl Fact 13:
The term "Dust Bowl" is believed to
have originated from the events of Black Sunday when an
Associated Press news article ran "Residents of the
southwestern dust bowl marked up another black duster
today...". The article was by journalist Robert Geiger,
who had been caught in the Black Blizzard with
photographer Harry Eisenhand. The headline appeared in
the Lubbock Evening Journal on 15 April, 1935.
Dust Bowl Fact 14:
Dust pneumonia: The Black Blizzards
resulted in many cases of dust pneumonia which caused
when a thick layer of dust to settle deep in the lungs
preventing them from functioning properly.
Dust Bowl Fact
15: Migrants: The
farmers of the prairies could not survive the disaster,
they had no alternative but to start a new life
somewhere else. People living in the Great Plains
regions became unemployed and homeless which led to the
forced migration of impoverished
farmers.
Dust Bowl Fact 16:
The Great
Depression: The Dust Bowl phenomenon coincided with the
economic disaster referred to as the
Great Depression
during which time in 1 in 4 Americans were made
unemployed, which resulted in high poverty levels - for
additional facts refer to
Poverty in the Great
Depression. People were destitute and frightened by the events
that were sweeping the nation and this made it extremely
difficult for Dust Bowl migrants to start a new life in
places like California.
Dust Bowl Fact 17:
The forced
migration of farmers from the Dust Bowl to California
brought significant behavior changes by the Californians
triggered by fear, suspicion and attempts to deny access
to their state. The famous author John Steinbeck described the social effects
on the Dust Bowl migrants in "The Grapes of Wrath". California
police established a border patrol, dubbed the
"Bum Blockade," at all major rail and road crossings and
local police repeatedly burned down the makeshift camps
of the migrants. The photo shows a Dust Bowl Migrants
Camp in the 1930's.
Dust Bowl Fact 18:
There were many
migrants from Oklahoma and this resulted in all refugees
from the Dust Bowl being dubbed as "Okies". Dust Bowl
migrants, like Mexican workers, were treated like second
class citizens.
Continued...
Facts
about the Dust Bowl for kids
Facts
about the Dust Bowl for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Dust Bowl.
Facts
about the Dust Bowl for kids
Dust Bowl Fact 19:
The effects were profound, with serious social
and environmental consequences. Some of the social consequences of
the Dust Bowl can be found in
Dust Bowl
Life. The Social effects of the Dust Bowl included:
● 3 million farmers were adversely effected
due to unemployment
● In 1930 - 1934 creditors foreclosed on
nearly 1 million farms. Families were evicted and made
homeless
● The Dust Bowl coincided with the Great
Depression. People were deprived of adequate clothing, food and
nutrition
● The forced migration of over 200,000
farmers desperately seeking a new life
● The lives of children were severely
effected and their education suffered
● The dust caused many health problems
including dust pneumonia
● Farm equipment was buried in the dust and
partially covered houses within dust dunes
● Migrants, forced to move away from their
homes, suffered from inadequate shelter, inadequate sanitation
facilities and safe drinking water
● Many migrants met with hostility when
they reached their destinations
Dust Bowl Fact 20:
Farmers had
suffered hard times throughout the 1920's, before the
droughts and the Dust Bowl, due to falling prices for
their crops. In 1932 desperate farmers, angered by
President Hoover's failure to help in raising farm
prices started to protest. Some frantic farmers began
destroying their own crops trying to raise crop prices
by reducing the supply. Others organized strikes,
refusing to take their crops to market for weeks. They
hoped these "farmers' holidays" would reduce the
nation's supply of farm produce and raise prices. Grain
growers in Nebraska burned their corn to heat their
homes. Dairy farmers in Georgia stopped milk trucks and
emptied cans of milk.
Dust Bowl Fact 21:
The plight, worry
and despair of the Dust Bowl Migrants was captured by
FSA photographer Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 – October
11, 1965)It was Dorothea Lange who took one of the most
moving photographs of the era.
The photograph is
of a 'Migrant Mother' whose name was Florence Owens
Thompson (September 1, 1903 – September 16, 1983) and
was taken in Nipomo, California. Florence Owens Thompson
was aged 32 years old when the photo was taken.
A destitute mother
of seven children. She had just sold her car tires to
buy food for her family. Florence is pictured nursing
her daughter Norma. Her daughters, Katherine and Ruby,
hid behind their mother as Dorothea Lange took the shot. She migrated to Shafter in
California, north of Bakersfield. The at Shafter FSA
Camp is mentioned in our article on
Life in the Dust Bowl.
Dust Bowl Fact 22:
The "decade-long disaster" the Dust Bowl the Great
Plains were torn by climatic extremes. In addition to
the storms and black blizzards, people in the prairie
states also suffered from such extreme weather
conditions including twisters, droughts, earthquakes,
and record high and low temperatures.
Dust Bowl Fact 23:
Many of the Dust
Bowl migrants, like Florence Owens Thompson, sought
seasonal farm work in the stable, warm climates of
California, Texas, and Florida, where they would find
temporary work planting, maintaining and harvesting
different fruits and vegetables. When the migrants found
work they would set up temporary homes in canvas tents
or wood lean-tos on locations such as dry riverbeds or
public lands near to the place they were working. In
1937, the Farm Security Act (FSA) provided for the
building of migrant camps in the agricultural areas in
which migrants found work. The migrant camps were built
in an attempt to improve sanitation and protect migrants
from hostile local residents.
Dust Bowl Fact 24:
Republican
President Herbert Hoover was slow to react to the Great
Depression advocating the idea that every man should fend for
himself and that government handouts to the unemployed did great
damage to a persons self-esteem. There was no social 'safety net' of
welfare or relief programs at the start of the Great Depression.
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed the presidency in March 1933
and began to implement various relief programs in his 'New Deal',
some of which were aimed at relieving the impact of the
Dust Bowl.
Dust Bowl Fact 25:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures:
In May, the Emergency Farm Mortgage Act allotted $200
million for refinancing mortgages to help farmers facing
foreclosure and established local banks and credit
associations. The Agricultural Adjustment Act was signed
into law establishing the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration (AAA) that would pay farmers to limit
crop production to get crop prices to rise.
Dust Bowl Fact 26:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures -
Soil Erosion Camps: In June 1933 the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) opened the first soil erosion
control camp and by September 1933 there were a total of
161 soil erosion camps in effect.
Dust Bowl Fact 27:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures:
In June 1934 President Roosevelt signed the Taylor
Grazing Act enabling the government to release 140
million acres of federally-owned land and establish new
grazing districts.
Dust Bowl Fact 28:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures:
In June 1934 the Frazier-Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act was passed
as a temporary measure to restrict the ability of banks
to dispossess farmers in times of distress. It was
originally effective until 1938, but as the prolonged
effects of the Dust Bowl continued the act was renewed
four times until 1947, when it eventually expired.
Dust Bowl Fact 29:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures:
In January 1935 the Drought Relief Service (DRS) was
formed to coordinate relief activities with a government
cattle buying program. Surplus cattle were given to the
Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (FSRC) that had been
established in October 1933 to divert agricultural
commodities to relief organizations.
Dust Bowl Fact 30:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures:
In April, 1935 the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act
was passed providing $525 million for drought relief,
and authorized the creation of the Works Progress
Administration (WPA). The WPA went on to employ 8.5
million people.
Dust Bowl Fact 31:
Following the
events of Black Sunday and the worst “black blizzard” of
the Dust Bowl (April 14, 1935) US Congress declared soil
erosion “a national menace” and established the Soil
Conservation Service (SCS) in the Department of
Agriculture on April 27, 1935. The SCS developed
extensive conservation programs that aimed to retain
topsoil and prevent irreparable damage to the land.
Farmers were paid to practice soil conservation farming
techniques such as crop rotation, strip cropping,
terracing, contour plowing, and the use of cover crops.
Dust Bowl Fact 32:
Dust Bowl Relief Measures -
The Shelterbelt Project: In March 1937 the long-term
program called the Shelterbelt Project began. The goal
of the Shelterbelt Project was to organize the large
scale planting of trees across the Great Plains to
protect the land from erosion. Unemployed workers
workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were
paid to plant and cultivate the trees.
Dust Bowl Fact 33:
By 1938 the
massive conservation work of re-plowing the Dust Bowl
land into furrows and planting trees in shelterbelts
resulted in a 65% reduction in the amount of soil
blowing and black blizzards. However, the drought
conditions continued until 1939-1940 when at last the
rains came.
Dust Bowl Fact 34:
The Dust Bowl that
had begun with
drought of 1930 had lasted a decade
throughout the 1930s until the last drought
of 1940. It was finally over.
Facts
about the Dust Bowl for kids
Facts
about
Dust Bowl in the Great
Depression
For visitors interested in the history of
the Great Depression refer to the following articles:
Dust Bowl for kids - President Herbert Hoover Video
The article on the Dust Bowl provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Herbert Hoover video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 31st American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933.
Dust Bowl
●
Interesting Facts about Dust Bowl for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Dust Bowl in US history
●
The Dust Bowl, a major
event in US history
●
Herbert Hoover from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933
●
Fast, fun facts about the Dust Bowl
● Causes and effects of the
Dust Bowl
●
The causes and
effects of the 1930s
Dust Bowl for schools,
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