Essays on Dust Bowl

1930 - 1940

The Dust Bowl was the name given to the drought-stricken Southern Plains region of the United States that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture during the 1930s. The drought came in three waves: 1934, 1936, and 1939–1940. The Dust Bowl was caused by federal land policies, changes in regional weather and farm economics.

During the Dust Bowl period, severe dust storms, often called “black blizzards” swept the Great Plains. "Black blizzards" of windblown soil blocked out the sun and piled the dirt in drifts, sometimes for days at a time. The worst dust storm occurred on April 14, 1935, that was called as Black Sunday.

Thousands of families were forced to leave the Dust Bowl states—Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. The Dust Bowl refugees were called "Okies." In many regions, land degradation varied widely. The wind erosion was gradually halted with federal aid.