The Dust Bowl

Overview

Severe period of drought and dust storms in the 1930s
Regions affected: Great Plains, particularly Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico

Early explorers deemed Great Plains unsuitable for agriculture
- Known as the Great American Desert due to lack of trees and water
Post-Civil War settlement based on the belief "rain follows the plow"
Technological advancements in farming in early 1900s:
- Better tractors, mechanized plowing, and combines
- Farmland in Plains doubled from 1900 to 1920
- Cultivated land tripled from 1925 to 1930
Poor agricultural practices led to soil depletion:
- Heavy plowing eliminated natural grasses that held soil and moisture

Severe drought began in 1930, lasting nearly the entire decade
Dust Bowl affected over one million acres
Topsoil turned to dust, creating dust storms known as "Black Blizzards"
Precipitation decreased by 15-25% compared to normal levels
- Typical annual rainfall: 20 inches, but some areas received as little as 15 inches or less

Civilian Conservation Corps planted over 200 million trees from Texas to Canada to:
- Block wind
- Hold soil in place
Instruction in soil conservation techniques:
- Crop rotation
- Contour plowing
- Terracing
Government incentives: Farmers paid $1 per acre to practice conservation techniques
By end of 1930s, blowing dust reduced by 65%