2. The Dust Bowl (AKA The “Dirty 30’s”) was
a period in American History that was the
result of dry soil being swept up into the
wind & carried Westward for many miles.
It had an unfortunate outcome for the
migrates, as well as farmers (as is
depicted in the background photo).
3. The Dust Bowl was spawned as the result
of overgrowing wheat for soldiers, as well
as doing so during the Depression.
• This had a serious effect on the soil, thus drying it
up.
As a result, the people who lived in the
Central West (some almost ¼ of the
population) were eventually forced to move
farther West toward California.
4. The 4 main areas that got the most
damage were Northern Texas, part of
Eastern New Mexico, East/Southeast
Colorado, most of Kansas, & a small
chunk of Northwestern Oklahoma.
5. Those who migratedto theWesthoped tofind work.
• Quite the opposite happened…
Andthosewho didn’tinitiallywere forcedto leavetheir
residencies due to crappy weatherconditions.
ReliefRolls becameriddledwith hordes ofpeople.
Peopleon semi-largeranches had tobuy groceriesfrom high-
priced companystores.
6. A prominent author of the time was John
Steinbeck, who witnessed the horrendous
conditions of both the land, as well as the
people.
In his book, The Grapes of Wrath, he
explains the harsh conditions that the
people lived in.
7. An excerpt from PBS’ Mass Exodus from the Plains: Surviving the Dust
Bowl, details the conditions & hardships in which the people lived in:
“As roadside camps of poverty-stricken migrants proliferated, growers
pressured sheriffs to break them up. Groups of vigilantes beat up migrants,
accusing them of being Communists, and burned their shacks to the ground.
To help the migrants, Roosevelt’s Farm Security Administration built 13
camps, each temporarily housing 300 families in tents built on wooden
platforms. The camps were self-governing communities, and families had to
work for their room and board.
When migrants reached California and found that most of the farmland was
tied up in large corporate farms, many gave up farming. They set up
residence near larger cities in shacktowns called Little Oklahomas or
Okievilles on open lots local landowners divided into tiny subplots and sold
cheaply for $5 down and $3 in monthly installments. They built their houses
from scavenged scraps, and they lived without plumbing and electricity.
Polluted water and a lack of trash and waste facilities led to outbreaks of
typhoid, malaria, smallpox and tuberculosis.
8. The drought that led to the Dust Bowl had a
devastating effect on the Western United
Stated during the 1930’s.
People were forced to migrate elsewhere in
hopes of finding work.
People were living in poverty, with very poor
medical help & practically no housing at all.
Steinbeck helped bring the effects of the
phenomenon to the public. Roosevelt also
helped to solve the problems of the Dust Bowl
by enacting the New Deal.
