The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms from 1931 to 1939 across the central United States, especially the Southern Plains, that was caused by over-farming during and after WWI removing grasses holding topsoil combined with drought; this led to massive dust storms that drove small farmers off their land and caused many to migrate to California in search of work.

1. INFO AT A GLANCE: THE DUST BOWL

2. What?The Dust Bowl was a long period of severe dust storms that lasted the course of ten years, driving many small farmers from their land.

3. Where?The Dust bowl affected the central region of the United States of America, although its effects were much more concentrated in the Southern Plains region.

4. When?The Dust Bowl lasted from early 1931 to the fall of 1939, almost a decade.

5. Why?Over-farming of the Great Plains region during and following World War I caused the removal of long grasses that normally held topsoil in place. This combined with an extended period of drought caused large amounts of dust to be thrown into the air.

6. Who?The Dust Bowl, although it affected people all over the United States, mainly affected small farmers who could no longer sustain their families with the lowered crop production brought on by the poor conditions caused by the removal of the nutrient-rich topsoil by the dust storms.

7. Effects:The Dust Bowl caused farmers throughout the Great Plains to be evicted from their farms. The farmers began to migrate to California where they thought there would be more opportunities than there were at their old farms.