Table of Contents
What caused the 1930s Dust Bowl?
Crops began to fail with the onset of drought in 1931, exposing the bare, over-plowed farmland. Without deep-rooted prairie grasses to hold the soil in place, it began to blow away. Eroding soil led to massive dust storms and economic devastation—especially in the Southern Plains.
How many years did the Dust Bowl drought last?
The drought came in three waves: 1934, 1936, and 1939–1940, but some regions of the High Plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years.
When did the Dust Bowl end in Texas?
1939
By 1938, the massive conservation effort had reduced the amount of blowing soil by 65%. The land still failed to yield a decent living. In the fall of 1939, after nearly a decade of dirt and dust, the drought ended when regular rainfall finally returned to the region.
When did the Dust Bowl begin and end?
The Dust Bowl, the name given to the drought and resulting dust storms on the plains, lasted from 1930 to 1940, although the dates vary by location. It affected most of the Great Plains, from the Canadian prairies to the Texas Panhandle .
What was the death toll of the Dust Bowl?
It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s and caused catastrophic human suffering and an enormous economic toll. The death toll exceeded 5,000, and huge numbers of crops were destroyed by the heat and lack of moisture.
What war was going on during the Dust Bowl?
The Dust Bowl was an event defined by artists and by government bureaucrats. It has become part of American mythology, an episode in the nation’s progression from the Pilgrims to Lexington and Concord , through Civil War and frontier settlement, to industrial modernization, Depression, and Dust Bowl.
Why were the Dust Bowl storms so bad?
The Dust Bowl is a natural disaster that devastated the Midwest in the 1930s. It was the worst drought in North America in 1,000 years. Unsustainable farming practices worsened the drought’s effect. It killed the crops that kept the soil in place. When winds blew, they raised enormous clouds of dust.