The Dust Bowl was also known as “The Dirty Thirties” and was a period marked by severe dust storms. These severe droughts and failures to use dryland farming methods that prevent wind erosion (the Aeolian Processes) led to the destruction of agriculture and ecology in the American and Canadian prairies. Three waves of drought hit the country: 1934, 1936, 1939-1940 and 1939-1940. Some areas in the high plains were subject to drought for up to eighteen years. The ecology of the Great Plains was not well understood by farmers. They had done extensive deep plowing to remove the virgin topsoil.
Rapid mechanization in farm equipment, including small gasoline tractor, and the widespread useof combine harvester contributed to farmers’ decisions for converting arid grassland to cultivated cropland. A lot of it received less that 10 inches (250mm) per year. The unanchored soil became dust during the 1930s drought, when the winds blowing in large clouds often blackened the sky. These black blizzards or “black rolls” were choking dust clouds that traveled across the country, often striking New York City and Washington, D.C. Robert E. Geiger of the Associated Press was there to witness the “Black Sunday,” which brought down visibility to 1 meter (3.3 feet) on the Plains. The Dust Bowl centered around the Texas panhandles and Oklahoma and reached adjacent areas of New Mexico. Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico. Tens of thousands were forced from their farms to flee poverty, as they couldn’t afford to pay their mortgages or plant crops. In 1936, losses reached $25 million per hour (or $440,000,000 in 2017). Many of these families, often called “Okies” as they were from Oklahoma, fled to California to escape poverty. Their losses reached $25 million per hour by 1936 (equivalent of $440,000,000 in 2017). The elevation of the area is 2,500ft (760m) to the east and 6,000ft (1.800m) at its base. Semiarid area receives less than 20 in. (510 mm), of rainfall per year. This rainfall sustains the shortgrass prairie biome that was originally found in the region. Extended drought is a common occurrence in the region, with prolonged periods of extreme wetness. [8] While the soil is rich in nutrients, the crops suffer during dry years. High winds can also affect the region. This region was unsuitable to grow European-style crops during American and European explorations on the Great Plains.
Because of its lack of water and timber, the area was not as attractive as other areas for pioneering settlement and agriculture. In 1862 the federal government supported the establishment of settlements in the Plains. It provided 160-acre (65ha), plots of land to settler. Waves of immigrants and migrants arrived in the Great Plains after the Civil War ended in 1865, as well as the completion of The First Transcontinental Railroad’s first transcontinental railroad in 1869. They greatly increased the area under cultivation.
Unusually wet conditions in the Great Plains caused settlers to mistakenly believe that rain follows the plow, a popular phrase among real property promoters. This led to the belief that the climate had permanently changed. While initial agricultural endeavors were primarily cattle ranching, the adverse effect of harsh winters on the cattle, beginning in 1886, a short drought in 1890, and general overgrazing, led many landowners to increase the amount of land under cultivation.Recognizing the challenge of cultivating marginal arid land, the United States government expanded on the 160 acres (65 ha) offered under the Homestead Act–granting 640 acres (260 ha) to homesteaders in western Nebraska under the Kinkaid Act (1904) and 320 acres (130 ha) elsewhere in the Great Plains under the Enlarged Homestead Act (1909). The Plains saw a wave of European settlers arrive at the beginning the 20th-century.
An unusually wet return seemed to confirm a previous belief that large scale agriculture could be possible in the semiarid region. The return of unusually wet weather seemed to confirm a previously held opinion that large-scale agriculture could be supported in the “formerly” semiarid area. The Llano Esteacado, an area in northeastern Texas and eastern New Mexico, saw its farmland increase by three times between 1900 and 1920. It then doubled again between 1925 to 1930. This period was characterized by farmers who favored certain agricultural practices that could lead to large-scale erosion in certain environments.
In order to allow agriculture, deep plowing and other soil preparation techniques were widely used. The native grasses held the soil together and retained moisture in dry periods. Additionally, cotton farmers made sure that the fields were not plowed during winter, when the winds in High Plains are the strongest.
The 1920s saw favorable climatic conditions with moderate winters and good rainfall, which allowed for increased settlement and cultivation on the Great Plains. However, the 1930 summer brought an unusually dry period to the region. [14] The northern plains went through four of the seven driest decades since 1895. Kansas had four of the twelve driest. South Texas, from West Texas, was the only region that saw above-normal rains until 1941. The Great Plains region was hit by severe drought in the 1930s. It caused erosion and loss in topsoil due to agricultural practices.
The drought caused the topsoil to dry out and it eventually became friable. Some places even had a powdery consistency. The dust storms of the Dust Bowl were caused by the absence of native grasses. The drought caused crops to fail and exposed the fields to wind erosion. The fine soils of Great Plains were easily washed away by strong continental winds, leaving the fields exposed to wind erosion.
The Dust Bowl’s worst dust storms were triggered by a strong two-day duststorm that destroyed large quantities of Great Plains Topsoil. [19] Dust clouds carried 12 million pounds of dust from Chicago to Chicago. [20]Two more days later, the same storm blew all the way to Chicago, where they deposited 12 million pounds of dust.
On April 14, 1935, also known by “Black Sunday”, 20 of America’s worst “black snowstorms” struck the Great Plains. They swept from Canada southward to Texas. Witnesses reported that the dust storms caused significant damage and made it night. Some witnesses claimed they couldn’t see more than five feet ahead at times. Robert E. Geiger (Associated Press reporter from Denver) was visiting Boise City, Oklahoma that day. The first mention of the term Dust Bowl was made by Robert E. Geiger’s story on Black Sunday. It was written by Edward Stanley, Kansas City’s news editor, who rewrote Geiger’s story. Spearman County is literally stuck in a cloud de dust since Friday. Since Friday last week, the county has been in a cloud of dust for the past week.
The dust cloud over the town appears to have been created by the fog clouds. The dusty atmosphere and the buildings that were filled with it made it difficult to breathe. Many people have suffered from sore throats and coughs. .”– Spearman Reporter 21 March 1935. Much of the land was destroyed by the Dust Bowl. In 1941, Kansas’s agricultural experiment station published a bulletin suggesting that native grasses could be restored using the “hay way”. The “hay technique” was initially developed in 1937 to increase the speed of the process and improve pasture returns.
The cause of droughts was identified through extensive data analysis. The direct effect of the droughts on the general atmosphere seems to be due to the indirect influence of the Atlantic Ocean sea temperature anomalies. While the Pacific ocean sea surface temperature appears to have had the greatest impact, it is unclear if this was the case. Human displacementThis disaster increased the economic impact the Great Depression had on the region. U.S.Buried equipment in a barn lot; Dallas South Dakota, May 1936. The drought of 1935 forced many families to flee their homes and seek work in other parts of the country. Due to the loss of topsoil, many people became hungry and broke. Dust Bowl conditions caused a large exodus from Texas, Oklahoma, the surrounding Great Plains and other states to nearby regions. More than 500,000 Americans were homeless. After one storm, more than 350 homes were destroyed.
Many had been left homeless due to severe droughts and duststorms. Other people had their mortgages foreclosed. Some felt forced to sell their farms in order to find work. Many Americans moved west in search of work. The parents took their children and a few belongings with them to the west looking for work. Many Plains residents, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma, became ill with malnutrition or dust pneumonia. “Broke and baby sick!” – Dorothea Lange, 1937 photo of a Missouri migrant household’s jalopy, near Tracy, California. It was the most significant migration that occurred in a very short time span. About 3.5 Million people left the Plains in 1930 to 1940. Of those, how many made it to California is unknown. Over 86,000 people moved to California in just one year. This number exceeds the 1849 Gold Rush migrants who came to this area. Many migrants left Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Iowa to seek refuge from the harsh realities of life.
As the terms for those who lost everything during the Great Depression, “Okies,” and “Arkies,” were popularized in the 1930s. Many migrants did not travel long distances. Some simply moved to another county or town. Many families moved to the Great Plains, leaving behind their homes and moving on. To learn more about migrants, James N. Gregory studied Census Bureau statistics and other records. A 1939 Bureau of Agricultural Economics survey of approximately 116,000 families arriving in California in 1930s found that only 43 percent of them were engaged in farm work. Nearly a third were white-collar professionals. Not only did the poor economy force farmers to flee California, but many small-business owners, lawyers, and teachers also moved west during this period.
Many returned to their former states after the Great Depression. Others stayed where they were originally settled. California’s Okie-origin population makes up about one-eighth. U.S. government response The disaster resulted in a significant increase in government participation in soil management and conservation. There were many ways that different groups responded to disaster. Soil Conservation Service, for example, created detailed soil maps of the affected areas and took photos from above to show the terrain. United States Forestry Service’s Prairie States Forestry Project set up shelterbelts in order to decrease soil erosion. Resettlement Administration later became the Farm Security Administration. It encouraged small-scale farmers to settle on other lands. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was only 100 days into his presidency. His administration immediately initiated programs to conserve soils and restore the national ecological balance.
Harold L. Ickes was the Interior Secretary. The Soil Erosion Service was established by Hugh Hammond Bennett on August 23, 1933. It was reorganized and transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1935. The Soil Conservation Service was created. It is now called Natural Resources Conservation Service. Congress created the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as part of New Deal programs in 1936. The Act required landowners to pay a portion of all government subsidies for the laborers on their farms. “Benefits payments” were still available as income and production support measures. However, the law required that they be shared with landowners who were able to afford direct Congressional appropriations.
The Act changed parity from price equality in agricultural commodities and the articles purchased by farmers to income equality of farm- and nonfarm-population. The government paid for meat packaging and distribution to the hungry and poor. To manage surplus crop and other commodities, the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation(FSRC) was founded. FDR commented on the AAA that “Let us make one point clear for all the millions in cities that need meats.” The Nation was hit by a severe drought last year. If there hadn’t been a Government program, the drought in America’s cattle ranges and corn belts would have seen the marketing and death of thin cattle, immature and dead hogs. And if that order had been in place in 1933 and 1934 we would have experienced a far greater shortage than what we currently face.
We can show that our program saved millions of livestock heads. They are still on their range, and many more are canned and ready to eat today. Local relief channels distributed apple, bean, canned beef, flour, pork and other products. Later cotton goods were added to provide clothing for the poor. The federal government created a Drought Relief Service, which coordinated relief activities in 1935. For $14-$20 per head, the DRS purchased cattle from counties that were designated as emergency areas. Animals that were deemed unfit to be consumed were killed. The DRS re-assigned the remaining cattle the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation for distribution to families throughout the country. Although it was hard for many farmers to sell their cattle, the cattle slaughter program saved them from bankruptcy. “The government’s cattle buying program was an enormous blessing to many farmers. It allowed them to sell their cattle at a lower price than the local market and broke the wind. The government also educated farmers about soil conservation and anti erosion techniques. This included crop rotation, strip farming and contour plowing. Terracing was also promoted by the administration. The federal government launched a campaign to encourage Dust Bowl farmers adopting soil conservation and planting methods in 1937. To encourage farmers to adopt these new techniques, the government paid them a dollar per acre. The enormous conservation effort had decreased the amount that was being blown by 65% by 1938. However, the land did not provide enough income to sustain a decent existence. The drought was finally ended in 1939 after almost a decade of dusty dirt.
The government recommended that conservation methods be used to preserve the soils and ecology of the Plains. In 1935, the President’s Drought Committee published a report that covered government assistance to agriculture from 1934 to mid-1935. It discussed the conditions, relief measures, organization, finances and the results of government assistance. This report contains many exhibits.
