The Dust Bowl

             The 1930's Dust bowl was a windy drought that caused clouds of dust to form in the Southern plains which lasted about a decade. In the beginning of World War I there was a need for more wheat. Farmers were forced to grow more wheat. They transformed all the areas used for grazing into wheat fields. This was a time of disaster for many farmers in the United States, mainly in the Great Plains region.
             Many states were affected by the Dust Bowl. They began to grow more wheat in the prairie states including, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and new Mexico. The dust bowl covered 75% of the country and had an affect on 27 surrounding states. It was known to be the worst drought in U.S. history. The northern Plains were not so badly effected, but nonetheless, the drought, windblown dust and agricultural decline were no strangers to the north. In fact the agricultural devastation helped to lengthen the Depression whose effects were felt worldwide. The movement of people on the Plains was also profound. Paul Bonnifield says "Wheat was a real good thing. The world needed it and was paying a good price for it. Wheat farmers with tractors, one way plows and combines purchased by most farmers after the phenomenal crop of 1926, began plowing and planting wheat as never before. The lands were planted to wheat year after year without a thought as to the damage that was being done. Grasslands that should have never been plowed were plowed up. Millions of acres of farm land in the great plains were broken". After that they decided to go back to grazing animals.
             Years later they brought back the livestock that once grazed in the areas. Because they did not take care of the land, the animals hooves ruined the unprotected soil. Winds soon came and the dust made by the hooves were swept up into huge dust clouds. This was all because of abuse and farmers not taking care of their land. The National Air and Space Museum states "As the land dried up, great clouds of dust and sand, carried by the wind, covered everything and led to the word "Dust Bowl"".