Color photos, detailed maps, and informative sidebars accompany easytorea. Dust from the overplowed and overgrazed land begins to blow. It was the worst drought in north america in 1,000 years. Nineteen states in the heartland of the united states became a vast dust bowl. The dust bowl not only destroyed the ecology of the midwest but. A timeline created with timetoasts interactive timeline maker. Persuasive rhetoric in the dust bowl story activity, consider what persuasive elements are included in the image. Compared to the dust laden, dried up states in the bowl area, this seemed like a dream come true. Use the timeline of the dust bowl, available on american experience, a link from the edsitement resource river of song, in your discussion of events related to the dust bowl. Readers will learn the history of the united states leading up to the dust bowl, key players and happenings in the dust bowl, and the events effect on society. While it was the inevitable drought from 1931 to 1939 that ultimately led to the dust bowl, the soil quality was worsened due to. The great depression presentation is suitable for 9th 12th grade.
Thousands of farmers lost their property as well as their livelihoods. Regardless of this, some families wanted to stay in the midwest. Timeline of the dust bowl 1934 maygreat dust storms spread from the dust bowl area. Brainstorm local environmental and social issues in your area. Unsustainable farming practices worsened the droughts effect, killing the crops that kept the soil in place. It was one of the worst ecological disasters in modern history, and its effects, which stretched throughout the heart of the united states, were felt as far north as the dakotas and. A lack of rain and strong winds ruined farmland and created the region known as the dust bowl in the 1930s. The people who lived in the high plains regions had to face the drought for at least 8 years. When winds blew, they raised enormous clouds of dust. Dust bowl facts the dust bowl facts great depression. Lester hunter was a migrant from the dust bowl who was forced to move from his home and travel to california in a desperate search for a new life, a new home and a new job. The dust bowl spread from saskatchewan and manitoba to the north, all the way to oklahoma and parts of texas and new mexico in the south. Timeline presentation is suitable for 9th 12th grade. What caused the dust bowl during the great depression.
The dust bowl refers to a ninetysevenmillionacre area in the southern great plains where drought and wind erosion were the most severe during the 1930s. The expressions of the people tell the story of the bleak, hopeless conditions of dust bowl america in the1930s. The dust bowl chronicles the worst manmade ecological disaster in american history, in which the frenzied wheat boom of the great plowup, followed by a decadelong drought during the 1930s. It covers all of the major people and events related to the dust bowl. Take a look at a simple timeline used to describe the causes and effects of the dust bowl. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The dust bowl was a human and an ecological disaster that took place in the southwestern great plains of the united states in the 1930s. The timeline emphasizes actions taken by the government to provide relief to victims of the dust bowl. To extend the discussion, consider the story that is told in the photograph of william casby. The dust bowl is a phrase used to describe prairie regions of the united states and canada in the 1930s. Extending approximately four hundred miles from north to south and three hundred miles from east to west, the dust bowl encompassed southeastern colorado, northeastern new mexico, western kansas, and the panhandles of texas and. How did the events of great depression and the dust bowl challenge the concept of the american dream. The environmental effects of the dust bowl included. Ive included a color and black and white version, as well as a key.
Dust bowl history black sunday, april 14, 1935, dodge city, kansas new dust bowl oral history project, ford county historical society, dodge city, ks funding provided by the kansas humanities council. This passage describes the dust bowl during the great depression. Oct 17, 2012 black sunday was the worst dust storm in u. The dust bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the american and canadian prairies during the 1930s.
Dust bowl, section of the great plains of the united states where overcultivation and drought during the early 1930s resulted in the depletion of topsoil, which was carried off in windblown dust storms that forced thousands of families to leave the region at the height of the great depression. Jan 23, 2020 the dust bowl was the name given to an area of the great plains southwestern kansas, oklahoma panhandle, texas panhandle, northeastern new mexico, and southeastern colorado that was devastated by nearly a decade of drought and soil erosion during the 1930s. Students answer 10 questions defining terms and multiple choice to assess students understanding. Severe drought hits the midwestern and southern plains. More than one million acres of land were affected during the dust bowl of the 1930s.
In the mid 1930s, north americas great plains faced one of the worst manmade environmental disasters in world history. The dust bowl primary source set teacher resources. The term dust bowl was suggested by conditions that struck the region in the early 1930s. Farmlands became useless and hundreds of thousands of people had to move away from the land just to survive. Discuss the students hypotheses about this question from activity 1. Surviving the dust bowl is the remarkable story of the determined people who clung to their homes and way of life, enduring drought, dust, disease even death for nearly a decade. The dust bowl was the name given to an area of the great plains southwestern kansas, oklahoma panhandle, texas panhandle, northeastern new mexico, and southeastern colorado that was devastated by nearly a decade of drought and soil erosion during the 1930s.
The dust bowl was a series of periodic dust storms in the midwestern prairies that coincided with the great depression in america. Most crops are destroyed or eventually destroyed in the course of the dust bowl. In these areas, there were many serious dust storms and droughts during the 1930s. Yup, its a social studies lecture designed to win you points and keep you. Dust bowl during the great depression american memory. For hugh hammond bennett, affectionately nicknamed big hugh, the dust bowl was only the most dramatic manifestation of the catastrophe of soil erosion. I think the narrative from egans book is more gripping, but the pictures in this book gives it a five star rating. A timeline can provide learners with a better grasp on events that occurred prior to, and after a major time period. Following years of overcultivation and generally poor land management in the 1920s, the regionwhich receives an average rainfall of less than.
While it was the inevitable drought from 1931 to 1939 that ultimately led to the dust bowl, the. Timeline of the dust bowl 1931 severe drought hits the midwestern and southern plains. Extreme heat made the dust bowl drought even worst. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Have students select an issue and ask them to photograph it with special attention to telling a story through the image. Hardly finished sacking my things, i paid the bill, and tucking the list in my pocket along with the change, hurried home, so ma could bake the cake before daddy came in. Make educational timelines or create a timeline for your company website. Timetoasts free timeline maker lets you create timelines online. Those dark, dirty and desperate times were not just something that crept into comments at my familys dinner table, a regional subtext to the broader story of. How many people headed west to avoid the dust bowl. May, 1936 buried machinery in barn lot during the dust bowl, an agricultural, ecological, and economic disaster in the great plains region of north america. But after ma emptied the sack, setting each packet out on the oilcloth, she counted her change and i remembered with a sinking feeling.
The dust bowl, kansas state university lots of photographs. The failure of the farming method conducted by the farmers in that decade led into the dust bowl phenomenon. What part of the nation was the most affected by the dust bowl. Click on the link below to watch a video about life during the dust bowl. The southern plains in the 1930s by donald worster in chm, djvu, fb2 download ebook. The zip file has a pdf student version for posting on personal. The dust bowl was the name given to the droughtstricken southern plains region of the united states, which suffered severe dust storms during a dry period in the 1930s.
In some places, the dust drifted like snow, covering farm buildings and houses. In 1932, 14 dust storms were recorded on the great plains. The sky could darken for days, and even wellsealed homes could have a thick layer of dust on the furniture. What effect did the dust bowl have on the lives of farmers. Dust bowl simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This does not go into great depth about any events, bu. Rain on your way near the end of the 1930s rainfall finally. The dust bowl lasted about 9 years 1931 the big drought begins and the topsoil of different farmlands begin to blow around. The areas grasslands had supported mostly stock raising until world war i, when millions of acres were put under the plow in order to grow wheat. Surviving the dust bowl, 19311939 social studies grade 11 1931. The dust bowl esperanza rising connecting to history. A clear example of such poor soil management was the dust bowl era. This title examines an important historic event, the dust bowl.
Donald worsters classic chronicle of the devastating years between 1929 and 1939 tells the story of the dust bowl in ecological as well as human terms. The projects purpose was to try and stop dust storms from causing as much damage. This product features a timeline of the major events of the great depression. Winds whipped across the plains, raising billowing clouds of dust.
The dust bowl is a term used to describe the series of severe dust storms that ravaged the american midwest throughout the 1930s, right during the great depression. The untold story of those who survived the great american dust bowl kindle edition by egan, timothy. See more ideas about dust bowl, great depression and dust storm. The dust bowl was a natural disaster that devastated the midwest in the 1930s. An associated press reporter dubbed the area the dust bowl for the first time after witnessing the storm. The humiliating aspects of dust bowl life is reflected in the lyrics of the song and the views of the people that were experiencing the problems of the dust bowl disaster. It was such a strange thing to see, especially out in the plains of new mexico, even considering how dry it had been getting. The dust bowl refers to a series of dust storms causing damage to american prairie lands from 1930 to 1940. It was a huge mass of swirling dirt that blew into my eyes and stung my throat. On sunday, april 14, 1935, winds reached 60 miles an hour during a dust storm on the great plains.
All the reasons the dust bowl occurred are provided. A drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water that adversely affects the growing of crops, the lives of. The huge dust storms that ravaged the area destroyed crops and made living there. Following years of overcultivation and generally poor land management in the 1920s, the regionwhich receives an average rainfall of less than 20 inches. What message is it sending, and how does it achieve that goal. Kathy wilmore, author of memories of the dust bowl, describes how california was a place of lush farmland and acres upon acres of groves bursting with oranges and other produce. If your class needs a look at the causes of the dust bowl, youve found it. Click the thumbnail for the original item, the caption for information on the item, or download a pdf or mp3.
The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 19391940, but some. I became so fascinated by that period of history and the people living then that i put the picture book aside and began writing out of the dust. Large dark clouds of dirt were visible across the great plains during the timeline of the dust bowl. What was the dust bowl and what were the effects of the dust bowl.