THE DUST BOWL: Background
(songs listed at the bottom)
"When one tries to rise above nature, one is liable to fall below it."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in Sherlock Holmes, "The Creeping Man"
The hardest hit areas were in parts of northern Texas and Oklahoma, as well as New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. The town of Boise City, in the Oklahoma panhandle was considered the center of the dust bowl disaster. Millions of acres of farmland were damaged or completely destroyed. One of the worst storm of all occurred on April 14, 1935 which displaced enormous amounts of topsoil.By the end of the 1930's about 75% of the top soil literally, "blew away." Some of this dust settled down as far away as the Atlantic Ocean.
Though many of the people stayed on their lands, some families left, particularly to California. Complicating the problem was the fact that Great Depression gripped the entire country, and many parts of the world. The "dust bowl refugees" who left the the Dust Bowl area had high hopes but many found little improvement where they went. Some of them became impoverished migrant workers. Many native Californians resented the people called "Okies" and treated them disrespectfully. The Okies, in particular one family, were the subject of the Pulitzer prize novel by John Steinbeck called The Grapes of Wrath.
Life was particularly terrible for those who stayed. Many died of a disease which came to be known as "dust pneumonia." They were desperate for money for the bare necessities of living.
While many politicians and the public felt that they should give up on the Great Plains, President Franklin Roosevelt was seriously concerned and deeply committed to saving the area. The New Deal, especially the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and CCC,(Civilian Conservation Corps) helped out tremendously. People were able to get employment with the WPA which kept them going. The Soil Erosion Service was established under the supervision of Hugh Bennett who was a soil conservationist. Convincing Congress was difficult, but his efforts were bolstered when some of the dust from the Plains actually fell on Washington D.C. Bennett and H. Howard Finnell (known to some people as the "doctor of dirt") explored ecologically-friendly farming methods which would improve the situation.Millions of trees were planted during the 1930's which, it was hoped, would cut down on the wind and wind damage.Experiments with terrace farming and other methods were conducted. Some of these methods were successful and cut down on the further soil erosion. By the 1960's some farmers tapped into the underground water for irrigation. Though this was to be a reliable source of water, there were serious limitations: the underground water supply would last 20 or 30 years if overused.
1937 was one of the worst years for dust storms. By the end of the year there had been more than 100 recorded. In 1938, it seemed that there might be some improvement in that there was a bit more rain. However, another disaster was about to hit the people of the Dust Bowl: A plague of Grasshoppers, one variety of which are called Locusts--by the millions descended on the plains. In order to get rid of them various methods, including putting poison on the soil, were used. The beleaguered people had already experienced an invasion of rabbits by the thousands in some partsof the Dust Bowl in 1935 who ate up what little was growing.
In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt visited the area. When making a speech in southern Texas, the rain started. The drought was ending, and the Great Plains was slowly going into a wet period. Because of the growing need for wheat, especially during the Second World War, production was increasing. However, there were lessons to be learned from the tragedy of the 30's . When a two year drought came in the early 50's the soil erosion was less severe, and the dust storms not as intense. This was due to the fact that many farmers were now using the soil conservation methods perfected by Howard Finnell. In addition, the U.S. government had purchased about 4 million acres of land which was restored as a national grassland.
During the 30's , photographers were sent to visually record the horror of the period. Thousands of photographs are now part if the Library of Congress historical holdings. Woody Guthrie composed and performed what came to be known as "The Dust Bowl Ballads." These ballads expressed the tragedy of those times. Some of these ballads can be heard on youtube: CLICK
The final word on the Great Plains has not been spoken. Perhaps nature decided,after all, that this land was not to be used for agriculture. In the end, it may be seen that the original buffalo grass is best suited to this land, and is the major force preventing the Great Plains turning into the Sahara forever. However, farming continues in the Great Plains which experiences the dry/wet cycles. There are still dust storms, but nothing compared to those of the 1930s.
The songs on this blog reflect some of the feelings of people enduring the dust storms. It was a time of intense struggle, just to survive.
DUST THICK AND HEAVY
LEAVE THIS LAND BEHIND
KEEPING HOPE ALIVE coming soon
(songs listed at the bottom)
"When one tries to rise above nature, one is liable to fall below it."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in Sherlock Holmes, "The Creeping Man"
In periods of drought, the soil is, of course, very dry. If there are few plants to hold the soil, it becomes very loose. When it is windy, the soil is blown, causing a dust storm. Sometimes the dirt is like sand..sometimes it is coarse, with stones and grit.
During the 1930's there was a drought on the American prairies, extending northward to Canada. Because of this drought, and because of deleterious farming methods which destroyed the native grasses that had served as an anchor for the soil, serious dust storms occurred.
from clipart.com
The land was known as the Great Plains. The hardest hit areas centered around the panhandle of Oklahoma, but extended both north and south. Originally, these lands had few trees but had grass called Buffalo grass. The grass had deep roots allowing the soil below to remain somewhat moist. The grass held the soil in place.
Originally, these lands were inhabited by Native Americans who hunted vast herds of buffalo. The buffalo fed on the plentiful grass. Toward the end of the 19th century, cattle was raised there, but these animals had a hard time surviving the harsh winters. Though cattle was still part of the Great Plains landscape, the emphasis was to be on wheat production. Pioneers, many of whom were European immigrants, began to settle and farm the land. However, a drought at the end of the 19th century caused many of these people to relocate.
In fact, these lands were never naturally well-suited for agriculture. People farming here went year by year...one year there was enough rain to harvest a good crop..the next year, perhaps not. The farmers were called " the next year people.
In the early 20th century, this area entered what was called the "wet period." More settlers came and farmed the land, growing crops especially wheat. Real Estate swindles were common as people bought land oftentimes,without looking at the property. Claims were made that were simply not true. Meanwhile, more and more grasslands were converted into farmlands.
During the First World War, the German armies cut off access to Russian wheat. The need for wheat led to demand for grain, and resulted in an expansion of agriculture on the grasslands. Prices soared. Even after the war when the need for the wheat was reduced and the prices went down cultivation of the grasslands intensified. No attention was paid to nurturing the soil through procedures such as crop rotation. More sophisticated plows were used to "turn over" the soil. Wheat production kept steadily increasing.
The affects of the Great Depression that begin in 1930 did not immediately hit this area because the harvests were plentiful. However, the prices per bushel of wheat steadily dropped as the supply of wheat became greater than the demand. Then the weather patterns changed.Though the harvest of 1931 was still good, a period of drought started by winter. In January, 1932, a huge dust storm occurred in Amarillo, Texas.
The farming methods of the past 20 years wore down the top soils. The native buffalo grasses which held the soil had been diminished. The winds intensified, resulting in tragic dust storms. Though dust storms were part of the weather patterns in the Great Plains for centuries, the dust storms of the 1930's were stronger than in the past and were actually to a large extent human-generated disasters. By defying nature in a haphazard way conditions were created that caused one of the greatest land catastrophes in human history.
Originally, these lands were inhabited by Native Americans who hunted vast herds of buffalo. The buffalo fed on the plentiful grass. Toward the end of the 19th century, cattle was raised there, but these animals had a hard time surviving the harsh winters. Though cattle was still part of the Great Plains landscape, the emphasis was to be on wheat production. Pioneers, many of whom were European immigrants, began to settle and farm the land. However, a drought at the end of the 19th century caused many of these people to relocate.
In fact, these lands were never naturally well-suited for agriculture. People farming here went year by year...one year there was enough rain to harvest a good crop..the next year, perhaps not. The farmers were called " the next year people.
In the early 20th century, this area entered what was called the "wet period." More settlers came and farmed the land, growing crops especially wheat. Real Estate swindles were common as people bought land oftentimes,without looking at the property. Claims were made that were simply not true. Meanwhile, more and more grasslands were converted into farmlands.
During the First World War, the German armies cut off access to Russian wheat. The need for wheat led to demand for grain, and resulted in an expansion of agriculture on the grasslands. Prices soared. Even after the war when the need for the wheat was reduced and the prices went down cultivation of the grasslands intensified. No attention was paid to nurturing the soil through procedures such as crop rotation. More sophisticated plows were used to "turn over" the soil. Wheat production kept steadily increasing.
The affects of the Great Depression that begin in 1930 did not immediately hit this area because the harvests were plentiful. However, the prices per bushel of wheat steadily dropped as the supply of wheat became greater than the demand. Then the weather patterns changed.Though the harvest of 1931 was still good, a period of drought started by winter. In January, 1932, a huge dust storm occurred in Amarillo, Texas.
The farming methods of the past 20 years wore down the top soils. The native buffalo grasses which held the soil had been diminished. The winds intensified, resulting in tragic dust storms. Though dust storms were part of the weather patterns in the Great Plains for centuries, the dust storms of the 1930's were stronger than in the past and were actually to a large extent human-generated disasters. By defying nature in a haphazard way conditions were created that caused one of the greatest land catastrophes in human history.
The hardest hit areas were in parts of northern Texas and Oklahoma, as well as New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. The town of Boise City, in the Oklahoma panhandle was considered the center of the dust bowl disaster. Millions of acres of farmland were damaged or completely destroyed. One of the worst storm of all occurred on April 14, 1935 which displaced enormous amounts of topsoil.By the end of the 1930's about 75% of the top soil literally, "blew away." Some of this dust settled down as far away as the Atlantic Ocean.
Though many of the people stayed on their lands, some families left, particularly to California. Complicating the problem was the fact that Great Depression gripped the entire country, and many parts of the world. The "dust bowl refugees" who left the the Dust Bowl area had high hopes but many found little improvement where they went. Some of them became impoverished migrant workers. Many native Californians resented the people called "Okies" and treated them disrespectfully. The Okies, in particular one family, were the subject of the Pulitzer prize novel by John Steinbeck called The Grapes of Wrath.
Life was particularly terrible for those who stayed. Many died of a disease which came to be known as "dust pneumonia." They were desperate for money for the bare necessities of living.
While many politicians and the public felt that they should give up on the Great Plains, President Franklin Roosevelt was seriously concerned and deeply committed to saving the area. The New Deal, especially the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and CCC,(Civilian Conservation Corps) helped out tremendously. People were able to get employment with the WPA which kept them going. The Soil Erosion Service was established under the supervision of Hugh Bennett who was a soil conservationist. Convincing Congress was difficult, but his efforts were bolstered when some of the dust from the Plains actually fell on Washington D.C. Bennett and H. Howard Finnell (known to some people as the "doctor of dirt") explored ecologically-friendly farming methods which would improve the situation.Millions of trees were planted during the 1930's which, it was hoped, would cut down on the wind and wind damage.Experiments with terrace farming and other methods were conducted. Some of these methods were successful and cut down on the further soil erosion. By the 1960's some farmers tapped into the underground water for irrigation. Though this was to be a reliable source of water, there were serious limitations: the underground water supply would last 20 or 30 years if overused.
1937 was one of the worst years for dust storms. By the end of the year there had been more than 100 recorded. In 1938, it seemed that there might be some improvement in that there was a bit more rain. However, another disaster was about to hit the people of the Dust Bowl: A plague of Grasshoppers, one variety of which are called Locusts--by the millions descended on the plains. In order to get rid of them various methods, including putting poison on the soil, were used. The beleaguered people had already experienced an invasion of rabbits by the thousands in some partsof the Dust Bowl in 1935 who ate up what little was growing.
In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt visited the area. When making a speech in southern Texas, the rain started. The drought was ending, and the Great Plains was slowly going into a wet period. Because of the growing need for wheat, especially during the Second World War, production was increasing. However, there were lessons to be learned from the tragedy of the 30's . When a two year drought came in the early 50's the soil erosion was less severe, and the dust storms not as intense. This was due to the fact that many farmers were now using the soil conservation methods perfected by Howard Finnell. In addition, the U.S. government had purchased about 4 million acres of land which was restored as a national grassland.
During the 30's , photographers were sent to visually record the horror of the period. Thousands of photographs are now part if the Library of Congress historical holdings. Woody Guthrie composed and performed what came to be known as "The Dust Bowl Ballads." These ballads expressed the tragedy of those times. Some of these ballads can be heard on youtube: CLICK
The final word on the Great Plains has not been spoken. Perhaps nature decided,after all, that this land was not to be used for agriculture. In the end, it may be seen that the original buffalo grass is best suited to this land, and is the major force preventing the Great Plains turning into the Sahara forever. However, farming continues in the Great Plains which experiences the dry/wet cycles. There are still dust storms, but nothing compared to those of the 1930s.
The songs on this blog reflect some of the feelings of people enduring the dust storms. It was a time of intense struggle, just to survive.
DUST THICK AND HEAVY
LEAVE THIS LAND BEHIND
KEEPING HOPE ALIVE coming soon
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