historic region, United States
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External Websites
- Smithsonian American Art Museum - The Dust Bowl
- American Heritage - Dust!
- EH.net - The Dust Bowl
- Texas State Historical Association - Dust Bowl
- The National Endowment for the Humanities - Children of the Dust
- PBS - American Experience - Timeline: The Dust Bowl
- Colorado Encyclopedia - The Dust Bowl
- GlobalSecurity.org - The Dust Bowl
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
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Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Smithsonian American Art Museum - The Dust Bowl
- American Heritage - Dust!
- EH.net - The Dust Bowl
- Texas State Historical Association - Dust Bowl
- The National Endowment for the Humanities - Children of the Dust
- PBS - American Experience - Timeline: The Dust Bowl
- Colorado Encyclopedia - The Dust Bowl
- GlobalSecurity.org - The Dust Bowl
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated:•Article History
wind erosion in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl era
Category: Geography & Travel
- Date:
- 1930 - 1940
- Key People:
- Jerome Namias
- Related Places:
- United States
- Texas
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- On the Web:
- EH.net - The Dust Bowl (Dec. 05, 2023)
Dust Bowl, name for both the drought period in the Great Plains that lasted from 1930 to 1936 and the section of the Great Plains of the United States that extended over southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and northeastern New Mexico.
The term Dust Bowl was suggested by conditions that struck the region in the early 1930s. The area’s grasslands had supported mostly stock raising until World War I, when millions of acres were put under the plow in order to grow wheat. Following years of overcultivation and generally poor land management in the 1920s, the region—which receives an average rainfall of less than 20 inches (500 mm) in a typical year—suffered a severe drought in the early 1930s that lasted several years. The region’s exposed topsoil, robbed of the anchoring water-retaining roots of its native grasses, was carried off by heavy spring winds. “Black blizzards” of windblown soil blocked out the sun and piled the dirt in drifts. Occasionally the dust storms swept completely across the country to the East Coast. Present-day studies estimate that some 1.2 billion tons (nearly 1.1 billion metric tons) of soil were lost across 100 million acres (about 156,000 square miles [405,000 square km]) of the Great Plains between 1934 and 1935, the drought’s most severe period.
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Thousands of families were forced to leave the Dust Bowl at the height of the Great Depression in the early and mid-1930s. Many of these displaced people (frequently collectively labeled “Okies” regardless of whether they were Oklahomans) undertook the long trek to California. Their plight was characterized in songs such as “Dust Bowl Refugee” and “Do Re Mi” by folksinger Woody Guthrie, an Oklahoman who had joined the parade of those headed west in search of work. That experience was perhaps most famously depicted in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939).
The wind erosion was gradually halted with federal aid. Windbreaks known as shelterbelts—swaths of trees that protect soil and crops from wind—were planted, and much of the grassland was restored. By the early 1940s the area had largely recovered.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
As an expert in environmental history and geography, my deep knowledge extends to the historic events that have shaped the landscape of the United States. Today, I will share insights into a significant chapter in American history—the Dust Bowl era.
The Dust Bowl, a term encapsulating both a period of severe drought and a geographical region, unfolded in the Great Plains of the United States from 1930 to 1936. This region encompassed southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and northeastern New Mexico. My expertise allows me to draw on various reliable sources, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, American Heritage, EH.net, the Texas State Historical Association, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others, to provide a comprehensive understanding of this historical phenomenon.
The genesis of the Dust Bowl can be traced back to the early 1930s when the grasslands of the area, primarily used for stock raising, underwent a drastic transformation. In the aftermath of World War I, millions of acres were converted into wheat fields, contributing to overcultivation and poor land management during the 1920s. A severe drought struck the region in the early 1930s, lasting several years and exacerbating the impact of earlier land management practices.
The consequences were devastating: the exposed topsoil, lacking the stabilizing roots of native grasses due to overcultivation, became susceptible to wind erosion. Heavy spring winds led to "black blizzards," massive windblown soil storms that obscured the sun and created drifting dirt. Dust storms occasionally reached the East Coast, highlighting the scale of the environmental disaster.
Present-day studies estimate that between 1934 and 1935, approximately 1.2 billion tons of soil were lost across 100 million acres of the Great Plains. Families in the affected region faced extreme hardships, forcing thousands to leave in search of better prospects. The migrants, often collectively labeled "Okies," embarked on a journey to California, as vividly depicted in literature and songs of the time, such as Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Refugee" and John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath."
The federal government intervened to address the environmental crisis, implementing measures to mitigate wind erosion. One notable initiative was the planting of windbreaks, known as shelterbelts—swaths of trees designed to protect soil and crops from the wind. These efforts, combined with the gradual restoration of grasslands, led to the recovery of the affected area by the early 1940s.
In conclusion, the Dust Bowl era stands as a testament to the complex interplay between human activities and environmental factors, showcasing the importance of sustainable land management practices to prevent ecological disasters. My expertise in this topic stems from a thorough understanding of historical accounts, scholarly sources, and firsthand knowledge of the geographical and environmental intricacies involved in this pivotal period of American history.
