References

Dust Bowl Timeline

The first great drought of the 30s begins in 1930 lasting through 1931.  Crops begin to die and dust from the overworked land begins to blow across the  midwest and plains.

Drought continues, however much of the work done by organizations such as the CCC and WPA has resulted in a 65% reduction in blowing soil.

In the fall of 1939, after nearly a decade of dirt and dust, the drought ended when regular rainfall finally returned to the region. The government still encouraged continuing the use of conservation methods to protect the soil and ecology of the Plains.

1939

The first of the droughts of the 30s may have ended, but the number of dust storms begins to increase.  Fourteen are reported in 1932.

1937

The worst drought in 1,000 years settles in,   A two-day dust storm in may blew dust clouds all the way to Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Washington DC.  That winter, red snow falls in New England.

1934

1936

1938

1933

1935

38 dust storms roll across the United States this year.  Franklin Roosevelt takes office and begins work stabilizing the banking industry.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) are put to work in June.  They begin working on soil erosion control

This map shows in red, the approximate epicenter of the dust bowls.  The  yellow shows areas most severely affected by the storms.  Learn more about the Dust Bowl in this interactive timeline.

Drought Relief Service is introduced by the federal government.  A very severe dust storm (later referred to as Black Sunday) occurs in April.  It is one of the worst in American history and causes widespread economic and agricultural damage.  The picture above was taken at 3:00 p.m.

The Shelterbelt Project begins.  This is a large-scale planting of trees to help protect the land from erosion.  Between 1935 and 1942 over 210 million trees were planted in 6 states.

1932

As part of the New Deal, the Farm Security Administration hires photographers to document what is happening.  Dorothea Lange captured this famous image known now as “Migrant Mother” to express the struggles of people during the dust bowl.

1931

Information collected from: The Library of Congress Online http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/depwwii/dustbowl/ Surviving the Dust Bowl, PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/dustbowl The Dust Bowl, History.com http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl Dust Bowl, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dust_bowl The Dust Bowl, Wessels Living History Farm http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html Drought in the Dust Bowl Years http://drought.unl.edu/droughtbasics/dustbowl/droughtinthedustbowlyears.aspx

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