How Did The Dust Bowl Affect The Environment

The Dust Bowl was a terrible era for America and took an extended time for recovery. It was a series of dust storms happening from 1932 to 1938 (Jones 1). Also known as the dirty thirties, the Dust Bowl was not the best time to be a farmer considering fifty million acres of farm land was destroyed ("Dust Bowl" 1). "The cause of the Dust Bowl was a mixture of natural drought and poor farming practices" (Trimarchi 1). Even though the Dust Bowl was an important part of American history, it caused much devastation and damage to the environment, people, and the economy.

Drought, loose soil, and intense winds are the worst combination for farmland, and that’s how the Dust Bowl began ("Dust Bowl" 1). There was a drought for six years, which made the soil dry. The farmers chose to use a farming technique to bring up soil from the ground that was moist, and use it on top. This way of farming, little did they know, would cause problems in the future. Through all their soil rotating, the ground was loose and became dry quick. Dry soil eventually turned to dust. The great west winds picked up on it, and therefore, created massive dust storms ("Dust Bowl" 1). Once trapped in a storm, there was no escaping. The dust fit into to tiniest crevices and made it's way into every part of their houses.

This day, the worst of the era, is where the Dust Bowl got its name ("The Drought"). The Dust Bowl not only affected the environment, but also caused damage in people’s health. Breathing in the dust made particles get into people’s lungs, which created breathing problems and suffocation until, sometimes, death ("Dust Bowl" 1). While people were dying, so were their crops and belongings. There was nothing else to do other than sit back and watch as farms, possessions, houses, even lives came tearing apart (Jones