Lesson X: We will look at the causes & effects of the Dust Bowl

Blue text book pages 740-741. Look at the map & charts and answer the questions below.

1.) In which states was there severe damage from the dust bowl?

2.) In which states was there a population decrease from 1930-1940?

3.) What do you observe about the average rainfall in Dodge City, Kansas from 1930-1940?

The Dust Bowl:The Dust Bowl:When Nature Struck BackWhen Nature Struck Back

What was the Dust Bowl?

Dust Bowl took place in the early 1930’s in the Great Plain states (map p740-741)

CAUSES OF THE DUST BOWL

1. Severe drought 2. Severe dust storms - High

winds blew away topsoil3. Extensive farming without

crop rotation (turning soil)4. Deep plowing A farmer and his two sons during a dust storm in

Cimarron County, Oklahoma, 1936. Photo: Arthur Rothstein.

Deep Plowing

5. Deep plowing of the topsoil killed the natural grasses that normally kept the soil in place and trapped moisture even during periods of drought and high winds

6. Soil turned to dust

7. At times, dust clouds blackened the sky all the way to East Coast known as "Black Blizzards"

8. Centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and adjacent parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas

9. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes

10. Many of these families traveled to California where they found “better” economic conditions

“BLACK BLIZZARDS”

Create a short story based on the content of the Dust Bowl. Be sure to include:

- An organized plot & setting related to the Dust Bowl

- At least 3 characters with dialogue

- Format: Typed, cover page, size 12 standard font, double spaced

- Length 150-250 words

- Due Friday, March 1, 2013.