The Dust bowl was a huge agricultural failure that took place during the thirties. It mainly affected the southern plains. While crops failed farmers had to sell their farms. Many moved west to California in thier serach for jobs, though they found none and were not warmly welcomed. The Dust Bowl lengthened the Great Depression and sent many more families down into poverty. Everything was covered in dust, due to the heavy winds and the soil that had dried out.
The real cause of the Dust Bowl was overfarming, though drought contributed. During that time people of the southern Plains practiced poor farming. They over farmed and over planted, robbing the soil of its richness. While when there was enough rain the crops did well, but as it grew drier and drier the farmers planted more and more wheat. Nothing would grow. There were also harsh winds that nearly blew away all of the topsoil.
