“THE DUST BOWL”

What do you already know?

•What is “The Dust Bowl”? •What is a migrant worker?•How were migrant workers affected by “The Dust Bowl”?

About “The Dust Bowl”

• 1930s• Massive dust storms formed in parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and northern Texas.

Causes of Dust Storms

•The Great Depression•Over-plowed and over-grazed fields•Years of sustained drought•Windstorms blew soil into the air•Dust clouds formed

Black Sunday- April 14, 1935"...a great black bank rolled in out of the northeast, and in a twinkling when it struck Liberal, plunged everything into inky blackness, worse than that on any midnight, when there is at least some starlight and outlines of objects can be seen. When the storm struck it was impossible to see one's hand before his face even two inches away. And it was several minutes before any trace of daylight whatsoever returned." Liberal News, 15 April 1935

Effects of Dust Storms

• Approximately 100 million acres of farmland was damaged

• Farmers had to abandon their farms

• Store owners abandoned their businesses

• More than 500,000 families were left homeless

• Loss of human life

Migrant Workers and “The Dust Bowl”

• Migrant worker- A person who moves from place to place seeking work

• During the time of “The Dust Bowl,” thousands of farmers migrated west towards California to try to find jobs.

Why California?

• Mild climate allowed for longer growing season

• Crop diversity• Fruits• Cotton• Others

• Glamorization of California in popular culture

Problems Arise…

• Many migrants were turned away at California’s borders• 1936- “Bum Blockade”

• Too many migrants and not enough jobs available

• Insufficient wages• Insufficient housing

• “Ditch bank” camps

Problems Arise… (Cont.)

• Friction between migrants and California farmers

• Migrant workers were often subjected to:• Negative stereotyping

• Okies• Arkies

• Migrants were forced to travel across California at the beginning of each harvest

“Dust Bowl” in 2012?