Dust Bowl EssayÃÂEven those who were inside felt the swirling terror of the storm. Lila Lee King [ÃÂ ] remembered, ÃÂI was sure I was going to dieÃÂ ÃÂ (Yancey 10). The Dust Bowl struck terror in the hearts of many just as it did Lila Lee King. Few events in American history created as much turmoil as the Dust Bowl did. The Dust Bowl ruined the lives of many, and in some cases ended them. The Dust Bowl had a great impact on many people in the United States.
The events leading up to the Dust Bowl had a great impact on many residents of the Great Plains. The problems of the Dust Bowl all began with the development of a technique called dry farming. Dry farming consisted of the cultivation of some fields ÃÂwhile allowing others to lie fallow, so that a field only supported crops every other yearÃÂ (ÃÂDry FarmingÃÂ 1).
English: Buried machinery in barn lot in Dallas, S...
English: A farmer's son in Cimarron County, Oklaho...
English: Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas. ...Dry farming allowed the cultivation of crops regardless of the harsh conditions present in the prairie (1). Many settlers of the West during this time period found that dry farming worked particularly well when growing wheat (1). These dry farming techniques along with war and technology led to the destruction of the land. ÃÂDuring World War I, the demand for wheat [ÃÂ ] meant plowing larger areasÃÂ (ÃÂThe Dust Bowl, 1934-1938ÃÂ 1). This increase in plowing caused the need for more tractors. ÃÂOwnership went from less than three hundred tractors in southwestern Kansas in 1915 to over three thousand in 1925ÃÂ (Yancey 19). The farmers who utilized these tractors meant to do well, but instead their actions brought the hardship of the Dust Bowl upon themselves. ÃÂIn the 1930s, the total cultivated land in the United States increased, reaching 530 million acres (215 million hectares), its highest level...