1. The Great Depression and the ensuing dust bowl have been well-documented in American history. One aspect of this particular time period that has been covered by many historians is the physical causes of this natural disaster. There are several theories that developed over time and have generally been accepted by the public. The first topic discussed under physical causes of the dust bowl is topsoil loss on the Great Plains. Could this really have been the major cause of the dust bowl or was it simply a contributor? Also, how much topsoil was actually lost and what did this mean for the Great Plains? Would we be able to overcome it and prevent it from happening again? The second topic discussed under physical causes of the dust bowl is the wind and soil erosion that plagued the Great Plains during the Great Depression. What role did the wind and soil erosion actually play during the dust bowl? Was it a something that could have been avoided? Moving on from there, this paper will discuss the measures that were taken to slow the causes of the dust bowl. Environmental changes were also made to the landscape on the Great Plains. This review will attempt to find out if there really was any permanent damage done to the land. The topic discussed under the environmental changes will investigate the regions that sustained the most damage during the dust bowl and what that damage was. The one common theory is that Oklahoma was the hardest hit area. Is that the case or is it simply thought so because many of the migrants moving to California were from Oklahoma? Human migration also took place during dust bowl. The first topic under human migration discussed coves regions of the United States that saw the most population loss and the most gain during the dust bowl Could Oklahoma have been the hardest hit area and therefore, have the highest rate of residents leaving? The second topic discussed under human migrations explores the issue of employment. If people were moving from the Oklahoma region to California, were they leaving and entering for labor purposes? Conclusions The Dust Bowl: Physical, Environmental, and Human Aspects Tasha Lindsay North Pointe Preparatory Key References The serenity of a rural landscape can come to a dramatic end what begins as a gentle breeze wafting across open land may end up as a violent dust storm that can cause millions of dollars in damage to crops, buildings, and roads. adds that over twelve million tons of topsoil blew all the way to Chicago. He also says that by 1937, there were seventy-two dust storms that struck the region and 500,000 square miles of farmland were eroded. migrants in this particular valley could expect to make about 650 dollars annually whereas in Los Angeles, workers were making over 1,000 dollars. In 1933, the average income was one-third less than what it was four years previously in the Great Plains. Also, one in five Americans was unemployed and looking for work in other regions like California. In conclusion, this literature review has attempted to answer several important questions concerning the dust bowl. After looking at several sources for information, we can assume that there were several causes of the dust bowl. The topsoil loss was very important to this story. We were able to slow its loss through the practice of using trees as shelter belts, but there were other dust bowls on smaller scales that plagued the region in the 1950’s and 1970’s. Topsoil was not the only contributor to the dust bowl. Wind and soil erosion also played an important role in the region. It would seem that the wind was an important ingredient. The fierceness with which it blew as well as the speed affected how much soil was blown. The wind was able to carry millions of tons of topsoil as far east as the Atlantic Ocean. Hugh Bennett was a major force in seeing these programs through. Based on the evidence above, we can assume that these measures did work at least to some degree. Could the wind and soil erosion been avoidable? There were mixed results with this question. Some of the authors believe that there could have been more measures taken like educating the farmers on soil while others say that it was bound to happen. We also began to understand the soil better through people like Hugh Bennett. He and others like him created soil conservation services that are still in use today. These programs help educate and protect regions like the Great Plains from more destruction. Most of the articles in this review agree that the migrants leaving the Great Plains were doing so to find employment. There seems to have been more work available in the larger cities. Employment did not necessarily come from California, but from an urban area of some sort. From the information provided, it would appear that a lot of migrants did not actually find a better life in the Golden State like they believed would happen. The old adage turned out to be true; the grass was not always greener on the other side. Introduction Human Migrations Physical Causes Environmental Changes 1. Gardner, R. (2009). Trees as technology: Planting shelterbelts on the great plains. History & Technology, 25(4), 325-341. doi:10.1080/07341510903313014 2. Hansen, Z. K., & Libecap, G. D. (2004). Small farms, externalities, and the dust bowl of the 1930s. The Journal of Political Economy, 112(3), 665-694. 3. Pennisi, E. (1992). Dancing dust. Science News, 142(14), 218-220 4. Stephens, P. H. (1937). Why the dust bowl? Journal of Farm Economics, 19(3), 750-757. “Out-migrants” left the agricultural areas for cities where there was a population of 50,000 or more. In 1933, Bennett proposed that a national soil program be set up that would provide financial assistance and soil education to farmers. He also helped set up emergency measures like loans and seed allowances to ease the crunch and to help minimize soil erosion until the rains returned The United States Forest Service established their own program to use trees as shelter belts on the Great Plains. This was an eight-year program that served as a solution to the environmental and social problems plaguing the area. As it grew, the forests became a habitat for animals and birds Hugh Bennett