"Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues"

During the 1930s in the midwestern United States, a unique series of economic and environmental factors collided, devastating the area. The nationwide economic collapse known as the Great Depression, coupled with severe drought, poor farming practices, and a series of dust storms, all led to a period known as the Dust Bowl. Its impact was felt for generations.

The weather and the state of the economy led to a mass migration, as people headed west in hopes of finding jobs and better living conditions. A common belief is that the drought and dust storms drove people westward. In fact, the majority of these migrants were from areas such as southeastern Oklahoma, where the dust storms were not severe. Low crop prices, mechanization, and the transition to large-scale farming caused many tenants and sharecroppers to give up farming altogether and venture west. These people, along with those significantly affected by the drought and dust storms, became known as "Okies."