The dust storms ruined lands, it threatened the lives of most of the population, some people had to move West if they could, becoming the biggest peacetime in America.
How did it occur? Well, in 1900 to 1930 a lot of families rented or obtained small pieces of land in the Plain states and built farms. The area was mainly arid grasslands. Luckily overtime the farmers were lucky to produce wheat, corn, and to raise cattle.
A drought fell across the middle of the nation during 1931. America already suffering from the Great Depression and the