Ann Marie Low

During the Depression the Great Plains areas from Colorado to Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles experienced severe drought that lasted for years. The regions became known as the dustbowl because of the dust storms that often blackened the skies. These storms were caused by overcultivation and poor land management during the twenties, which plowed over all of the native grasses that anchored the soil. The drought dried the earth and the winds blew all of the topsoil into the sky. Ann Marie Low lived with her family in the Great Plains of South Dakota during the Depression. The following excerpt includes stories taken from her diary. She describes how she and her family tried to keep their farm going despite the drought and the dust storms.

April 25, 1934, Wednesday: Last weekend was the worst dust storm we ever...