These 9 Photos From South Dakota’s Dust Bowl Will Break Your Heart

Times can be tough today, but our problems are nothing compared to what people faced about a century ago. They called it the Dust Bowl and the Dirty Thirties, and it was a hard, hard time to be alive in South Dakota. As the economy started to fail in the late 1920s, South Dakota farmers tried to compensate for low crop prices by planting more. The overworked land quickly became stressed and the soil lacked the nutrients needed to grow plants. Then the drought hit the state, bringing with it harsh winds and dust storms. From the early 1930s to the early ’40s, South Dakotans struggled with one of the worst crises we had ever faced. While our state certainly wasn’t the only place affected by the terrible drought and dust storms, it’s a part of our history that those who lived through it will never forget. Take a look at the following photos of the 1930s Dust Bowl in South Dakota to see a glimpse of just how trying these years were.

1. This chicken coop is almost completely covered.

Library of Congress

2. The machinery in the yard of this farm isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

United States Department of Agriculture/Wikimedia

3. This hog house has a huge drift of dust starting to consume it.

Library of Congress

4. This is another view of the same home. It looks like a photo from the deserts of the Middle East!

Library of Congress

5. Here's an approaching dust storm. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to see a wall of dust coming toward you?

Library of Congress

6. This eerie photo shows the drought conditions in Pennington County in 1936.

Library of Congress

7. Many families headed west to find work and to escape the Dust Bowl. Between 1930 and 1940, more than 50,000 people moved out of South Dakota.

Library of Congress

8. These South Dakotans moved to Oregon in July of 1936. They were able to drive about 200 miles per day in their Model T Ford and slept in a tent along the way.

Library of Congress

9. Those who stayed struggled to survive. If you ever wonder how your grandparents were so tough... this is why.

Library of Congress

Check out this footage from USA Today of a modern-day South Dakota dust storm if you’re having trouble envisioning what this would look like in person:

Do you have any family stories about the South Dakota dust storms? We’d love to hear them in the comments!

Our state’s history is undeniably fascinating. For proof of this, here are some of the oldest photos ever taken in South Dakota.