STINGING DUST & FORGOTTEN LIVES looks back at one of the 20th Century's worst natural and economic disasters. Using original footage from "The Plow that Broke the Plains" by filmmaker Lorentz and "The Voices of the Dust Bowl" from the Library of Congress American Memory archive, the documentary explores the lives most influenced by the raging dust storms in the 1930s.

Watch Excerpts from the Film.

Documentary Chapter Synopsis

Riches Beyond the Mississippi

Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to explore the newly purchased land west of the Mississippi. What they found would lead to a massive migration decades later that would make the United States the leader in agriculture.

The Promised Land

In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act that allowed residents of the east to obtain 160 acres of land for a small fee as long as they maintained the land for five years. This incentive caused a mass migration into the Plains. Eastern farmers dreamed of land that would be profitable. The Great Plains was the answer. It was a chance to gain economic success and leave the drudgery of a lower class status.

Mechanized Creatures

Prior to the drought of the 1930s, rains swept across the vast grasslands. At first, farmers only had horse drawn plows that limited their profit. With soaring grain prices in concert with the Great War, the Great Plains farmers used tractors to increase their fields in order to reap the economic benefits. But a looming in the happiness of the farmer was a disaster beyond comprehension.

A Colorless Future

The combined economic failure of the nation and the persistent dry conditions across the Plains changed the attitude of the nation. Farmers unsure what the future prospect might be, they began to search for other means of feeding their family.

Dusty Silhouettes

As the sun baked the land, winds from the north began to blow across the former lush and green landscape. The result was drifts of dirt that choked crops and inhabitants. When families awoke, a silhouette of dust was left on their pillows. Death was everywhere. Cattle suffocated from dust filled lungs and children suffered from dust pneumonia.

Four Pounds of Dust

The events in the Plains was not a major concern of the government until dust filled the air in Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago. It was reported that approximately four pounds of dust per person fell in Chicago.

Oklahoma Farewell

Farmers across the Plains grew concerned for the future of their family. Starvation set in. Work would be hard to find. Printed on thousands of handbills were promises of opportunities west of the Rockies. Hope gone with the rains, farmers took everything they could fit in their jalopies and headed west.

The Job's Just Around the Corner

As migrants headed west, the possibility of obtaining a job was difficult. Each time a job was within reach, it was taken by another struggling family, devastated by starving wildlife, or the company providing the job was corrupt. No matter what unfortunate situation occurred, the migrants were survivors and did anything to secure enough money to feed their children.

The Cops Watched Me and I Watched Them

The west was a lawless land. Long-time residents drove struggling migrants out of their towns for fear that they too would be out on the road searching for jobs. Fruit and crop companies were corrupt and deep in discrimination. Migrants put on different faces just to keep from getting in trouble with the law.

Government Camp Song

Dotted throughout the the Plains and west were government supported camps. These camps gave a bit of hope to migrants. Running water, clean facilities, and self-governed committees were a blessing. Crafts, dances, and social meetings were popular and gave migrants relief from depression.

Lest We Forget

In the final analysis, thousands provided future generations with the answer to success and prosperity: understand the limits posed by the natural environment.  Never take nature for granted for it is as fragile as the most delicate flower. The young lives that experienced the devastation have willed us this important lesson.  Our obligation to them is to remember the faces of the children and to take account of what is important to each of us.  Their memory lives in our children of the future; a memory never to be forgotten.