What major phenomenon affected Oklahoma's agricultural landscape in the 1930s?

The Dust Bowl was a significant environmental disaster that profoundly impacted Oklahoma's agricultural landscape during the 1930s. This phenomenon resulted from a combination of severe drought and poor farming practices that stripped the land of its natural grasses, which normally held the soil in place. With the ground exposed and dry, strong winds swept across the plains, lifting massive amounts of dust into the air and creating dust storms.

These storms devastated crops and rendered large areas of land unproductive, leading to widespread agricultural failure. Many farmers were forced to abandon their farms, contributing to mass migration out of the affected areas, most notably to California. The Dust Bowl not only transformed the landscape but also had lasting effects on the economy and population dynamics of Oklahoma, making it a defining event of that decade. The social and environmental ramifications are still studied today as part of both agricultural and environmental history.