 The national economy was shredded due to the crash of 1929, but in our area, including parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, the problem was exacerbated by what was known as the Great Dust Bowl. Continuing droughts dried up the earth, and the fierce winds picked up the defenseless soil and made huge clouds of thick, swirling dust. Visibility often shrunk to a few yards. Most skilled and determined farmers were humbled before its wrath.