What Caused the Dust Bowl?

What Caused the Dust Bowl?

The invention of the tractor in the late 1800s changed everything for Great Plains farmers. A tractor could do the work of ten horses. This photo shows “wheat king” Simon Fishman (in coat and tie) and his employees using tractors to plow a field in Greeley County, Kansas.

Multiple Choice

In the photo, how many tractors are plowing Simon Fishman’s land?

• 4

• 6

• 5

• 3

Multiple Choice

How many horse-drawn plows would have been needed to do the same amount of work?

• 10

• 25

• 600

• 50

Open Ended

A 1930s Texas sheepherder said, “Grass is what holds the earth together.” How do you think he

would feel about the tractor?

Multiple Choice

Simon Fishman is wearing a coat and tie. Make an inference. What does this tell us about farming on the Great Plains in the 1920s?

• It was fun.

• It could make you rich.

• It was easy for everyone.

• You had to dress up for it.

Grasses of the Plains

Think about the tractor photo and this diagram together. How do these documents help to answer the question, 

“What caused the Dust Bowl?”

You will answer on the next slide.

Open Ended

Think about the tractor photo and this diagram together. How do these documents help to answer the question,

“What caused the Dust Bowl?”