TV SERIES · 2012

The Dust Bowl

Documentary118 min per episode

In the 1930s, drought, wind, and damaged farmland turn the Great Plains into a disaster zone as huge dust storms roll across towns, bury crops, and drive families from their homes. This documentary traces how years of farming on fragile land collide with the Great Depression, leaving communities to face hunger, illness, debt, and the loss of everything they built. It follows the crisis from the first warnings to the mass displacement that sends thousands west in search of work. Directed by Ken Burns, the series uses firsthand accounts and historical material to show how an environmental collapse reshapes daily life across the United States.