That year, a severe drought spread across the region. Crops were scorched and withered and died.  And as that spread like a virus to the entire Great Plains collection of States, wind began to carry dust from the over-plowed and over-grazed lands. The over-plowed and abused land was too weak to recover and there was no rain so it was hopeless. It was so intense and so dangerous that it forced thousands of families from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico to uproot and migrate to California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices