Vast lands were available. Crops were planted and harvested. The economy was strong as money poured into the hands of the producers. Then, the economy crashed. The rains stopped, and the people felt the stinging dust. In the aftermath, thousands were left to struggle. As the dust settled across the Plains, inhabitants began to assess the damage. For as far as the eye could see, it was a scene from science fiction. Desolate and silent. Colorless and gritty. Questions of the future would be on the minds of nature’s victims. Or were they humanity’s victims? This presentation examines the significance of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s that became a benchmark between human complacency and changes that would protect the landscape from further degradation. It highlights some of the important situations that farmers and their families had to live through to survive during those years of uncertainty. It will also briefly consider the current drought situation in the southwestern United States and draw on the need to understand how important water is to all of us.WEIU-TV will air Craig’s documentary, Stinging Dust & Forgotten Lives: The Dust Bowl, multiple times as part of Booth Library’s exhibit and program series.
Cameron Douglas Craig is a professor laureate (2010-2011) in the Department of Geology/Geography at Eastern. He oversees the broadcast meteorology program and created the film production company Tempestas et Caelum Productions, which allows students in geography, history, journalism and communication studies to have a platform for researching, exploring distant landscapes and creating documentary films such as Stinging Dust & Forgotten Lives: The Dust Bowl; Expedition Endurance: Without Water, We are Nothing; and Expedition Nature’s Realm for regional PBS stations and classrooms around the world. Craig also writes music that has been used in all of his documentaries.
