Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry recalls a tragic period in our nation’s history — the drought and dust storms that wreaked havoc on the Great Plains in the 1930s — and explores its environmental and cultural consequences.

The exhibition delved into the history and geography behind the Dust Bowl, and also provided a human element; through the words of the survivors themselves, we learn what it was like to live during such a difficult time.

In addition to the national traveling exhibit, Booth Library faculty and staff members curated a variety of related exhibits on topics such as New Deal photography and poster art; The Grapes of Wrath novel and film; and a special look at Eastern’s agricultural historian, Gilbert Fite, who was president of EIU from 1971 to 1976.

The exhibit and program series was made possible thanks to the hard work of Booth reference librarians Janice Derr, Kirstin Duffin and Pamela Ferrell. Funding was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association, Oklahoma State University and Mount Holyoke College.