Manifest Destiny
Emigrants, land speculators, politicians, and even scientists had believed that agriculture would affect the semi-arid climate of the region, making it more conducive to farming. This false belief was also linked to what was called the Manifest Destiny — an idea that Americans had a sacred duty to expand the west.
Colorado: Dust Storm, 1935. Photo By Granger/Shutterstock
A number of wet years during the period created further misunderstanding and led to the intensive farming of increasingly marginal lands that weren’t being reached by irrigation. Then there were the rising wheat prices in the 1910s and 1920s, which increased the demand for wheat from Europe during World War I.