TELEVISION

Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl

Series: Ken Burns
4.7
(376)
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Episodes
2
Rating
TVPG
Year
2014
Language
English
Publisher
PBS

About

Survey the causes of the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, when the frenzied wheat boom of the "Great Plow-Up," followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s, nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation. See vivid interviews with 26 survivors of those hard times, combined with dramatic photographs and seldom-seen movie footage, that bring to life stories of incredible human suffering and equally incredible perseverance. The documentary is also a morality tale about our relationship to the land that sustains us - a lesson we ignore at our peril.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 2 of 2

1. 01-The Great Plow Up

2h

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In the first episode of Ken Burns's THE DUST BOWL, feel the full force of the worst manmade environmental disaster in America's history as survivors recall the terror of the dust storms, the desperation of hungry families and how they managed to find hope even as the earth and heavens seemed to turn against them.

2. 02-Reaping the Whirlwind

2h

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In the second episode of Ken Burns's DUST BOWL, experience the gradual relief as the families of the plains seek new lives in California and government conservation efforts - and a break in the drought in 1939 - eventually stabilize the soil and bring the farms back to life, but with dangers of another Dust Bowl facing future generations.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Ken Burnsdirector
Peter Coyoteactor