Prairie dry belt disaster
Provincial Archives of Alberta, A3742
1917
Until 1905, the dry belt of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan was off limits to homesteaders. The region was considered too parched for cultivation, suitable only for grazing livestock. Under pressure from parties with economic interests and those looking for farmland, the Canadian government lifted the ban. A land rush ensued and the population exploded. Bumper crops in 1915 and 1916 seemed to prove the wisdom of the government’s decision. Then came 10 years of devastating, unrelenting drought, made worse by fires and plagues of insects. In the face of widespread destitution, farms and towns were abandoned. It was one of the greatest social and economic disasters in Canadian history.
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