In the 1870s, settlers pushed past the 100th meridian into the more arid area to the west. Geologist John Wesley Powell warned in 1874 that beyond the 100th meridian, so little rain fell that agriculture was impossible without massive irrigation.
However, he was ignored and farmers plowed through the land to the west of the line. A 6 year drought broke out in the 1880s, further damaging the region.
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