TB2+Okie+Migration+to+California 

=The Okie Migration=

The 1930’s were an incredibly difficult and trying time for everyone who lived in the United States. It was at this time that the Great Depression was in full swing, and the effects of the stock market crash in 1929 were being felt. One group that was hit especially hard by the Depression was the Okies of the Southwest.

The Okies came originally from Oklahoma, but the term Okie would come to define any migrant from the southwest who went to California or Arizona. Most of those who migrated came from southeastern Oklahoma and did so because they were farmers who could not continue to survive on their crops. The harvests were poor and crop prices were at extreme lows. Those who lived in northwestern Oklahoma had these problems magnified by the Dust Bowl. Many of these farmers had moved to the state to find a better life in the past, so they decided to move farther west again in light of the conditions they were faced with. Families began a journey down Route 66 to find a better life after a few days of travel west. The movement of people started in 1935 and reached its climax between 1937 and 1938. Over 440,000 people would end up leaving Oklahoma, and California received the majority of them. Over 250,000 people traveled to the state from the southwest in search of better conditions. The flood of so many workers into one place resulted in less than stellar results. The Okies replaced Hispanic or Filipino workers in the cotton and fruit fields, and wages plummeted because of the surplus of available workers. The Okies set up towns made up of tents and shanties and lived in poverty and filth near the fields they worked. Because of this, the natives of California grew to resent them and the term “Okie” came to carry with it a negative connotation. The life of the Okie was a hard one (Mullins).

The story of the Okies is just one example of the suffering and unfortunate circumstances that ran rampant during the Great Depression. Their experiences are a reminder of the kinds of things that people can endure. = = = = == == = = = = = = = = = = media type="custom" key="25782834" width="96" height="96" align="left" = = = = = = = = = = =Sources= [|Okie Migrations] [|Okies]