The Rise of the “Okies”

By: Adean Gopala-Foster

The Rise of the “Okies”

• The Dust Bowl proved be a trying time for many Americans living in the South and Midwest. Over cultivation of land in the Great Plains, prolonged drought in the area, and high winds that blew away topsoil helped contributed to devastating Dust Bowl.

Weather Changes!

• More than 500,0000 left homeless, and storms even blew dust from the Great Plains all the way to cities like Buffalo and Chicago. Red snow began to fall over New England.

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma was hit the hardest, as possibly 15 percent of the population became migrants. They would be known as okies. Many fled to California to look for farm jobs, only to be met with instant unwelcome, as locals did not want to have anything to do with them.

California Disputes

• Local Californians did not want to hire the okies, and saw them as a constant nuisance. These migrants faced a hard life as they looked for jobs and food for their families.