Fighting "Okies"

When the Okies came to California, they had it tough.  There is no doubt about it.  I'm not sure when signs like this first appeared.  I am sure it was probably after California residents were witness to an influx of migrant farm workers from Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, etc.  The term "Okie" was coined to describe the new residents.

 










According to Dictionary.com the definition of Okie is...

a term used to refer to a migrant farm worker from Oklahoma or nearby states, especially one who moved westward during the Great Depression.
Usage  In historical contexts, Okie is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting, implying that the migrant worker is homeless, poor, ignorant, and uneducated.

I found this letter to the editor written in 1944.

The Fresno Bee The Republican (Fresno, California) Thu, Mar 23, 1944 Page 24

Fighting 'Okies' 

Editor of The Bee--Sir:  I read in the want ad section that Emory L. Cauble had a six room home to rent, but specified he did not want to rent to "Okies."

Well, I do not get what he means by that.  Does he think he is better than an "Okie"?  After all, the boys they call "Okies", are fighting right next to the boys from California and doing a hell of a good job.         A SOLDIER
Fresno Air Base

The Okies were tough people.  They had to scramble to find work and crude shelter in an unwelcoming environment.  Did they survive?  Hell yeah!  They were Okies....Fighting Okies.  They did better than survive, they hung in there and began to thrive.

"Black Sunday" Dust Bowl, Oklahoma, 1935

I mentioned in a previous post that both of my parents had been born in Oklahoma, and both of them were born in 1935.

Rosie, my Mom was born shortly before Black Sunday.  Black Sunday refers to an extremely severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, as part of the dust bowl.  Johnny, my Dad was born a few months after that particular storm.

The great plains, which included Oklahoma, was already suffering from The Great Depression.  As if that wasn't bad enough, the inhabitants of Oklahoma had to start dealing with the dust storms in the 1930's.

The cause of the dust storms or black blizzards, were the result of overuse of the land and drought.  Due to cattle farming and sheep ranching, there wasn't much natural grass or shrubs left to help anchor the soil.  Also, due to over-farming and drought, the soil was extremely dry. 

The people just couldn't get away from the dust.  If they got enough notice, farmers would seal their homes the best they could.  They would try to glue the windows shut.  They would shut all doors, drape sheets, blankets, or whatever they had around the openings.  The dust still came through, and left a thick layer of dust everywhere and on everything.  If people were caught in a storm, they would seek the nearest shelter.  People were getting sick with a lung disease that was called dust pneumonia.  Many died from it slowly, and painfully, as they suffocated due their lungs being caked with all the dirt.

Times were very tough and dismal for the folks in Oklahoma and in the other states on the plains.