Okies
When the stock market crashed in 1929, it only exacerbated the situation of many farmers. Banks began to collect up loans owned to them from farmers, and soon lost their farms due to meager earnings. Also, competition arose because of the development of the tractor. Farmers who had tractors almost obliterated those without one, and usually those farmers ended up buying their farm for more room. In effect, agricultural working increased to a 30% unemployment rate. With a lack of money farmers began to increase farming activity. Since knowledge of soil turning wasn't yet established, the once rich soil of the farmers lost its nutrients and it's ability to retain moisture. Added to this devastation, 1931 was the start of a soon to be 7 year drought in which the sun endlessly just baked on the soil. Not before long, dust storms began and farms were literally blown away.
Hundreds of miles away from California, farmers, turned hoboes were hopping on trains illegally to try to get as close as they could to California. These conditions seemed ideal to many hopeful farmers. Jobs were on the decline and even families that found jobs could not support themselves. Railroad "bulls" as these supposed train security guards were called, tried to keep hoboes off trains. Crops include potatoes, lemons, cotton, peas, and other such crops. Many had begged near and in trains and scoured for food. People or farmers that made this long journey to farm to California were generally called "Okies. In spite of high hopes, California was also hit hard by the depression. Although it wouldn't be difficult to make a journey nowadays, in the past it was very arduous, especially if you are very poor. Luckily we have machines to do that for us today. They made a very big effort to try to live a better life, but the Depression and other random factors played in at the wrong time. Their effort resulted in at least 6,500 hoboes killed in less than a year. Photographs displayed the reality of what was happening in these sanctions. Even after arriving in California, Okies still had to migrate back and forth.
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