Tom Norton

Dust Bowl Okies Tom Norton

High winds were not uncommon in Oklahoma, but in the 1930's something was different. The wind had turned to dust and blowing sand beyond anything imaginable. Being for the most part a rural Oklahoma setting with a few small towns, for many there was no escape or it was perilous due to sand drifts and visibility. It was a hell on earth with blowing dust and sand. Most managed to escape with damage to their health and made their way to California in pursuit of gold in the form of high wages for picking fruit at the large fruit orchards. That was just a different kind of hell for most Okies. For most they made enough to survive, but not enough to leave and there was nowhere to go and many others lived by charity from the more fortunate or scavenging. There were five Okies for every job regardless of what it paid. Unions tried to organize the pickers which resulted in bloodshed and tears. The masses of Okies numbering almost one million spread out over the agricultural areas trying to survive by any means possible and some out of desperation turned to crime to support their families. This is a story of two Okie families that tried to survive the dust bowl and California crop picking ordeal.