Why did so many farm families from oklahoma and arkansas head out west in the 1930s?
Most people lived on farms at that time. There was a lack of normal rain for several years in the area. The lack of rain meant that crops didn’t grow like normal. Many farmers borrowed money to plant their crops each year. When the crops did not produce well for several years, the farmers debt grew and grew.
Many farmers lost their farms because of the big debts owed. Since the farmers could not pay their debts, many banks also became bankrupt.
Many people from Arkansas and Oklahoma went west because they heard there was lots of work in California.
There was some work on farms there, but the pay was small. The Californian farmers had so many people looking for work that they could pay low wages and find lots of workers.
Many of the people who came from Oklahoma and Arkansas ended up worse in California than they had been at home, but they couldn’t afford to go back home.
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