Chapter Two: Mother Road Summary and Analysis

To the Okie farmers in the Panhandle, talk of California inspired magical images. In California, thousands of farm hands and harvest workers were needed. The crops were unlimited and grew throughout the year—tomatoes, peaches, pears, apples, oranges and more. Lush orchards were everywhere—there was enough food and jobs for all. On top of that, no one ever got sick in California! The thousands of handbills sent by growers in California confirmed the need for workers. Everyone talked about going to California.

As a result of the bad times in the Panhandle and the promises that were luring them to California, the biggest migration in US history occurred between 1935 and 1940, when over one million people left Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas for California. Although there were some black families, most of the...