Atmospheric Scientists on the Dust Bowl’s Causes

Today, people debate to what extent human activity is responsible for global warming.  Historians and atmospheric scientists have an incredibly similar argument with a different defining event.  A comprehensive report by Robert McLeman synthesizes scientific finding and contentions to better estimate the extent human activity is responsible for the Dust Bowl.

McLeman and his team concluded that, although human activity certainly exacerbated the Dust Bowl, it was in no way a causal event.  This position is supported by paleo-studies that indicate the drought and dust storms of the “Dirty Thirties” were of shorter duration and less severe than the mega droughts of the sixth to thirteenth centuries where large-scale agricultural settlement had obviously not taken place.  Further, there are historical reports of violent dust storms in the southern Great Plains that date back to the 1830’s.  Yet, the article does acknowledge that the farmland-grassland ratio of Oklahoma and Texas increased from 1:3 to 1:2 from 1920-1930 after WWI triggered commodity prices to rise, an entrepreneurial farming rush, and tractors gained prominence.

The 1936 report from the Great Plains Committee placed emphasis on human error and land exploitation instead of considering the phenomena as a natural occurrence for the land.  Thus, the committee’s recommendations of federal and state agricultural intervention make sense with that perspective.  Yet, the committee’s comprehension could be seen as an example of humans trying to understand and organize a world that is often inherently random.  Psychologically, it also is stands as testament to the fact that humans want to be able to point and blame something or someone when things are rough.

McLeman ends his analysis of sources by noting that the area of scientific research regarding the Dust Bowl is still rich.  With new evidence discovered and technological advancements, now dominant perceptions and theories could still change.

It is interesting to consider why exactly people of the past were too quick to blame themselves for climate change, yet today, even with more scientific evidence, people adamantly deny that they climate is changing due to their actions.  It’s as if history has over-corrected.

 

Source:

Mcleman, Robert A., Juliette Dupre, Lea Berrang Ford, James Ford, Konrad Gajewski, and Gregory Marchildon. “What we learned from the Dust Bowl: lessons in science, policy, and adaptation.” Population and Environment 35.4 (2013): 417-40. Springer Link. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.

Vandalizing Okie Discrimination

California State University at Bakersfield commissioned artists in 2014 to construct pieces that celebrate the world and people as depicted by John Steinbeck in honor of The Grapes of Wrath’s 75^th anniversary.  The submitted works ranged from the revival of the play “From Dust Thou Art,” to operas based on Jerry Stanley’s Children of the Dust Bowl book, to exhibits of 1930’s modernist architecture, and much more.  Still, the most discussed submission was perhaps the simplest.

Joe Barrington collected blown out tires, rusted metals, and tin from the sides of Californian highways and fashioned an over-sized Route 66 sign.  He completed the piece with a rubber crow atop the sign and the message “NO OKIES!” on back to remind his audience of the Okies’ danger and discrimination.

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Despite his good intentions, Richard Collins, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at CSUB, received complaints from students who were troubled by what they knew was originally intended as a slur.  Collins said Barrington’s piece prompted great discussions with students. Nevertheless, his work was soon “vandalized.”  Some student painted over the “NO” on the back of the sign to leave it reading just, “OKIES!”  Although Collins released a statement defending Barrington’s original sentiment, he also wrote, “I don’t view this as an act of vandalism. I consider it an act of participatory art.”

This story struck me in that Barrington’s artwork prompted almost the exact audience reaction as what many museum curators would strive for in their exhibits.  His work led to discussion, cultural introspection, and even action.  I was left thinking that a skilled curator must be somewhat of a fact-based artist.  Information should be presented in a way that it prompts ideas and perspectives to grow naturally inside its audience’s minds.  This basis can lead to communal discussion, consensus, and ultimately change.

Sources:

Barrington, Joe. “Visiting Artist: Cal State @ Bakersfield, California.” Web log post. Red Star Studio. N.p., 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.

Collins, Richard. “RICHARD COLLINS: Sign of the times.” Bakersfield.com. N.p., 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.

Californian Author Gerald Haslam on Okies

“Perfection is not an Okie characteristic, but a blues-like ability to accept adversity with grace and grit is. And they have not forgotten how to laugh at themselves.”

Route 66: Okie Transportation

 

source: https://blog.chrysler.com/vehicles/300/roadside-attractions-route-66/

As illuminated by a 1977 American Heritage article, Route 66 was essential to Okies.  The old, “mother road” was essential to the westward travelers, cutting from Chicago to eastern Oklahoma to the Californian coast.  The magazine article by Thomas Pew goes beyond noting the highway’s usefulness and expounds upon its cultural significance and indulges some of the stories that happened along it.

source: travelradioguys.com (via pinterest)

The Okies, Arkies, and Texies told typical stories of their migrant struggles, proud resilience, and salvation through God.  Mrs. Flossie Scott, who fled Oklahoma, recounted how after her family’s car broke down along the highway, “God” happened to send a kind boy on bicycle who shared a quart of his water and helped fix the car.  The article also included rural shop owners’ perspectives on the Okies as they passed through.  Ed Edgerton from Oatman, Arizona, who owned a gas station, felt sympathy for the desperate travelers and remembers giving away, trading, and even trusting some Okies with loans in return for gas (all of which he believes were repaid after families found jobs in California).  However, Edgerton also remembers the miners in Oatman despising the Okies for taking their jobs and slashing their wages.

In constructing a discussion based museum for the Okies along Route 66, as advocated by John Kuo Wei Tchen in his chapter, “Creating a Dialogic Museum: The Chinatown History Museum Experiment,” visitors should be encouraged to consider both the plight of the Okies as well as the economic and moral strains they put upon the small towns where they stopped.  Was there a way to provide relief to both groups?  Although the Okies were eventually helped by the booming military industry in California for World War II, the rural towns along Route 66 continued to suffer as new highways bypassed them and left communities forgotten.

Sources:

Pew, Thomas W., Jr. “Route 66: Ghost Road Of Okies.” American Heritage Aug. 1977: Vol. 28. Iss. 5.

Karp, Ivan, Christine Mullen Kreamer, and Steven D. Lavine, eds. Museums and communities: the politics of public culture. Ch. 11. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1992. Print.

New York Times Articles- Positive Okie Perceptions

source: http://www.papermemoriesplus.com/product/1937-march-8-new-york-times–dust-bowl-awe-and-shock–nt-3399

Charles Todd’s 1939 New York Times article, “The ‘Okies’ Search for a New Frontier” gives a comprehensive evaluation and description of Okie Dust Bowl refugees to those just starting to be familiarized with the situation, thanks to the recent release of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.  Although understanding the strain on California’s economy, Todd ultimately defends Okies as real people suffering inhumane conditions, insufferable hunger, and unfair discrimination.  He also relates to the Okies’ struggle over losing their cultural homeland.  He concludes his piece:

“The ‘Okie’ is land-hungry as well as he is work-hungry.  His blood cries out for it.  These are no hoboes or ‘blanket stiffs.’  They are ordinary American farmers in search for their lost frontier.”

He also defends the Okies from those doubting their need to migrate, reasoning that, “sensible men and women don’t pick peas for 20 cents an hour ‘just for the fun of it.’”

Todd’s article, as well as others in the New York Times from 1939 onward were largely empathetic to the Okie’s plight.  Thus, they were largely supportive of FDR’s New Deal and its economic alleviation.  It is interesting to contrast the how time and distance allowed New Yorkers to embrace the Okies, whereas Californians segregated those struggling in such close proximity.  It seems it is always easier to make the right decision when it’s not your problem.  Surely the growing success of Steinbeck’s novel assisted in changing public perception of the Okies as well.

The other articles cited below express optimism and goodwill towards the Okies as well.  The authorless article shares an upcoming concert and dance put on by celebrities Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives, Molly Jackson, Leadbelly, and the Golden Gate quartet to benefit Okies.  Arthur Caylor’s article relays the good news of how California’s booming military defense industry should open back up the agriculture market and allow Okies to regain positions as farmers.

Source:

Caylor, Arthur. “Some Good News for ‘Okies'” The New York Times [New York] 17 Nov. 1940: 76. Web.

“Program to Aid ‘Okies'” The New York Times [New York] 28 Feb. 1940: 22. Print.

Todd, Charles L. “The ‘Okies’ Search for a New Frontier.” The New York Times [New York] 27 Aug. 1939: 11 . Print.

New Deal Programs

In his PBS documentary, The Dust Bowl, Ken Burns provides a detailed account of how both the Okies experiencing contempt in California and those still weathering the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains benefitted from New Deal programs under the Franklin Roosevelt administration.  By and large, the prideful Okies were initially reluctant to accept any government aid.  Yet, necessity, the programs’ mindful considerations, and FDR’s train tour of the region changed popular opinion.

Lack of employment was a problem for starving Okies in California and the Great Plains.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (1933) put young men to work in national parks, state parks and national forests, giving them $30 a month. $25 of which they sent home to families.  In the Great plains, the CCC planted rows of trees to prevent future dust storms as well.  The Works Progress Administration (1935) was the largest New Deal program, employing over 8 million people nationally to build bridges, roads, damns and more.

https://www.nps.gov/wica/learn/historyculture/ccc-changing-the-nation.htm

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Works-Progress-Administration

The Resettlement Administration (1935) provided loans to farmers in the Great Plains who often wanted to move West out of health concerns for their children (dust pneumonia).  In California, the RA provided communal housing for Okies, and allowed Okies to retain some pride by letting the community elect their own housing officials.

Source: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/farm-security-administration-emblem-everett.html

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/24/727557/-

FDR gained popularity and some democratic votes from the Okies because of his emotional train tour in 1936 and the New Deal programs that emphasized his aim to not just save the Okies, but their homeland as well. The Farm Security Administration (1935) sought to provide financial aid in collectivizing tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and very poor farmers.  The Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 led to Howard Finnell teaching and incentivizing new farming techniques to the Okies such as terracing, deep row plowing, and contour plowing to better irrigate and improve soil quality.

Link to Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl trailer: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/

Source:

Burns, Ken. “Reaping the Whirlwind.” The Dust Bowl. PBS. 19 Nov. 2012. Television.

Western Swing Takes Over LA

In his chapter “Rhythm Kings and Riveter Queens” of Proud to be Okie, Peter La Chapelle asserts that, contrary to popular belief, Okies enjoyed Country and “Western Swing” music more than the screeching folk ballads of Woody Guthrie.  He notes that although Guthrie connected with the migrants and reached radio prominence, particularly later and second wave Okies instead desired upbeat music that could help them forget their hardships.  Starting with small family and community gatherings, Western Swing grew to concert halls, radio stations, and provided a dominant industry in Los Angeles specifically.  Somewhat ironically, the migrant working class that Guthrie envisioned came to fruition as Okies took up aviation jobs in California during the 1940’s, yet other music better resonated with them.

Overall, La Chappelle argues that the music made Okies more socially liberal.  The music drew heavily upon African American Jazz rhythms to augment its country blues.  He notes that women served as the lifeblood of the music’s fan base and expansion.  Further, many singers expressed pride in their Mexican or Native American heritage.  This was particularly controversial and even dangerous considering the recent zoot suit riots.  Donnell Clyde “Spade” Cooley was a prominent artist who was quite outspoken in regards to his Cherokee roots and taste for Black musical stylings; he even described his sound as “Indian Jazz.”  Benny Gracia, a famed guitarist, also expressed pride in his Mexican identity.

Benny Garcia in 1990- from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

Although not all Okies would be as proud of their non-white roots, musical diversity surely helped the migrants become more accepting of themselves and others.  La Chappelle’s account of the migrants’ musical growth and industry also explains how “Okie” transitioned from a derogatory term into one of pride and even commercial success.  Moreover, it imagines the Okies complexly and recognizes that the migrants should not be overly generalized as WASPs, as they have often been perceived.

Link to Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing (1945)- a short film about Cooley and his music that exemplifies the music’s marketability

Link to Garcia’s page at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

Source:

LaChapelle, Peter. Proud to be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California. American Crossroads 22. Berkley, California: University of California Press, 2007.

Excerpts from Elymr Doran Warren’s “The Dust Storm” Poem, 1935

Warren was from Southwest Texas:

How long, Oh God, we pray Thee,

Must we pay this terrible price

For wheat thrown into the Ocean

Or burned-what a sacrifice!

In darkness, like children we pray Thee-

It is hard to understand.

.      .     .      .      .      .

We ask Thee, Heavenly Father,

To be with us through this hour

That all might know Thy wisdom,

That all might feel Thy power;

Give us hope on through this pall of dust,

And strength to say, “Thy will be done.”

 

*Also within the Lookingbill article.  It highlights the Okies’ strict religious adherence and feelings of dread.

Okie Eschatology

Brad Lookingbill examined Okies’ cultural thoughts on the afterlife and religion in his article, A God-Forsaken Place”: Folk Eschatology and the Dust Bowl, for “The Great Plains Quarterly.” He notes that the people of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas were largely evangelical before the Dust Bowl and only became more religious because of it.  As state populations and average household incomes decreased, church donations still skyrocketed due to religious fervor and an emphasis put on tithing.

Many Okies interpreted the terrifying “Black Blizzard” dust storms they experienced as omens of oncoming Armageddon.  Coupled with crop failures and poverty, some religious folks thought they were witnessing the Old Testament God’s spite in a matter like the fabled Egyptian plagues.  Others believed the Dust Bowl was a sign of Christ’s return and drew comfort imagining a better life to come.  Lookingbill notes that Okies identified changing ways of life and whiskey drinking as the sinful activities that prompted God’s “punishment.”

Direct quotes from citizens and pastors after the worst of the Dust Storms in 1935 make the article particularly intriguing and more personal.   A Church in Kansas ran an ad in the local newspaper reminding people to go to church as the apocalypse loomed, writing, “Get the Dust out of your eyes and make the closing services a time for soul saving.”  A letter to the Amarillo Globe News in Texas pleaded, “Only complete turning to God can prevent the complete collapse of this portion of Texas.”

A Curse for Disobedience?   The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down on thee, until thou be destroyed. – Deut. 28:24 –   A message printed on the front page of the Russel County, Kansas Newspaper

People often find solace in religion, but it is interesting to consider psychological explanations for the Okies’ desperation.  Did the Okies manipulate religion so the changing world around them made more sense?  Did the tithing movement take advantage of scared people? Do people tend to blame themselves or others when life is not going well? Lookingbill seems to contend that through the lense of religion, people occasional stop prioritizing cold logic.

Source:

Lookingbill, Brad. “‘A God-Forsaken Place’: Folk Eschatology and the Dust Bowl.” Great

Plains Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 4, 1994, pp. 273–286., http://www.jstor.org/stable/23531709.