1. From the Midwest to California
The Migrant Worker
From the Midwest to California

2. Heading West…
Drought and depression deepened on the Great Plains, more and more farmers gave up or were forced off of their land .
Some went to cities.
But many decided to head west.
In fact, during the 1930s hundreds of thousands left the plains for the West Coast.
So many migrated from Oklahoma that they were dubbed "Okies" in the popular press.
For years, California, Oregon and Washington had been growing. Many who were pushed off of the plains were pulled west because they had relatives who had moved to the coastal areas. (

3. Migrant Experience
There was some work, especially in the new fields of cotton that were being planted in California – a crop that southern plains people knew a lot about. But there was not enough work for everyone who came. Instead of immediate riches, they often found squalor in roadside ditch encampments.
The plight of the Okies and other plains migrants caught the sympathy of people across the country.
In part, this was because these migrants were white, in contrast to the Mexican and Filipino workers who supplied the "factory" farms with the seasonal labor needed before and after Okies arrived.
The Okies also came in family groups and were in desperate straights, living in tents or out of the back of a car or truck. (

9. Migrant Worker
Directions: In groups of 3-4 you will read the 1930s article. Answer each question to develop your migrant worker based on information from the non-fiction article and the characters, George and Lennie, from Of Mice and Men. Write 1-2 paragraphs to develop your migrant worker from the 1930s. Your group will (informally) present your migrant worker to the class. 1. How old are you (the migrant worker)? 2. What is your name? 3. What year is it? 4. What part of the country are you in? 5. Describe the setting. 6. Do you have a family? 7. Describe the working conditions 8. Who is your boss? 9. What is your job description? 10. Why did you become a migrant worker? 11. How many jobs have you had? 12. Why did you have to leave the last job? 13. Do you have any close friends who you work with? 14. Describe your relationship or the other workers. 14. Compare and contrast your migrant worker to a migrant what we know about George and Lennie. 15. What are the similarities between your migrant worker and a migrant worker from the article?