How to Experience Dust Bowl Days in Bakersfield, CA
In the 1930s, the great dust storm of Oklahoma sent throngs of people west to California and the San Joaquin Valley in search for work and food. Extended families in makeshift jalopies bombarded the valley towns and met with hostile area residents already reeling from the Great Depression. The Okies, as they were called, suffered police harassment, had their river camps burned and their families displaced. Government camps throughout the valley were established to provide protection and sanitary conditions. One particular camp, in a Bakersfield, California suburb was called Weedpatch. Writer John Steinbeck based some of his novel “The Grapes of Wrath” in this camp. Every year in October, descendants of the Okie migration, travel throughout the valley to Weedpatch, now Sunset Camp, and devote the day to socializing, dancing, eating and remembering.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Read the John Steinbeck novel before visiting Okie Days. Research online the historical significance of this migration and the effect it had on California and the nation.
-
2
Check the official website listed to determine which weekend in October the festivities will begin (see Resources).
-
3
Make hotel reservations in Bakersfield. There are many choices available for any travel budget.
-
4
Fly into Los Angeles and, using the California map, travel north on Interstate 5, to State Highway 99 and exit right at East Bear Mountain Boulevard toward Arvin. Make a left on State Highway 184 toward Lamont and a right on Sunset Boulevard.
-
5
Park and walk through the entrance to the camp. Admission to Okie Days is free. The small shed on the right was the post office. In the film, based on the book, the camp manager used this building to welcome tired and destitute travelers. It is one of the three original buildings still standing.
-
6
Tour the camp prior to partaking in the festivities. Down the first avenue to the left is the entertainment building, also original. The stage is there, where country and bluegrass music played. Sounds from artists like Woody Guthrie inspired children like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. The hardwood dance floor is broken and upturned in spots. A single light bulb hangs from the high ceiling. In the film, dancing was done outdoors.
-
7
Visit the interior of one of the camp houses. As the Okies mainstreamed in society, Mexican migrants became the field workers. These primitive buildings house living quarters, a small kitchen and a smaller bathroom. Note that the Okies weren’t afforded such amenities. They welcomed open concrete slabs to pitch their tent and be off the cold wet ground. Many of the original slabs are visible, while others have the camp houses built on them.
-
8
View some original and restored jalopies on display for Okie Days. It is a testament to human perseverance and determination to see how these extended families, with all belongings in tow, made it halfway across country, traveling through vast deserts during summer and without air conditioning.
-
9
Find and speak with survivors. Many who made the trip were young children and are still alive. They will surely be in attendance and can generally be found among groups who sit and listen to their tales.
-
10
Locate an author, in attendance, who has written about the Okie plight. They are a fountain of information as well and will autograph their book.
-
11
Sample some original food. Though there are vendors at the festival selling hot dogs and chips, locate a vendor serving a more authentic fare.
-
12
Listen to the authentic country, bluegrass, and folk music being performed on the outdoor stage. In past festivals, square dancing has been performed.
-
13
Leave the camp and drive back to the corner of Sunset and Highway 184. The vacant lot was once an Okie school where segregated school children not only attended but excelled. Research the Weedpatch School.
-
1
