The Depression, World War 2, The Dust Bowl
“Coming to California was the best and saddest thing to ever happen to your grandma and me. We did very well here and built a happy life.” These are the words spoken by Charles Renfroe to his granddaughter in 1976. He had just informed her about their plans to move from California back to Arkansas when he retired. “We want to go back HOME, see the places and the family we left.”
IN 1934, Charles purchased 1000 acres of farmland in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas on Bald Mountain, near the home he was born and raised in. His father was a Blacksmith who only farmed enough for the family dinner table, and Charles, who was one of the only auto mechanics in the area, really did not want to farm, but in 1930, there were not enough vehicles on the back roads to put food on the table. His wife, Hazel, was born and raised in the Ozarks as well, but her father did all he could and put her through college, and she was one of the only women in the Ozarks to have a degree. Hazel’s family produced Sorghum Molasses at the family farm in Choctaw, Arkansas, and as the times grew more complex, Charles and Hazel could see that they would have to make a change to provide for their family.
California or Bust
In the 1930s, severe dust storms swept across the mid-west states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas. The storms, years of drought, and the Great Depression devastated the lives of residents living in those Dust Bowl states. Three hundred thousand stricken people packed up their belongings and drove to California.
Hopeful migrants drove Route 66 to California. What would they do when they arrived? They had a choice to make: Should they live in the city, or should they live in the agricultural valleys?
The great Dust Bowl migration transformed and reshaped California for years to come, but help came with World War 2 and the expansion of California agriculture. People who left the only place they had ever lived and the only lifestyle they had ever known, were suddenly thrust into supporting the war in any way they could. Farmers who had left barren land were in rich, fertile fields doing what they knew and loved. Men enlisted in the military, laborers were needed in the fields, factories, housing construction, weapons production, planes, ammunition, and infrastructure. Skill sets were learned, old skills were buried or utilized, and a new life began.
Charles joined the Air Force, and his skills as an auto mechanic landed him and Hazel at the military base in Herlong, California. He worked in the motor pool to keep things running by day, and at night he was a Motorcycle MP at the base. Hazel, who had a business degree and leadership skills, was hired as a supervisor at Munitions Manufacturing. The two of them also worked with hundreds of other civilians to build the barracks housing and hotels.
Why California?
Even though the Great Depression hit California hard in the early 1930s, agriculture was one of the areas that expanded in the state. Growers in the San Joaquin Valley quadrupled their acreage in the mid-1930s. With that, the demand for workers rose. So did wages. California cotton growers paid nearly 50% more for picking cotton than farms in the southern plains.
Unemployment relief was also higher in California. An eligible family of four could receive $40 per month. This was double the amount of relief paid in the southern plain’s states.
Relatives living in California encouraged family members back home to move to California. They had moved to the state in the 1920s and were doing well. Word of their success spread and set the migration in motion. California’s climate, relief, and chances for work attracted the Dust Bowl migrants. Their vast numbers overwhelmed the state economically, politically, and culturally.
Life for the Migrant
Dust Bowl migrants had little food, shelter, or comfort. Some growers allowed workers to stay rent-free in labor camps. Others provided cabins or one-room shacks. Still others offered only a patch of muddy ground to place a tent. The majority of the newcomers found shelter where they could. Hundreds lived along irrigation ditches or in empty fields near the large ranches.
Life for Hazel and Charles
Charles and Hazel, like many who came to California looking for a better life made it. They relocated to Roseville, California after the war ended and raised five daughters. Charles opened Renfroe Motors, an auto repair shop and Hazel settled into raising her girls and working part-time as a nurse.
When Hazel and Charles retired, they dreamed of going back to Arkansas and living near the place the met and fell in love. They purchased a home in Arkansas, lived there for 4 years then moved back to California. The lesson for them was that home is truly where your heart is.
Side Note
One of my favorite photos is the famous, Migrant Mother, taken by Dorothea Lange
Migrant Mother
“I wish she hadn’t taken my picture. I can’t get a penny out of it. [Lange] didn’t ask my name. She said she wouldn’t sell the pictures.” Florence Owens Thompson, c. 1970s
This single Depression. At the time the photo was taken, the 32-year-old woman was a widow with 7children. She remained nameless for 40 years. In the 1970s, Florence Owens Thompson wrote to a local newspaper and identified herself as the Migrant Mother.
Photos and Information for this post were obtained by The California Capital Museum and The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and personal Family Photos and history