Hard travelin'; Dust Bowl refugees

But then I have the. Communication Center the University of Texas at Austin brings you a series dedicated to the American Folk poet Woody Guthrie. Too many people here as a symbol of the fighting spirit that organize the dunes migrated westward from the Dust Bowl and the close to the beauties of the light of the seriousness a picture been sold of Woody Guthrie's his music and his hard drive. I'm going to make

the great dust storms of 1935 terrifying things to live through the sky turned black at noon and many thought their ended come. The jokes about it came later of course but in the beginning it was grim. This is how would you describe the onslaught of one of the worst storms. I remember that particular evening of April 14th 1930 that this storm here blowed up. I will stand in a whole bunch of us were standing just outside of this little town here that you see. And so we watched a dust storm come up like Red Sea clothes man on the air as were all children in a way we stood there and watched some of them go up. And I haven't heard a new good Gazza black when that thing hit we all run into the house and all the neighbors had all congregated in different houses around over the neighborhood. We set there in a little

room and it got so dark that you couldn't see your hand before your face you couldn't see anybody in the room. You could turn on an electric light boat a good strong electric light bulb in a little room just about the size of this studio here and that electric light bulb hanging in the room looked just about like a cigarette burning and that was a whole the lied that you could get out of it. So we got to talking in the world and a lot of people in the crowd that was religious minded in they put it up pretty well on the Scriptures and they said well. All those girls for him and relatives this is him whether women's and I'm screamin I'm going to you know Al and they wasn't or nobody in the whole ground is that way and you see the real thing

face to face with you. Most people are a little had just said well this is the end. This is that you know of the war. I am.

I am. Yours.

That was Woody with Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry. Some migrants went to the Midwestern cities there to languish and some to die. Others were to California to suffer much the same fate. Alan Lomax asked Woody just how the Okies were greeted at the California state line. Was it with bands he asked for nothing. Ask this question when we come across a lot of those guys were from all of them. They tried to turn a lot of us back the whole boat was a boys

ride the freight trains and hitchhiking down the road didn't have the money in their pockets. We knew we remember there were tractors at the back down or covered up with the cows then up on top of the barn and looking out across a system we must have to be in jail here them. So now I'm from or out of having the money and you know that's the manner and the money and that's it. There are lots back every day in the heart of the street for New Cross desert sands or out of the old Those think they're going to find or the only thing

you're number 14 doing way better. Texas Oklahoma and Georgia. Beat as. You are doing got the bill. And I view on a home farm that Buddy your beak in the mouth of the sea voyage better not spot the cow for a car that is still where you are.

Better to me because I live through the water and the headlines on the papers always say there was no meat viewing no way better go back home again. Yes yes yes. But you are doing. That was Tom Rush and Jack Elliot singing what he's done re me.

Some did turn back at the California line but most went on as what he had said. They knew what was behind them ahead could lie only opportunity. The enticement of the unknown. The Californians call them Okies in Archy's and these became highly derogatory names. Woody compassionate called the dustbowl refugees. Right you just read from the power that brought

me here for you. Hard it saw your own are brought here. We are told we are all here. Then we will wear the right route

and the hard part of you. Yes and for us. And yet we walk here. We were in New York and in your room like the world we heard that read you read you read it and I wonder will I

hold it right. In our next program we'll continue our look at the Dust Bowl. In L.A. harder on the Gala Dinner Lee and outlining the way down the climate issues that make me believe that you have been listening too hard travelling series devoted to the life and music of Woody Guthrie written and narrated by Judith Adams. Produced by Joe good luck may for communications center the University of Texas at Austin. This is NPR National Educational Radio Network.