"Between 1935 and 1940, an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 people followed Route 66 west to California. Tenant farmers from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri who had lost everything to drought, collapsed crop prices and a decade of wind that stripped the topsoil off the plains migrated their families in hopes of survival. They were called “Okies” regardless of where they came from. California was supposed to be the answer, but when they arrived, the Los Angeles police had set up a “bum blockade” at the state border to keep them out."
"Forty-four of the 89 counties along Route 66 were sundown towns, communities where it was encouraged for Black people to leave before dark - or else. Route 66 diners, motels and gas stations routinely refused service to Black travelers. In 1936, a Harlem postal worker named Victor Green began publishing the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to the hotels, restaurants and gas stations along the route that would serve Black travelers. More than 1,400 tourist homes (private residences that took in guests when hotels woul"
"See what remains today: The Old Trails Bridge in Topock, Ariz., carried Dust Bowl refugees across the Colorado River into California. It's still standing and open to pedestrians and cyclists."
Between 1935 and 1940, 200,000 to 250,000 tenant farmers left the Plains for California after drought, collapsed crop prices, and wind stripped topsoil. Many were called “Okies” regardless of origin, and California authorities used a “bum blockade” to keep them out at the state border. Remains of this migration include the Old Trails Bridge in Topock, Arizona, which carried refugees across the Colorado River into California. Along the route, sundown towns and businesses routinely denied service to Black travelers. In 1936, Victor Green published the Negro Motorist Green Book to list places that would serve Black motorists, including more than 1,400 tourist homes.
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