Where did Steinbeck get his details?
The following websites will take you through some of the original events,
sites and ideas of the Depression 1930 - 1939.
Internet Links
The naming of "Hooverville"
Hooverville: Shantytown of Seattle's Great Depression
Information about the "Okies"
Okies
Government Camp Song by Mary and Betty Campbell -- Mary is 12.
Government Camp Song
An interview done in 1941 of a farmer who left Oklahoma for California.
Camp meeting
This is an interview of Jose Flores, 20 years old, about how the government
camps work.
FSA Camp Governance, etc. in El Rio
Article about the camps and families about which Steinbeck wrote
in The Grapes of Wrath. Article is dated July 1939.
Trampling Out The Vintage
Today's Weedpatch camp.
Weedpatchcamp.com
This is the homepage to Voices from the Dust Bowl. Thanks to the hard work
of Charles L. Todd, Robert Sonkin, and their crew, we have a substantial
collection of real voices from the time period. There are happy stories and
songs, and there are upsetting/sad stories and songs, and, most of all,
they're all real.
Voice from the Dust Bowl Homepage
This is a specific section of Voices from the Dust Bowl that uses
photographs and links to look at the migrant experience.
The Migrant Experience
Mrs. Flora Robertson talking about dust storms in Oklahoma. Includes an
original poem beginning, "I came to Oklahoma before it was a state"
Dust storm experience
This trial was an important controversy in the 1920s. It leads to having
the U.S. public thinking about how humanity thinks, behaves, etc. and what
we should learn.
The Scopes Trial
A piano/computerized version of the tune. Offers both John Brown's Body and
Battle Hymn.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
A brief history and definition of the Bolshevik party. This pertains to
Tom's comment to the proprietor of the camp (who wants to charge him for
coming into the camp to join his family who has already paid) calling Tom a
troublemaker for logically reasoning to get out of paying, "I'm bolshevisky.
Bolshevik Party
A more in depth look at the Bolshevik Revolution
Bolshevik Revolution
Biblical inspiration. Take a look at the writing style of the first pages
and page 593 of GoW.
This link goes to the English Standard Version, there are other versions on
this sight that might yield different results.
Biblegateway.com - Genesis 1
Look at Genesis 1.14 and page 5 of GoW.
Biblegateway.com - Genesis 1
Look at Genesis 6.11 - 19 and the end of GoW.
Biblegateway.com - Genesis 6
Story of Moses. Read this before you read the bible passage below. Stories
differ--some say Moses was hidden among reeds, other stories say Moses was
floated down the river in a basket (a popular version in the 1920s and 30s,
though no longer the case). Think about the image, what became of Moses and
what Uncle John said about the baby in the apple box.
Story of Moses
Look at Exodus 2 and Uncle John's part on p 609
Biblegateway.com - Exodus 2
Other Resources