Posted on by Phil Strawn

Wagons Ho…To California !


Chapter 1

Summer in the Cactus Patch came early this year. May was pleasant, with frequent gully washers that quickly turned into toad-floating spring floods, yet some of my neighbors ran their sprinkler systems on their already-soaked lawns, which added to the flooding. We live on top of a rocky hill, so our abode was protected from the rushing waters of May, and we don’t have a sprinkler system to water our rocks and cacti.

June came with a dreaded heat wave forming in the southwest desert and sneaking into Texas. The Mexican province known as California is experiencing the hottest weather in history, and that adds to the folks getting out of Los Angeles and Sacramento and moving to my state, which has done nothing to stop the influx of unwanted refugees. U haul and Ryder are out of trucks, so folks are building their own trailers or tying furniture to the tops of their cars. Yesterday, I saw a Tesla with luggage and home decor tied to the roof of the poor EV. Of course, the car had California plates, and the occupants were likely looking for a home to buy in my little town.

My grandparents, my father, and my aunt migrated from Texas to California in 1934 because there were no jobs in Fort Worth or the city of Dallas. When reaching the desert town of Needles, CA, they were immediately labeled “Okies” by the border guards. My grandfather, a man of many words, mostly curse ones, did his best to convince the guards that he was a Texan and had visited Oklahoma once for a funeral, which made the situation worse because the guards then labeled them Texas Okies, which was a double insult, and to boot, they weren’t welcome in the land of pleasant weather and movie stars. Grandfather turned himself into a poor man’s Will Rogers with plenty of aw-shucks, dirt kicking, and head-scratching and made the guards laugh, so the family was admitted. He forgot to mention the three pistols, the sawed-off shotgun, and his pet Rattle Snake, Bubba, stashed under the front seat of his Ford.

Chapter 2 coming soon.

12 Replies to “Wagons Ho…To California !”

  1. Looking forward to chapter two.

    One look down the aisles of the new HEB proves your point about our open borders. Very few look like they were born in Texas, much less living in Fort Worth for a long time.   Alas, I can only imagine that is what heaven will look like…a bunch of travelers looking for a better place to be.  I look forward to that chapter two as well.   

    I enjoy your ‘Notes from the Cactus Patch’ as they provide a well-sought chuckle during a busy afternoon. Often, one gets too involved in the mundane of the ‘have to get done’ and forgets to seek the joy of life.  

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  2. Uprooting was simpler back then when families weren’t leaving a job for a job. They usually moved when they depleted the game in their area and needed new hunting grounds in search of vittles and razorbacks. You apparently have difficulty admitting your grandfather was outed as a Texas Okie-your roots. Live with it and be proud. Thanks for the laughs, Phil. 🙂

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    1. Granddad John Henry was born in Kennedale Texas in 1893 so he was a Texan to the bone. Now, on my mothers side of the family, they were all Okies that were transplanted to Santa Anna, Texas. I am proud that the Strawn family made it to LA and had a good seven year run of it before moving back to Fort Worth. John Steinbeck wrote the best book on those times and trials, The Grapes of Wrath.

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  3. Texas Okies… too bad he didn’t show them Bubba.
    We have tons of Californians moving here…that is why my house has tripled in price. Lets see…what could they be getting away from? Hmmm…the worst governor ever, high taxes, and all the crt, dei you can handle.

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  7. Pingback: Chapter 2- Wagons Ho to California ! – Notes From The Cactus Patch

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