“After being forced to farm wheat in Russia, most knew no other trade when they came to the United States.” Because land prices were beyond reach, the men in the group initially worked as day laborers and on odd jobs to save money for the eventual purchase of their farms and support their families in the meantime.13 The economic depression of 1893 proved to be a windfall for the Volga Germans as land prices plummeted and many farms were forced into foreclosure. As the rest of the United States faced devastation and poverty, many Volga Germans, a frugal group of people with substantial savings, swept up land and became farm owners. However, most of these farms were outside the boundaries of Fresno City; the German-Russian farms and farming techniques forged a lasting impact on Fresno County’s farming industry. Having transformed the arid steppes of Russia into a fertile, arable oasis, the German-Russians performed similar miracles on the arid land near Fresno. Fred Koch writes: “With their ‘prudence, perseverance, and push, these immigrants became the most outstanding viticulturists and horticulturists of the valley. The German-Russians imported many agricultural products from Russia that would become staples in the United States, including sunflower seeds (“Rooshian Peanuts”), the Klondike watermelon, and the hearty, frost-resistant strain of wheat known as Turkey Red.5 Farming was not the only means of occupation for Volga Germans. The 1910 census shows that many Volga Germans were employed as general laborers, packinghouse workers, or railroad employees.6
 
Fred Koch noted: “beginning with the second generation, these people began to permeate the fields of education, commerce, religious vocations, arts, and professions. For most of them, their past ethnic affinity to the soil had become a matter of legend.” The German-Russians assimilated into the American culture relatively quickly and eventually held the same occupations as their American neighbors, who were often immigrants from other nations).

The Ohlberg family from Kukkus, Russia, arrived in Fresno in the late 1800s. In the 1920s, they bought a store from another Russian-German family, the Stites. The original store, “Ohlberg’s,” was located near the 2300 block of California Street. In 1937 the Ohlberg’s moved their store to the corner of Kirk Avenue and California. Ohlberg’s stayed in this location until 1961, when it moved to Olive Avenue. The family-run operation was an institution in the Russian-German community, and most Russian-German families purchased their groceries, meat, and dry goods from Ohlberg’s. Ohlberg’s German Sausage is still locally famous today; however, Ohlberg’s store closed in 1998.