Corn Basket

The Corn Basket is the rich agricultural region of Munchkinland, the breadbasket of Oz. Its name evokes its primary function: a source of grain and crops that sustains the eastern province. The region's fertility stands in stark contrast to the drought-stricken areas of Wend Hardings, where Elphaba was born, and its economic health is a bellwether for the entire province.

Geography and Economy

The Corn Basket is a region of arable soil and accommodating climate, a landscape of dairy farms and small villages that prospered after the Great Drought of Elphaba's childhood was finally broken. Its fields of barley and other crops are the foundation of Munchkinland's agricultural economy. The region's prosperity, however, makes it a target for the Wizard's economic policies and a key prize in any political struggle. The Yellow Brick Road, the main artery of Oz, runs through this territory, connecting its farms to the markets of the Emerald City and beyond.

Political Significance and the Secession

The Corn Basket becomes a central stage for the political drama of Munchkinland's secession from Oz. When Nessarose, as the Eminent Thropp, leads the revolt, the farmers of the Corn Basket are among her most fervent supporters. They are motivated by a combination of grievances: the heavy taxation on farm crops, the reported rape of Munchkinlander maidens by the Wizard's army, and the despoiling of simple country meetinghouses by soldiers. The region's unanimous approval for secession provides Nessarose with the popular base she needs to declare the Free State of Munchkinland. The Corn Basket's loyalty, however, is not absolute; its citizens also harbor resentment against Nessarose's own style of religious tyranny, and the region becomes a place where the totemic straw man, a pagan charm against crop pests, is worn by field-workers, a custom that had been revived during the Great Drought.

The Tornado and Aftermath

The Corn Basket is the site of the catastrophic tornado that kills Nessarose. The storm, a vortex of wind unlike any known in Oz before, slices through the region, devastating the basis of its economy. The tornado's path is precise and seemingly deliberate: it maneuvers around Colwen Grounds, leaving it untouched, before cutting through the Corn Basket and finally petering out at the hamlet of Center Munch, where it drops a house on Nessarose. The destruction of the Corn Basket's crops is a crippling blow to the renegade nation, leaving it economically vulnerable. The event also triggers a political crisis, as Nessarose's death creates a power vacuum and leaves the Free State of Munchkinland leaderless and in chaos, with factions supporting re-annexation by Oz and others vying for control. The region's fate becomes a central concern for Elphaba, who worries that the Wizard will use the chaos to re-annex Munchkinland, and for Glinda, who sees the need to remove the symbolic Silver Shoes from the region to prevent them from becoming a rallying point for either side.