World War II caused a shortage of farm labor. Some workers left to serve in the military. Japanese Americans, many of whom farmed in King County, Washington, were forcibly removed to inland incarceration camps. In late June 1943, a call went out asking Seattle and area residents to pick peas, berries, and other crops or work in canning plants. Several hundred teenagers gathered at a camp near Auburn, where they harvested peas and weeded corn.
This June 28, 1943 photo shows rows of tents at the Farm Aid Camp near Auburn. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, all of the tents had floors and were furnished with "excellent" beds. The camp, run by the Farm Security Administration, a federal government agency, housed 240 people and would soon be expanded to 400.
Written on sleeve: Farms, Auburn Written on image: White River Valley camp at Auburn Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ by a month or more): July 6, 1943.
Caption information source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 13, 1943. (PI research files)
ID Number: 1986.5.2904.1
Date: 1943
Physical Description: 1 negative : safety film, b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
