World War II caused a shortage of farm labor. Some workers had left to serve in the military. Japanese Americans, many of whom farmed in King County, Washington, had been 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 Farm Security Administration camp near Auburn, Washington, where they harvested peas and weeded corn.

This June 28, 1943 photo shows a line of teenage girls waiting for the showers at the Farm Aid Camp near Auburn, Washington. They had been working in the fields since 7:00 a.m. Trained staff members supervised the farming and recreational activities at the camp.

Written on sleeve: Farms, Auburn
Written on image: Waiting for turn at showers--Auburn farm camp
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)