Descriptions of Other Transient Camps
“After I got out of the CC Camp I rode freight trains, I followed the harvest. There were times then that even following the harvest that there were more workers than there were jobs available. When a job was offered to you, you didn’t ask them how much or when, you said I’ll take it. There were so many people on the road at this time that the government felt there had to be some provision for them to try to get them stabilized to get them off of the freight trains. The government set up a group of transient camps. Transient camps might be considered as a wait station for a great many of us, but the idea behind the transient camp was to get you off the road, get you settled down, give you something decent to eat, give you some decent clothes, give you a chance to rest and to find a little self-respect.”1
Camp Foster Transient Work Camp (Florida)
Camp Foster was a transient camp mentioned in the New Deal newsletter. One of the camp’s originators, John Ingle, explained that “[r]ather than having [the men] loafing around the city, living like bums, we thought that putting them to work, giving them shelter, food, and a few other of the necessities of life… would go far towards a start at rehabilitation.” Similar to Camp Macon, Camp Foster had employment opportunities for its residents. “There were cooks, laundrymen, bakers, etc., all of them were given employment at tasks for which they were particularly fitted…(Camp workers) were paid ten cents an hour for their work.” They also had recreational activities; there were classes, sports, and musical performances.2
Chandlerville Transient Work Camp (Illinois)
"Work to be undertaken at this camp will be as follows: clearing and cleaning channel of Sangamon River. Removing of siltation and lodged debris extending 7 miles upstream from its mouth at Illinois River to restore the old channel. Clearing channel and removing drift for 3 miles beyond above work. Clearing brush, stumps, and obstructive growth in flood waterways between streams and levees. Sawing lumber from cut trees and drift logs for use in public parks and other State improvements. Timber to be squared to full sections of logs and stocked for delivery to the Department of Public Works and Buildings as ordered."3 Camps Karnak, Kilbourn, Cache, and Cairo all had similar work descriptions in this document.
Batavia Transient Work Camp (Illinois)
"An inspection was made of the camp which consists of the following buildings:
1 - dining hall and kitchen
1 - utility building for time keeping and linen clerk
2 - pump houses
2 - sanitary units
2 - septic tanks
2 - latrines - flush type
1 - recreation hall
1 - infirmary
1- tool room and work shop
1 - administration office, Camp Director's quarters
21 - dormitory buildings for 22 men each
3 - dormitory buildings under construction
1 - garage, 28x60 under construction"4
W.P.A District Office Meetings
In a report on a meeting with the W.P.A district director in Harrisburg, Illinois, W.P.A. officials discussed the importance of recruiting engineers because they hoped to prepare "a work program that was far more technical and would require field surveys, the careful preparation of numerous plans, and the efficient supervision of fieldwork in order to accomplish the required results."5 This is one example of the transient camps assigning men jobs based on their previous experience.
As for standards surrounding meal-taking, "Mr. McNeil [Director of Construction Projects of the State Works Progress Administration, Illinois] stated that men are required to work thirty hours per week and time lost because of bad weather or high water need not be made up. Mr. McNeil agreed to allow the men to work six hours without returning to camp for a meal because of the great distance between the camp and work projects. The men will be furnished a substantial breakfast, go to work, and remain away from camp for six hours. Upon return to camp, they will be given another substantial meal and rest the balance of the afternoon. Later in the evening, they will receive another light meal."6
Footnotes
- "The Great Depression: Transient Men," Iowa Heritage Hard Times - Iowa Public Television, 1979, https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/artifact/1681/great-depression-transient-men.↵
- "Camp Foster Work Camp," The Jacksonville Historical Society, accessed August 6, 2023, https://www.jaxhistory.org/portfolio-items/camp-foster-work-camp/#lightbox[1494]/1/.↵
- "Report on visit to Chandlerville Transient Work Camp, Chandlerville, Illinois" in Transient Work Camps, Works Progress Administration (Springfield: Illinois Dept. of Public Works and Buildings, 1936), 43.↵
- "Report on Meeting in Batavia Transient Work Camp, Batavia, Ill." in Transient Work Camps, Works Progress Administration. (Springfield: Illinois Dept. of Public Works and Buildings, 1936), 47-49.↵
- Illinois Dept. of Public Works and Buildings, "Report on visit to Harrisburg W.P.A. District Director's Office, Harrisburg, Illinois" in Transient Work Camps, Works Progress Administration (Springfield, 1936), 34.↵
- Illinois Dept. of Public Works and Buildings, "Report of Meeting Held Thursday, February 13, 1936, District W.P.A. Office, Peoria, Illinois" in Transient Work Camps, Works Progress Administration (Springfield, 1936), 90-92.↵
