Shelter From the Storm: Depression-Era Homeless Camps in Scott County

Administration Building of Shakopee’s Camp No. 5 as of 1960. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Minnesota just endured a week of icy chill brought on by the epic polar vortex. With temperatures dropping into the deep negatives, there was much concern for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. Throughout the state, buses, libraries and other public buildings were designated as warming centers, and lists of open homeless shelters made the rounds on social media. No one wanted a neighbor to be caught out in the cold.

This is not a new phenomenon. During the Great Depressions, the number of people without a stable home or shelter exploded in this country. Hoovervilles, homeless encampments named in satirical honor of the US President, sprang up around the nation. In 1921 unemployment was holding at 3.2%. By 1933 it had risen staggeringly to almost 25%

Scott County was not unaffected by this national tragedy. On June 21, 1934 the Shakopee Argus reported that 520 acres near Shakopee had been purchased as a “Transient Relief Headquarters”. Camp land was composed of what once were several adjoining farms, owned by the families Donovan, Pond and Kelly respectively. The sale was conducted by the highway department and totaled $46,000. Once secured, the land was to be used for one of five camps in the Minnesota River Valley used to house homeless men. At the time of purchase a camp in Mendota (creatively named Camp No.1) was already providing shelter for 225 men, and a temporary camp in Savage (Camp No. 3) was housing an astonishing 525 more- ranging in age from 17 to 87. The hope was that the camp near Shakopee (Camp No. 5) would provide additional housing and act as a headquarters for transient relief in the area. The other three camps in development, according to the Argus, were No. 2 at Cedar Ave, No. 4 between Savage and Shakopee.

The plans for Camp No. 5 in Shakopee were not small. The supervisor of the camps, J.T. Giascock told the Shakopee Argus that the camp would include a “fifty-bed hospital, dental quarters, diet kitchen, and isolation ward”. The plan for the camp was as follows: “Every man is assigned to some camp duty such as messenger, first aid, kitchen duty, clerical work, doctor and dental assistants, landscaping, gardening, carpentry and other occupations. Each man works 36 hours a week – from 8am to 11am and from 1pm to 4pm daily. Thirty-three hours of work apply for food shelter and clothing and for each of the remaining three hours each man draws  thirty cents”.

Before 1934 ended, camp No. 5 was home to more than 200 men. While there is no former employment data for the Shakopee camp in particular,  The Shakopee Argus reported  on June 21, 1934 that the 5 camps across the valley were home to “200 ex-service men, several college graduates, electricians, once-prominent bankers, former thriving business-men, and a number of highly skilled laborers”.  These camps were federal efforts. In fact, the Argus noted that although they interviewed 7 camp residents, none of them were residents of Minnesota. The writer also noted that this was not a problem as the camps were put in place to help “take care of relief for all transients, local homeless, state homeless and federal homeless “

In spite of extensive planning, the Transient camps were a short-lived affair. By August 22, 1935, barely a year after their inception, it was announced that government transient camps across the nation would be closing. The plan was for the Civilian Corps and other successful New Deal programs to absorb those able to work, and for state and community services to help the remaining residents. Emptying the camp was a drawn-out affair.  A month later, in September of 1935 the Argus reported that the men from Camp No. 5 had been moved to Camp No. 4. Although the camp was not accepting new residents, 170 men still lived there.  By Halloween, 1935 the population at Camp No. 4 was down to 92, and 10 men had been moved back to Camp No. 5. On December 5th 1935 it was reported that Camps No. 4 and 5 would both be “completely and definitively closing by Saturday”.

Slightly more than a year later, on Christmas Eve 1935, the front page of the Shakopee Argus Tribune read “Shakopee, Savage Camps Not Closed: Continuation of Program Assured, 560 Homeless Men Being Cared For”. In spite of this, the make-up of the camps had changed. Now, “less than 10” of the 560 residents were from states other than Minnesota, and rather than federal dollars, funding was “now provided by the county from which the individual comes or through self-support”

Eventually the camps did close, but they did not lay vacant long. By 1938 plans were announced to turn the Shakopee facility into a destination for another New Deal program- the National Youth Administration Camp.  The Shakopee NYA camp will be profiled in next week’s SCHS blog post.

What’s Cooking?

After indulging over the holidays, it seems that each January we pledge to exercise more and eat healthier.  Cookbooks are the go-to resource for the “eating-better” part of that new commitment.  But did you ever wonder about where these marvels of gastric chemistry originated?

Prior to the 1750s, cookbooks were written by chefs for chefs.  Many families had their own “note [cook] books”, that included recipes not only for food, but also for medicinals (think headache cures) and cleaners (such as shoe polish). The first cookbook for housewives was published in England in 1757.  It consisted of artistic recipes designed to help homemakers create fancy meals.

America’s first known cookbook, American Cookery, was written in 1796 by Amelia Simmons.  Many of the book’s recipes called for distinctly American ingredients such as pumpkin and corn.

In 1845 Eliza Acton wrote Modern Cookery for Private Families, and was the first cookbook to list ingredient quantities and cooking times.  In addition to recipes, Acton’s book included information for women about morals and etiquette.

Fannie Merritt Farmer is credited with creating the modern cookbook.  Farmer attended and later taught at the Boston Cooking School.  In 1896 she wrote Boston Cooking School Cook Book.  Using scientific methods, her recipes were the first to give precise measurements and instructions.  She also established the practice, still used today, of writing a recipe by first listing the ingredients and their amounts and then writing out precise instructions for preparing the dish.

So, the next time you use a cookbook, think of its long history and all the trial and error that went into creating the yummy recipes.  Happy Cooking!

Glass Photographs?

We take photos at the drop of a hat. A quick click and we can snap a ton of images or share a selfie with the world in seconds.  But not so long-ago taking a photograph was difficult, required great skill, and each image was precious.

Beginning in the mid-1800s, photographers used glass plates to capture images – collodion wet plate and gelatin dry plate.

Collodion wet plate negatives were in use from about 1851 until the 1880s.  Collodion (a flammable liquid) was spread on a glass support (plate), then placed into a bath of silver nitrate, which turned the collodion into a photosensitive silver iodide.  When plate was exposed to light, it would capture an image. The big problem with this process (from smearing the plate to processing the photo), was that it had to happen before the plate dried; in about 5 – 15 minutes depending on the light.  You can identify these types of negatives by their uneven emulsion coating, thick glass, and rough edges.  Sometimes you can see the photographers thumbprint on the edge because they would be the one to mix and apply the emulsion.

Dry plate (Silver Gelatin) negatives were first available in 1873.  Unlike the wet-plate variety, gelatin dry plates were – yup you guest it – dry!  They were more easily transported and needed less exposure to light.  Photographers and manufacturers could prepare the negatives in advance and develop the images long after exposure. These negatives are identified by having thinner glass and a more evenly coated emulsion.  Dry plate glass negatives were in common use between the 1880s and the late 1920s.

These types of negatives were used in view cameras – large hulky boxes. The great thing about photos made from these negatives is that they often contain a great amount of detail and subtly of tone, due to the skill of the photographer and the nature of the emulsions.  Common negative sizes were 4×5, 5×8 and 8×10, larger sizes were also common.

Click through photographs below to view a gallery of glass plate negatives in the SCHS collections.

Taking the photo:

Once a photographer was satisfied that his subject was sufficiently well lit and positioned*, they would select a plate and follow these steps:

1. Place a dry plate (contained in a plate holder) into a slot in the camera

2. Slide the cover from the plate holder to uncover the dry plate

3. Uncover and then recover the lens. (By 1880, photographic plates were so sensitive that an exposure of less than a second was often enough to capture an image.)

4. Slide the cover on the plate holder back over the dry plate

5. Remove the plate holder containing the exposed plate, which was now ready for processing in a dark room.**

* Many times, photographers used frames or braces to hold a subject steady during the exposure time. Any movement could cause the image to blur.

** These plates could produce multiple prints

Developing the photograph:

1. Moisten the plate in distilled water

2. Place the plate in a glass or developing dish, and cover with developing fluid

3. Wash thoroughly when the image appeared

4. Place in a bath of fixing solution, and then wash and dry the plate. It could be varnished at this point, but this was rare after about 1890.

Printing Process:

Printing Out Paper (POP)

1. Fairly thin paper treated with photosensitive silver chloride crystals in a gelatin glaze. (used for printing photos that were mounted on strong cards).  These prints would usually be toned and fixed.

2. The POP would be placed under the negative in a special frame then exposed to daylight or artificial light until the image developed

3. The print would then be washed in water to remove excess chemicals

4. The print would then be toned using gold and platinum toners (to convert the silver into more stable compounds)

5. Washed again and fixed using standard fixing solution

6. The final step was to have the photograph air dried or, squeegeed on a clean polished glass surface and allowed to dry

Platinum Print (Plat), often used for landscape or architectural photos.  In this method the metal on the paper was platinum, not silver, and iron salts were used for developing.  These prints had a wide range of subtle tones, usually silvery-grey.  The price of platinum skyrocketed in 1907 and production of the paper stopped by 1916.

Carbon orienting was another process, which produced a matt finish in colors ranging from rich sepia tones to cooler shades of blue and grey.  These types of prints were resistant to fading so were most often used for commercial photos.  Other types of prints include Bromide, Bristol, Cabinet, Cameo, Carte de visite, Mezzo, and Vignette

Glass plate negatives are fragile, not only because they are made of glass, but also because the emulsions can easily be scratched or slip from the glass.  These negatives should be housed in an archival quality four-flap envelope, which enables the negative to handled without scratching the surface. The envelope should then be stored in an archival box on their edge (straight up & down) and stored with negatives of similar size.  Because these plates are heavy, the box shouldn’t be filled tight – a spacer can be put between the negatives to hold them upright and reduce the weight of the box.

Glass plate photographic material largely faded from the consumer market in the early years of the 20th century as more convenient and less fragile films were adopted.  However, plates were still being used into the 1970s, most likely because of their great detail and tonal qualities. 

Flexible films were available in the late 1880s for amateur use, but the plastic was of poor quality, tended to curl, and initially was more expensive to produce than glass.  However, quality improved and manufacturing costs came down and amateurs abandoned plates for film. Now as technology changes yet again, we’ve abandoned film for digital images.

Why is the New Year in January?

If you have ever wondered why the New Year starts in the freezing cold of January, you can thank Caesar. That’s right, Julius Caesar, leader of the Roman Empire. Before Caesar took power the length of a year was somewhat subjective. Politicians in Rome might add days, or subtract days to increase terms in the Senate; and it was based around the phases of the moon, but kept falling out of line with the seasons. Enter Caesar, who sought to set the calendar into a more predictable cycle, except he did so starting most of the way through the year, 45 B.C.E. As such, the Julian calendar began on January 1st instead of in March as was tradition.

By the time of the Middle Ages, the holiday had fallen into obscurity. Everyone knew the year started on January 1st, but the celebration of it went unobserved. The reason was because January 1st kept moving. Caesar did not calculate that a year is about 365.24 days long; instead he calculated at 365.25. After about a thousand years of adding a few minutes every year the calendar ended up having 376 days and kept adding. So in 1582 the Gregorian calendar came along and instituted the idea of the leap year to balance things back out. Since then, the first has been consistent, and thus people began to celebrate the New Year with regularity.

Happy New Year for all of us at the SCHS!

Written by Dave Nichols, Curator of Collections

New Years: 1919

One hundred years ago Scott County was recovering from the Great War. International affairs, influenza, and global food supplies dominated newspaper headlines, pushing aside the local interest stories that had held the front pages prior to the outbreak of war. New Years 1919 was a chance for people to reflect on the violence of the past year and to envision a future free from war. As we leave 2018 behind, take a moment to explore the fears and dreams of Scott County as published in the new years editions of  newspapers from 100 years ago.

Belle Plaine Herald
January 2nd, 1919

The front page new of the Herald was the Great War and the flu. Prominently featured were the obituaries of two Belle Plain citizens, William Gomoll and the young soldier Frank Strandcutter, who had fallen victim to the 1918 flu epidemic. The paper’s featured article was “Some War Experiences”, a tribute to soldiers from Belle Plaine who had fought in the Great War. In local news, the paper praised Belle Plaine for growth in the face of wartime shortages.

Images below are from the Belle Plaine Herald, January 2nd, 1919

 Jordan Independant
January 2nd, 1919

The 1918 flu was also featured prominently on the front page of the Jordan Independent, as were wartime recollections. The headlining article was a wartime letter home from a soldier, published in its entirety.  Local front- page news highlighted the need for year-round county roads in order to keep communities growing and expand access to goods. Inside the paper, international affairs took the spotlight, with special attention on global food shortages.

Images below are from the Jordan Independent, January 2nd 1919

 Shakopee Tribune 
January 3rd, 1919

Like the rest of the county papers, the front page of the Tribune featured war news and sad news of county deaths due to flu and a train accident. The Tribune also inserted some levity with a piece on British naval nicknames, and an article on proper floral arrangement in vases- an odd choice for the flower-free month of January. Finally, the front page declared 1918 to be a year of steady progress in Shakopee.

Inside, the Tribune dedicated a full page to the joyous formation of the peace-keeping League of Nations. An article also outlined tensions in Syria, a piece that sadly would not have seemed out of place today.

Images below are from the Shakopee Tribune, January 3rd, 1919

New Prague Times
January 2nd, 1919

New Prague used their front page to pay tribute to many who had lost their lives in the previous year, including many flu victims,  in a New Years edition of the regular column entitled “Brief Neighborhood News”  Oddly, the column ended by highlighting the purchase of a turkey. The font page also outline the terms of the Great War peace treaty, and urged New Prague residents to join the Red Cross.

International news dominated the inside of the paper, with headlines such as “Russians In Sad Plight”, and “Puerto Rico Requires Food”.

Images below are from the New Prague Times. January 2nd, 1919

Scott County Argus 
January 2nd, 1919

The Argus’s headlining New Year story praised Minnesotans for their war efforts, bearing the headline “Food Administration Proud of State Record”. Like most county newspapers of the times, those that lost their lives were honored on the front page of the paper, including the influenza death of Gilbert Vierling. The front page also announced plans to build a reformatory for women in Shakopee.

The Argus was dominated by a timeline of events of 1918, organized into the cheery categories “World War”, “Domestic”, “Necrology” and “Disasters” Recent war news was highlighted with the headlines “Chaos in Russia”. “Why Polish Statehood Should Rise”, and “Martial Law in Polish Streets”.

Images below are from the Scott County Argus, January 2nd, 1919

Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager