From New Deal to Navy: The National Youth Administration Camp in Shakopee

During the Great Depression Scott County, like numerous counties across the nation, was faced with the problem of homelessness. One road to relief was the construction of five “transient camps”, profiled in last week’s Scott County History blog post. These camps were an effective, but short lived solution. The administrative center of these camps was located just outside of Shakopee. Originally constructed in 1934, the Shakopee camp was emptied by 1938.  It was determined that the facility would have new life as a NYA, or National Youth Administration camp.

National Youth Administration Recuitment poster, 1941. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress).

The National Youth Administration was a New Deal program launched in 1935. Similar to work-study programs for college students today, the NYA paid a grant stipend for part-time work to young people between the ages of 18 and 25. Some of this work was in the educational sector, helping out with administrative and maintenance tasks at academic institutions. Other projects provided on-the-job training in fields such as forestry, agriculture and construction. The goal was to provide meaningful paid work to young people that would teach on-the-job skills, giving beneficiaries an eventual leg up in the job market. An added aim was keeping young people from flooding the already strained traditional labor market.

The National Youth Administration Camp outside of Shakopee was a unique affair. It combined the work-study goals of traditional NYA jobs with the housing  of the former transient center. The Shakopee Argus-Tribune announced the development of the camp on March 31st, 1938. It described the goals of the program thusly: “…a practical education center for deserving young men between the ages of 18 and 25… it is not like the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] in that it is non-military. Boys enter on a six-month tenure. They will work a half day and study a half day and draw a small wage. The program is not one primarily of employment but one in which willing youths may be aided educationally”. An official bulletin printed in the April 7th Argus-Tribune formally stated “The primary purpose of this project is not to directly prepare young men for employment but to make possible exploratory experiences in various fields which may lead to self-maintenance and which will better qualify young men for worthwhile home and community life”. The educational opportunities listed were agriculture, auto mechanics, carpentry, welding, forestry, and shoe repair.  Basically, the camp provided a vocational liberal-arts education.

Headline announcing the construction of Shakopee’s NYA Camp. From the Shakopee Argus-Tribune, April 7, 1938. SCHS Collections

The camp was limited in who it served. Only males could enroll in the program, and they must “be certified as in need by an approved public relief agency”. Each enrollee drew $30.00 per month, $20 of which provided for room and board, and $10 for the boys and their families. The youths were housed in rough-cut cabins and provided with food in a mess hall, recreational facilities and medical care.

As time passed, opportunities at the camp expanded.  On March 20, 1939 the Shakopee Argus-Tribune reported that the camp was producing a radio program entitled “Tangled Lives”. Each week the program presented a dramatized enactment of a problem performed by NYA enrollees. Problems ranged from “Should I apply to College” to “Physical Disability”. After the performance, a team of experts would assemble to share possible solutions with listeners.

On September 1st, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and, at least in Europe, World War 2 begun. While the US did not officially join the conflict until 1941, rumblings of war could be felt In Shakopee’s NYA camp. On September 14th, 1939 the Shakopee Argus-Tribune announced a $200,000 allocation to train camp youth in airplane mechanics through a program under the supervision of Col. Victor Page. In August of 1940, the camp youth began construction of two seaplane bases that would, upon completion, be shipped where they were needed. The work at the camp was focusing more and more on national defense.

Administrative building of the Shakopee NYA camp. The building was originally Murphy’s Inn, and was located on the site of what is now The Landing. SCHS Collections, 1938

On July 1st, 1941, nearly 5 months before US entry into WW2, the enrollment at the Shakopee NYA camp was suddenly bumped to the staggering number of 544. The order to increase enrollees came from the Office of Production Management in Washington, and specified that the new recruits be trained in defense production. Along with quarters for the new boys, a machine shop and facilities for training in radio operation and communication were added.

By 1942 the United States was firmly entrenched in war. On February 12th, 1942 the Shakopee Argus-Tribune announced that authority over the NYA camp would be formally transferred to the US Navy, who planned to use the facility to train recruits as Navy machinists.

After the end of World War 2 ownership of the camp lands was transferred to the Shakopee Public Schools. The rustic cabins that housed NYA and Navy recruits became rental properties, housing Scott County families until the early 1960s. Interested in visiting the old NYA camp? The ruins of Murphy’s Inn- first the Administration building of the transient camp, then the center of the NYA camp- are currently part of The Landing, a historic site in the Three Rivers Park District.

Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager

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