Life at the Weedpatch Camp was a mixture of hard work, play and learning.  Men, women and children (when they were not in school) went out daily to work in the fields, orchards and the packing sheds.  The men and women were  asked to help keep the camp clean.

They lived in tents on platforms.  Sanitary, bath and laundry facilities were provided.   They also governed and policed themselves.

   They had weekly dances, talent shows, and pot luck dinners.  Many of these functions were open to the public.  This gave members of the surrounding communities a chance to see that these migratory workers were not "stupid Okies" as some had made them out to be, but displaced American citizens looking to find a better life than the one they had left behind.

    The camp personnel gave craft lessons, sewing lessons and had a wood shop for those interested.  It is reported they had one of the best baseball teams in the area and played against many of the farm teams.  At one time they even had a donkey baseball game.

       The camp also provided a nursery where working mothers could leave their babies and small children.  This left the mothers free to work along side their husbands in the fields and help boost their income which made for better living conditions.  There was also a clinic and a well baby clinic where medical care was given to both young and old alike.

    There were church services every Sunday for all who wished to attend.

    The children were sent to Vineland School.  When the Weedpatch School was established, they attended that school.

    The Weedpatch Camp not only provided a safe, clean haven for these migrants, it gave them back their self esteem.  As Mrs. Blankenship wrote, "We worked together, we laughed together, and we cried together."  They formed a bond that time could not erase and many have kept track of one another over the years.  Many former camp inhabitants look back on their time at the Weedpatch Camp with many good memories.

Weedpatch School