1934-1935 — Hooverville 

A “Hooverville” was a shanty town built during the Great Depression by the homeless in the United States. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it. The term was coined by Charles Michelson, publicity chief of the Democratic National Committee.[1] There were hundreds of Hoovervilles across the country during the 1930s and hundreds of thousands of people lived in these slums

Jerry Schultz relayed this great story about life during the depression. “Yes, there was a Hooverville campsite on ‘the hill.’ Some really old-timers may still remember the iron grasp of the Great Depression that started on Black Thursday, the 29th of October 1929. The stock market crashed and panic ensued.

“Money was tight and times were unmercifully hard. People were hopelessly destitute. Unemployment was rampant. Folks didn’t have two nickels to rub together. They were in the throes of poverty. A popular tune was ‘Brother Can You Spare a Dime?’ Hobos, tramps, derelicts, and homeless rode the rails from city to city looking for work or a handout. In San Diego, they roamed the slums and city dump where they set up cardboard and tin hovels. Open camp fires burned continuously.

“Background: In 1932, nearly 32,000 businesses failed nationwide. Unemployment had soared to an astounding 25 percent. Two million people wandered the country in a futile attempt to find work. Many settled in outdoor camps called ‘Hoovervilles,’ named after President Herbert Hoover, whom they blamed for their plight.

“On ‘the hill,’ a group of single, unemployed young men moved out of their family homes to partially relieve their struggling parents. They banded together and set up an encampment in La Cresta. The isolated site was located at the foot of Highline Trail near the north east curve of the dirt, now paved, road. Massive oak trees made an ideal camp. Tents were pitched and canvas lean-tos were in place at the entrance. Inside were a small army of cots covered with ‘Hoover blankets’ (newspapers) for insulation. Conditions were primitive. An open fire-pit surrounded with a rim of rocks had a steel grate positioned on top, where sat a chipped and blackened small coffee pot. Eucalyptus tree branches and manzanita root knots were used for fuel. Hanging on a near-by tree branch was a large cast iron skillet and dented aluminum pot used for cooking Mulligan Stew. Pie tins served as dishes and coffee was sipped from tin cups. A .22 rifle put ‘meat in the pot.’ Wild brush and cottontail rabbits were in abundance. The men were opportunists, and would sometimes secretly poach a yearling deer. Oranges were ‘borrowed’ from the grove located at the bottom of the new grade and ‘free’ grapes were picked from the vineyard at the corner of Greenfield Dr. at Highway 80.

“A ‘desert cooler’ was hanging in the shade of a tree branch. The old-time device consisted of a screened open sided wooden crate, with sides draped with water-soaked gunny sacks (burlap). A pan of water rested on top with a rock holding the submerged burlap in place. This evaporative cooler kept perishables cool and fresh. The community water well was located at the northwest corner of Highline Trail adjacent to La Cresta Blvd. at Holly Road. On top of the wooden cover was mounted a cast-iron water pump with a long-handle lever. Before water would flow, the pump had to be primed. Laundry was done in a galvanized tub with washboard. Fresh drinking water was lugged back to camp by the bucket. Curious young boys would pedal their bikes to the secluded location and visit with the friendly guys. Females were not allowed. For amusement they played poker with a stained dog-eared deck of cards and would ante up using wooden kitchen matches. Tattered and torn western pulp magazines were read repeatedly.  Most of the men were shirtless and some had beards. All wore tattered and torn dungarees or overalls with suspenders. They wore ‘Hoover shoes,’ scuffed and worn out footwear with holes in the soles, made wearable by adding cardboard inserts.”