{"nrhp_refnum":"95001554","name":"Weedpatch Camp","other_names":["Arvin Federal Camp","Sunset Labor Camp"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8305 Sunset Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bakersfield","county":"Kern County","state":"CA","lat":35.223062121000055,"lon":-118.90652568399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-01-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Politics/Government","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Weedpatch Camp, also called Arvin Federal Camp or Sunset Labor Camp, is a migrant farm worker camp at 8305 Sunset Blvd., Bakersfield, Kern County, California. Three one-story buildings built by the W.P.A. in 1935 remain: a post office, a community hall and a library.","why_significant":"It is significant for its Depression-era link to the Farm Security Administration's efforts to house and aid migrant farm workers, many displaced by the Dust Bowl. It was one of 28 federal camps in California, offering clean housing, health care, schooling and laundry facilities. The migrants who lived there brought their religious culture, music, language and food to California, and the camp is tied to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.","narrative":"Weedpatch Camp, near Bakersfield in Kern County, California, was a federal camp for migrant farm workers during the Great Depression. Three modest one-story buildings from 1935 survive: a post office, a community hall and a library, all built by the Works Progress Administration. They stand in a fenced area near the main gate of what is now the Sunset Labor Camp, while newer frame buildings occupy the old tent pads. The camp was one of 28 set up in California by the Farm Security Administration as an alternative to unsanitary private camps and roadside squatter settlements. It offered clean housing, laundry facilities, a clinic, schooling and recreation, and residents helped govern themselves. Many came from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, bringing their music, food and religious traditions. The camp is also linked to John Steinbeck, who gathered material nearby, and parts of the film The Grapes of Wrath were reportedly shot there. The buildings were recognized for this social and agricultural history between 1936 and 1946.","period_of_significance":"1936-1946","architect_builder":"Works Progress Administration","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the three historic buildings sit in a fenced area with some deterioration, and the Kern County Housing Authority planned to restore them. The camp still houses migrant workers seasonally.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.861466-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/95001554.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001554/750e08da33-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001554/750e08da33-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0820-WeedpatchCamp-CommunityHall.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0820-WeedpatchCamp-CommunityHall.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858877","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvin_Federal_Government_Camp","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7979360"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/kern-county/weedpatch-camp-95001554/"}