 |
| Seattle’s Hooverville squatter settlements, 1930′s. Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives. |
Hooverville 193x
April 30th, 2009 @ 12:20 am by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure |
This Depression comes with 100% more swine flu. Made of found materials, there is a sort of order to the settlement. Notice the distinct “street grid.” Click for the super high res version.
Amazing photograph. Sad and scary and depressing and beautiful all at the same time.
This has always been one of my favorite Seattle photos. I don’t know why–I guess what Martin said!
Jess, wonderful choice. Just what I needed today – a connection to the big picture. Martin, well said.
the funny thing is, this area looks very similar now, only there are freight containers stacked everywhere rather than make-shift dwellings
I would love to buy a cuppa joe for someone who lived here and interview them. There must be a few surviving somewhere, watching “Wheel of Fortune” without any sense of irony. If any of you know any former Hoovervilleans, let me know.
Of course, some of those shacks probably sold for $400,000 in 2002 ; )
And of course, the Hooverville Bar is in this location, although it’s temporarily closed due to a ceiling fan that caught it on fire in February. Great pub with inside decor that looks like it was ransacked from an actual Hooverville site.
I have a very fuzzy memory of my Dad taking us to a vantage point on Beacon Hill where we could view Hooverville. It was amazing how innovative these people were, building all these “homes” from found materials. Most of these look quite liveable, but I remember them as mostly made of cardboard and tar paper. Maybe these were built later. I am 85 years old.
Lois, coffee? I’d love to hear more. Much more.
VintageSeattleOrg is very interesting to me- born in Providence Hospital nor too many years after it was opened. Early on my father took me to see Hooverville- something one never forgets- especially these days. JG
Jerry and Lois,
I’m serious, if either of you are still in the Seattle area I would love to meet up with you and hear whatever you can remember and would be willing to share about your Seattle past. I’m going to ask Jess to forward you my email address.
This photo ran in the Sunday Times when I was a kid, probably very early 80s–one of Paul Dorpat’s features, I’m thinking–and I remember being utterly transfixed by it. Something about recognizing the Smith Tower on the skyline, but seeing everything else “replaced” by this mystery town of resourceful, somehow jaunty shacks. I kept it at the time, pored over it for months…it’s a thrill to see it again. Love this site, where I can get a fix like that on a daily basis!
just found this site as I’ve started to read Sons of Profits and have become utterly transfixed by Seattle history.
A relatively new seattle resident of 3 years, this city offers a very unique look at the way things were.
Great site. I’ve gotten back to mid 2008 of your posts in one night. I’m obsessed.
keep the posts comin’
jsteve: I just fixed the Archives navigation to list the posts from 2007 as well. Not sure why it wasn’t doing that already.
Cliffe
thanks Cliffe. To go with your excitement from the Nov. 08 posts, what did we ever do before Google street view????!!!!!!
МыÑль замечательнаÑ. Результатами произведенных ÑкÑпериментов может кто-то поделитьÑÑ?