<Begin Segment 40>

DG: Earlier in the year -- which I forgot to have you talk about -- as many as 2,000 of them went out to the farms and worked on the farms, right?

NS: They probably did, too.

DG: And you mentioned how the boys had it good because they got to go out and were more free.

NS: Yes. They could do what they wanted and they did.

DG: And something about the economy of Twin Falls as a result of the camp. What?

NS: Well, there was a lot more activity going around. and then the restaurants were always full because all the people in camp wanted to go and have some chicken dinners and something good to eat. And all the people in camp wanted various and sundry items like the dime store, this kind of thread or that kind of material or whatever their needs were. Whoever was going out had a big shopping list to bring back to camp.

DG: And you said all these 2,000 boys earned money and spent it all.

NS: Yes. Typical, don't you think? [Laughs]

DG: But one of the things that everybody seemed to have to buy more of was warmer clothes, right?

NS: Yes, because Idaho was very cold.

DG: And boots?

NS: And boots. Well, because of the mud. The mud was so bad. With all this construction, it had stirred up the dirt and the dirt was -- there wasn't any grass in the area. And with the buildings going up, they stirred up all the dirt and so when the dust storms came, it was just like, it was worse than a snowstorm. And it came through all the cracks in the walls. It was just terrible.

<End Segment 40> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.