Evening star., 1934-06-17
GARDEN REPLACES
SHANTY VILLAGE
Hoboss Routed to Make
~WaY for Farm Providing
+. for JobleSS.

"shantytown- on the-flats is no
more.
VThe primitive community OF shacks
that used to stretch alorg the eastern
shore OF Kingman Lake has been
burned and its colony of hoboes routed
In order to make way for expansion
OF the subsistence gardens project be-
ing carried on by the Emergency Re-
lief Division.
"Shantytown" was not surrendered
without . struggle, however. The
'trampS who occupied the dozen or so
ahScks that made up the community
enked 1t there, and getting rid of them
WAS one OF We most difhcult tasks
that r. L. King, director of the gar
dens program, was called upon to &C
. eomplish.
. King, who is conducting the project
In cooperation with an Advisory
Committee headed by Mrs. Frederick
II. Brooke, prominent society matron
and social worker, discovered "shanty-
town" several months ago, while max
ing n search for land suitable for de-
'velopment gardens.
Tells Of Discovery.
at was just by accident that I
found it,2 King said Riding around
one day, came across a narrow, un-
NaVed road that wound its way along
the edge of a dump south OF Benning
road northeast, on the other side of
the lake.
"A Il followed the road as far as
%eould in my car. and then, when it
got too rough, climbed out and walked
"A smile or so below Benning road I
sveddenly found myself in 'Shanty-
4wn;;,, ,,,. .-. 49,. ,..
heboes-and most of them were pretty
rough customers, too. The two who
were NOT tramps were victims of the
depression-men who had seen better
days and to- whom 'Shantytown'
represented merely a place of refuge
until things got better.
There was Langhorne S. Rorer, a
man Of about 10, who had been a
farmer all his life. When the depres-
sion got the better of him. he packed
his few personal belongings into his
- wagon and started out Eventually he
wandered into 'Shantytown.'
- Starts 10 Farm.
. Somewhere, he got hold of the
body Of an old bus, and he fitted it up
.saS sleeping quarters. An old Army
.tent served as a sitting room,' and he
even built a stable for his horse. He
cleared away q lot Of the brush, plowed
up the land and went to farming. He
made out all right.
YHI
younger fellow, had a somewhat SINH
lar experience. When he landed in
'Shantytown,' he poined forces with
Rorer, and, between the two of them,
the eastern shore Of the lake was
Transformed into q rather attractive
farm.
The only trouble was the hoboes.
They'd steal Rorer's and Wilson's veg
etables,. break into their shelters,
make themselves generally disagree
table"
sEhrough the cooperation of Will
liam r. Beattie, Agriculture Depart
Arnent horticulturist. King obtained
permission to use the land, which is
aowned by the Federal Government
and Is scheduled for development as a
SpaTL OF Lne AnacOSlta PARK system.
Tramps Battle Laborers
The tramps were offered work on
the. farm, and, when they refused.
were ordered to clear out. There were
. few battles between the hoboes and
the laborers put to work on the tract,
and King finally ordered the shacks
burned.
Now corn, potatoes. tomatoes, cab
bee and wide variety Of other vege-
tables grow where the shantys for
merly stood, and the products being
SFaised will be used to help take care
OF the thousands of families on the
relief rolls. Unlike sthe other tracts
being used in connection with the
subsistence project, the "Shantytown"
area was not divided into small gar
denS but was laid out as a COM
niuriity farm.
"ItS pity, in a way, that 'Shanty-
town had to CO." said King. 1T was
"a picturesque place, and there was
D great DIAL OF the romantic about
il, too. But an awful lot Of people
are going to be fed on the stuff were
growing out there"