Boomers On Wheels ©

Boomers On Wheels ©. 1940s Trailer Living In The Tri-Cities. , During and following World War II sleek silver trailers offered a mere 147 sq. feet of living space to accommodate an average of 3.7 people. The trailers were designed as travel trailers, but because of a severe housing shortage, many people brought their trailers with them. When completed, the Hanford Construction camp included more than 3,600 spaces and was the world's largest trailer camp. There were also 131 men's barracks, 64 women's barracks, 8 mess halls, separate beer halls for women and men, an auditorium, movie theater, butcher shop, grocery store, Sears outlet, hospital, post office, and bus system. , The trailers provided the only equivalent of "normal" family life (according to Ted Van Arsdol in his book Boomers on Wheels) as barracks were gender specific. People made many homey touches to the trailer spaces in an effort to make them uniquely their own. White picket fences and white painted rocks were used to establish their territory. Wooden framed canopies were provided to help cut the heat, and residents were given grass seed and hoses for landscaping. , Combination laundry/bathhouse buildings were provided for each 30 trailers and became the camp "nerve centers". In addition to their laundry and bathroom functions they became gathering places for neighborhood small talk. Supper parties were also held there since the trailers were just too small for entertaining. , On April 25, 1943 when the federal government broke ground for the World War II Manhattan Project, there were only about 6,700 people living along the 30-mile stretch of the Columbia River between White Bluffs and Hover (13 miles downstream from Kennewick). A year later the construction camp at Hanford was home to 51,000 people. In spring 1945 the camp was closed as the bulk of the construction was completed. , With the Cold War construction boom, another trailer camp was constructed in North Richland about 1947 and grew to include more than 2,200 spaces. Originally spaces were plotted as 40 foot squares but later were shrunk to 25' by 40'. Bathhouses were provided just as they were at Camp Hanford. , Like most trailers from this period, this trailer has a kitchen, living room, bedroom but no bathroom. It was the property of Zane Mayberry who bought the trailer from a Mr. Hill who lived in it in N. Richland. After his father's death, Ron Mayberry donated the trailer to CREHST., Title, 1970,© Ted Van Arsdol