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Housing of farm workers was one of the most critical factors in the success of the Emergency Farm Labor Service. Lack of housing sometimes made placing available labor impossible. On-farm housing was promoted as the best means of accommodating workers and the Emergency Farm Labor Service succeeded in increasing the quantity and quality of on-farm housing. When on-farm housing was not sufficient, local farmers organizations were asked to help establish farm labor camps. Many such camps were established throughout Oregon for interstate and intrastate migratory workers. Several were operated by the OSC Extension Service, including Coburg (Lane County), Merrill and Malin (Klamath County), The Dalles (Wasco County), Milton-Freewater (Umatilla County), Redmond (Deschutes County), Prineville (Crook County), Hillsboro (Washington County), and Salem (Marion County).
Most of the camps operated from one to four months during a location's peak harvest season and could house from 100 to 500 people. They often consisted of tents on wooden bases and common toilet, shower, and laundry facilities. Some camps, such as the one at Malin, could also accommodate travel trailers. The camp staff normally consisted of a manager, clerk, and caretaker. Health care workers were obtained locally. Robert G. Fowler, farm labor information assistant in 1946, observed that "living conditions in the camps I saw were akin to camping in place -- unwashed kids, dirt, and a pretty hard-scrabble living. It made you appreciate a college education."
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