Weedpatch Migrant Camp

Overview

Officially known as the Arvin Federal Government Camp, the migrant worker center was most notably featured in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath. This camp was a government rescue center for distressed migrant workers fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Various scenes from the 1940 film adaptation of the novel were filmed at the camp. The camp still aids migrants today. Tours with a presentation are available by contacting Sharon Garrison at 661-431-9418. On the National Register of Historic Places. From Bakersfield: (20 minutes, 16 miles) Take Highway 99 south. Turn left to merge onto Bakersfield Tehachapi Hwy/CA-58 E. Take the Weedpatch Hwy/CA-184 exit toward Lamont. Turn right at CA-184 S/Weedpatch Hwy. Turn left at Sunset Blvd. Community center is on right.