Campo life and families

The Cano family together at the a Terminous campo were one of many families to move to the San Joaquin Delta region for agricultural work

Filipino campo in Terminous California. Makeshift housing was created from old train boxcars

While working on a farm, workers also lived on the farm because work began before dawn. Nearly all workers were single men because in 1930 the gender ratio was roughly 14 men to each woman. Housing on the farms consisted of barns, tents, or shacks that little more than shelter from the elements. These housing structures came to be known as “campos.” While agriculture work was nearly impossible for women at the time, some families lived at the campos and the children worked the fields with their fathers. The few women that worked in the fields, disguised themselves as men and received the same wage as men.