1932 presidential campaign sign from Flickr user Tony the Misfit, from a Washington State Antique shop; Central Park Hooverville via Legends of America:
[T]the stock market crashed in 1929… just as a rectangular reservoir north of Belvedere Castle was being taken out of service. By 1930, a few homeless people set up an informal camp at the drained reservoir but were soon evicted. But,having nowhere to go, they [came] back and as public sentiment became more sympathetic, they were allowed to stay. Called “Hoover Valley,” the reservoir soon sported a number of shacks on what was labeled “Depression Street.” One was even built of brick with a roof of inlaid tile constructed by unemployed bricklayers. Others built dwellings from stone blocks of the reservoir, including one shanty that was 20 feet tall.
