Opened in 1936, Work Camp No. 1 was located on eight acres of land and built to house up to 200 men. It contained 10 buildings, including barracks, workshops, and a recreation hall.
The historical marker is weathered to the point it is mostly gone. And there s not much else to see but a stone chimney.
But any regulars on the Big Rivers trail through Mendota Heights would know that scenic spot overlooking the Minnesota River was Mendota Work Camp No. 1. This is where the Works Progress Administration housed nearly 200 men who worked on roads and quarried limestone near the Mendota Bridge back in the 1930s.
There are other historic reminders around the state of this time when federal programs were all that kept millions from a life of desperation. And the word used to describe the aim of measures like the bill that led to the WPA was always relief.