The Annual Exodus to the Hop Fields
Puyallup growers place a massive call for labor, setting the stage for a seasonal migration of workers.
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An order for 1,020 hop pickers was placed with the city free employment bureau today by the hop growers in and around Puyallup. In order to furnish this number, Manager Collier will sign men, women and children to do the work. The labor will not be hard and all will be given a chance to work. The harvesting and drying of this year's hop crop will not be commenced for several weeks yet, and when the opening day arrives Manager Collier expects to see an exodus of workers from Tacoma to the Puyallup hop fields.
“Manager Collier expects to see an exodus of workers from Tacoma to the Puyallup hop fields.”
The reliance on seasonal agricultural labor from the city center to the rural periphery defined the economic rhythm of the Puget Sound region for generations. While mechanization has changed the scale, the dependence on transient labor pools remains a critical component of regional farming economies.
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