[2] The history of the Arvin Federal Government Camp begins with the migration of people displaced by the events of the Dust Bowl in the mid-1930s.

A combination of droughts and high intensity dust storms forced many farmers in areas such as Oklahoma to vacate and find a new beginning.

[3] That same year violent winds occurred all over the plains and intensified in 1935 resulting in a series of catastrophic dust storms that were felt as far as New York.

[5] The idea for a labor camp in Kern County was proposed by Lowry Nelson who had been working for in the Rural Rehabilitation Division.

The first administrator of the camp was Tom Collins who set in place an assortment of regulations such as "10 cent daily rental fee for each campsite".

The children also had access to a playground that was located within the camp.Because of the inconsistency in farm work for the migrants, many of whom were unable to secure housing, they were forced into a life of homelessness.

Starvation, unsanitary living conditions, and a lack of access to affordable medical services were issues that plagued residents at the Arvin Federal Government Camp.

"[6] The mistreatment that Okies faced from outsiders forced them to come together and create a community within the confines of the Arvin Federal Government Camp.

[7] The Works Progress Administration paid employees to be present at Arvin offering classes in sewing and quilting which became filled every afternoon.

[2] Even when no events were happening the people who lived at the Arvin Federal Government Camp would come together to listen to music or play cards.

A popular site The Living New Deal has a forum in place that allows previous residents at Arvin to discuss their experiences.

There are three buildings remaining from the camp that make up this National Register of Historic Places property: the community hall, the post office, and the library.

Author Sonora Babb worked at the camp under Collins' supervision and wrote Whose Names Are Unknown, a novel depicting the experiences of a migrant family from Oklahoma that went unpublished until 2004 due to her publisher dropping the book shortly after The Grapes of Wrath was released and met with major success.