Today in Labor History April 10, 1941: Police burned down Seattle's largest Hooverville. Hoovervilles were shanty towns set up by workers impoverished during the Great Depression to protest the policies of President Hoover. Seattle's Hooverville was first constructed in 1931 and encompassed 25 city blocks. The police had burnt it down twice before, but each time, residents had rebuilt it. There were other symbols of poverty that were named after President Hoover. For example, a Hoover blanket was a blanket made of old newspapers. A Hoover flag was a pocket turned inside out. And Hoover leather was old cardboard used to line the insides of worn-out shoes.