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Description
Pictured in 1892 is the Folsom State Prison mess hall. Watermelons, stuck with spoons, await inmates. A guard stands near a back door and a smattering of prisoners sit around the room. Due to a 450-acre section of well-irrigated, arable land behind the prison, Folsom was able to use prison labor to grow its own produce and dairy. 15 acres were used for a vegetable garden, 208 for pastureland and dairy, 200 for farming, and 20 for an orchard. In addition to quarry duty, farming was one of the earliest work projects assigned to inmates.
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