The Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a CCC Project Source City and County of Denver
On Tuesday, August 4, the United States Department of Interior and National Park Service announced the placement of Mount Morrison CCC Camp and Red Rock’s Amphitheatre on the register of National Historic Landmarks (NHL). A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, or object officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding degree of historical significance. Of over 85,000 places listed on the country’s National Register of Historic Places, only about 2,500 are recognized as National Historic Landmarks. Mount Morrison and Red Rocks Amphitheatre are Colorado’s 25th National Historic Landmark and the first New Deal-era historic sites to receive NHL listing in the Centennial State. “It’s nice because it recognizes the years and years of work that went into building the amphitheater and making the park into the really special place it is,” said Red Rocks spokesman Brian Kitts. The 14-year effort to designate was spearheaded by the not-for-profit Friends of Red Rocks and received endorsements from musicians, politicians, and historians across the country.
Camp SP-13-C opened at Mount Morrison in 1935 and closed in 1942. CCC Company 1848 and Veterans’ Company 1860 lived here while working on projects in nearby Mountain Parks and especially on Red Rocks Amphitheatre. In January 1943, the camp was turned over to the City of Denver and used by Boy Scout troops and other groups. The CCC Camp is presently the maintenance headquarters for Denver Mountain Parks and most of the buildings are used for storage. 14 of the original 15 CCC buildings remain, making it one of the most intact Civilian Conservation Corps camps remaining in the United States. The Recreation Hall on site houses a small museum dedicated to the CCC, with artifacts and memorabilia on display thanks to the efforts of NACCCA Alumni Chapter 7, who collected the materials.
According to NPS officials, both the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Mount Morrison CCC Camp retain a significant amount of their historical resources. Red Rocks Park and Mount Morrison CCC Camp are located 25 minutes from downtown Denver. The camp is open to the public only by appointment, in season. Email [email protected] to arrange a visit or call the office at (720) 865-0900.
Learn more about the CCC in Colorado here: https://coloradoccc.org/
Robert Krause is an Historic Preservation Planner with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in United States History from the University of Mississippi in 2010, with emphases in Environmental and Public History. Dr. Krause has worked as a curator, historian, and preservationist in federal, state, and local government agencies since 2001. Krause grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and his grandfather and great-uncle were enrollees in the Civilian Conservation Corps.