Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Sites

Constructed by the 742nd Company of the Arkansas Civilian Conservation Corps District stationed at Mena Camp, this was "…part of a small public recreational complex within the Ouachita National Forest…" (Arkansas Historic Preservation Program). The site includes two dams, a bathhouse, and a picnic shelter, which remain in use.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Overlook shelter on Brian Head Peak in the Dixie National Forest in 1935.  The rustic stone shelter at 11,300 feet provides a panoramic view of the Cedar Breaks, which were declared a national monument by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933.  The CCC team also built the road up to the overlook. A CCC camp had been established at Zion National Park in 1933, and in 1934 the CCC set up a 'stub camp' (closed in the winter months) at Cedar Breaks. In 1935, work teams were sent into Dixie National Forest where they worked...

The Owl's Head summit is one of the areas in Groton State Park developed by the CCC: "In 1933, CCC Company 146 from Rhode Island was stationed along the road to Osmore Pond. Approximately ¾ mile from the campground on the left, you will see the remains of a stone fence at the entrance to the camp, the Recreation Hall chimney, and cellar holes. Company 146 was responsible for building structures at New Discovery, Osmore Pond, Owl’s Head, and Kettle Pond... A stone fire tower built in 1935 is the highlight at the summit . As you are hiking to the summit,...

The WPA and the CCC worked in Ozark National Forest, including building Lake Wedington and the surrounding recreation area and three natural stone cabins on White Rock Mountain. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program further describes CCC activity in the area as follows: "The seventy contributing resources that comprise the Gray Spring Recreation Area/Forest Service Road #1003 Historic District (Ozark-St. Francis National Forest) were constructed in 1934-35 by the enrollees of the 748th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Arkansas District, working out of their camp at Cass, Arkansas (located approximately five miles to the east of this district).  The Cass camp...

The CCC did extensive work in the park, including building a day use area and an impressive log and stone picnic pavilion on the shores of Lake Huron.

Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in Connecticut. After the land was acquired by the state, "Laborers from New Deal programs such as the ... Civilian Conservation Corps then turned these newly acquired lands into usable open space ..." The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)’s Camp Lonergan, which housed Company #179, was stationed at Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown, Connecticut. The camp was established June 6, 1933 and was discontinued May 28, 1942. A CCC Museum exhibit discusses the camp's accomplishments. "The largest state forest in Connecticut was home to a camp named after Senator Augustine Lonergan. A shingle mill was set up near...

The Oregon Skyline Trail, a portion of today's Pacific Crest Trail, was established in 1920. Its popularity among hikers and climbers grew to such an extent that a 1934 study of trail conditions produced a detailed report. Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees provided much of the labor for the recommended improvements. Improvements included relocation of stream fords due to hazardous or inconvenient conditions, alternative routes over portions of the trail, evaluation of campsites, recommendations for building of shelters, latrines, and garbage pits, and new trail signs and maps. Construction of shelters on the Skyline Trail was one notable priority facilitated by CCC...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp F-23 at Packers Meadows, Selway Forest, Idaho.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) maintained a camp at Pactola Lake SD from 1933 to 1940.  It was designated Camp F-4 and worked under the supervision of the US Forest Service.  Recruits at Camp F-4 worked chiefly in the Black Hills National Forest of western South Dakota. "Camp F-4 was part of a national CCC program to renovate forests and build more recreation areas. Work projects, supervised by the USDA Forest Service, included tree thinning, pruning and planting, fire prevention and suppression; rodent, insect and disease control, grazing land improvement and recreation area development. Enrollees removed dead, diseased, suppressed and excess...

The delightful Painted Desert Inn was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working under the National Park Service (NPS), with a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  They completely rebuilt a private inn called the Stone Tree House, which had been constructed in the 1910s, which was purchased and added to the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1936 (the monument had been designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and  was elevated to Petrified Forest National Park in 1962). The design of the Desert Inn by the NPS's Lyle Bennett is Pueblo Revival style, which was popular in the Southwest...

The delightful Painted Desert Inn was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working under the National Park Service (NPS), with a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA), from 1936 to 1940. The design of the Desert Inn by the NPS's Lyle Bennett is Pueblo Revival style, which was popular in the Southwest at the time. It features a flat roof, stucco walls and rounded corners, with open beam ceilings and protruding roof timbers.   There are elegant interior decorations done by the CCC enrollees, including etched floors, wooden furniture, metal light fixtures and painted skylight glass. Walls murals were added...

The Painted Desert Inn was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working under the National Park Service (NPS), with a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  They completely rebuilt a private inn called the Stone Tree House, which had been constructed in the 1910s, which was purchased and added to the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1936 (the monument had been designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and  was elevated to Petrified Forest National Park in 1962).  The reconstruction was done in 1937-40. The Stone Tree House had no water supply, so the CCC enrollees brought running water via...

“The ranger station, built in 1939 by Lake County men and CCC crews, is located just outside of Paisley, a cattle town in northern Lake County off highway 31. The rustic style architecture is typical of the area. On the grounds is a dugout canoe built by CCC workers from a pine tree.” –“CCC Landmarks: Remembering the Past”

"Pakomet Spring. This area was developed by the CCC in 1936 and 1937 as a roadside pull-off, reflecting the increased presence of automobiles in the reservation during the 1930s. It formerly included guard rails, landscaping, tables, and seats. All that remains is a mortared stone wall flanking the entrance to a U-shaped drive." 1936 Massachusetts Metropolitan District Commission annual report: "The Pakomet Spring parking area was completed early in the season. This development, located on the easterly side of Randolph Avenue, provides an at attractive spot for picnic parties. The work involved consisted of the construction of natural stone entrance walls, suitable...

The Palisades Interstate Park system, a major beneficiary of New Deal public works projects, spans New York and New Jersey and stretches from The Palisades—cliffs overlooking the Hudson River in sight of Manhattan—to forested hills dotted with lakes in the western Hudson Highlands. The park system was founded in 1900 through the activism of women’s clubs that fought to protect the Palisades
from quarrying. They were aided by some of the richest men in America, among them J.P. Morgan, the Rockefellers and the Harriman family. Mixing civic idealism and the desire to preserve the beauty of their own region, they purchased or...

The Henry Hudson Drive provides access to sections of the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey located on the banks of the Hudson River. The section of the drive from the Englewood Cliffs entrance to the Edgewater entrance were built by New Deal laborers.  (A section to the north of this portion precedes the New Deal.) Three New Deal agencies—the Civil Works Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Works Progress Administration—were involved in the construction of the road. Further north, the Alpine Approach Road and its retaining walls in the northern section of the park were also built by New Deal...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the picnic area on Henry Hudson Drive near the Hudson River in the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey.    

Palisades Playground and Park was developed by New Deal agencies in the mid-1930s. The field house was built with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936. That same year, the Washington Post reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers had been hired by the District for rehabilitation and improvement of the park. In addition, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) also did work on Palisades Playground, according tothe Historic American Buildings Survey of CCC activity around Washington.  Palisades Playground and Park contains tennis courts, a soccer field, basketball court, skate spot, baseball field, and play areas, plus a notable field house on the...

Palmetto State Park is located on the San Marcos River between Luling and Gonzales, Texas in Gonzales County and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park consists of 270 acres of land purchased from the City of Gonzales and private owners. The park was constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Companies 873, 886, and 1823(CV) between 1934 and 1937, with some funding from the National Park Service and opened to the public as a state park in 1936. The CCC built Park Road 11, a low water crossing on the San Marcos River, water tower/storage building, refectory,...

"PALO DURO CANYON STATE SCENIC PARK. Palo Duro Canyon State Scenic Park, in Armstrong and Randall counties twelve miles east of Canyon on Texas Highway 217, covers 16,402 acres of scenic geological strata and formations that are estimated to be several million years old... As the Great Depression heightened in March 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the establishment of four CCC camps of about 200 men each to work in the canyon for a period of five months. The park acreage was increased to its present size to better accommodate the CCC crews, who built El Coronado Lodge and six...

Palomar Mountain State Park is home to a variety of hiking, camping and other outdoor activities, as well as to the Palomar Observatory. New Deal work included an access road to the observatory as well as the construction of numerous other trails and camp facilities. Different sources cite the CCC and the WPA alternatively. While the CCC must have been responsible for the general park work, it seems that one or more of the access roads may have been built by the WPA. In fact, this may have been the first WPA project in San Diego County.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a side camp at Pana'ewa Forest on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Pana'ewa Forest has been heavily developed with the growth of Hilo, the main city on the island, but some small pieces remain, especially as Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens and Pana'ewa Forest Reserve.   The CCC enrollees worked in in the vicinity of this camp and their work included tree planting; building truck, foot and horse trails; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic...

The amphitheater in the Papago Buttes at the north end of the Papago city park in Phoenix AZ was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-34. "Civilian Conservation Corps camp SP5A constructed an amphitheater built into Papago Buttes southeast of the Arsenal between December 1933 and April 1934. The open-air amphitheater accommodates 3,500 people; it has been used for many functions, but most memorable were the Easter Sunrise Services." (content.library.arizona.edu) Maintenance of the amphitheater appears to be somewhat neglected today (2019).

Paradise Campground is less than a mile and a half from the McKenzie Ranger Station on the south bank of the McKenzie River. This camping area was laid-out and improved by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees from CCC Camp Belknap in 1937. When constructed it included both the current Paradise Campground and the adjacent Paradise Day Use Area. At the time, "Paradise Camp" was meant to serve as many as five-hundred campers. Today the Campground's 64 campsites serve visitors to the Willamette National Forest. The campground offers access to the McKenzie River as well.

Paradise Day Use Area is just a mile and a half from the McKenzie Ranger Station on the south bank of the McKenzie River. This picnic area was laid-out and improved by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees from CCC Camp Belknap in 1937. When constructed it included both the current day use area and the adjacent Paradise Campground. At the time, "Paradise Camp" was meant to serve as many as five-hundred campers. In addition to the picnic areas with stone fireplaces/stoves, an amphitheater is located in the day use area. The log benches with back rests, laid out in two columns of...

Mount Rainier was the nation's fifth National Park, established 1899. During the Great Depression the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps greatly aided the park's development. Wikipedia: "The Paradise Ski-Tow Powerhouse was built to house a portable ski-tow system. Paradise was a significant skiing venue during the 1930s, but the Park Service did not permit a permanent ski lift facility. The ski-tow house was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps with a steeply pitched roof similar to that of the ranger station." Based on a map on a National Register of Historic Places nomination form (wa.gov, .pdf page 21), Living New Deal...

"Establishing communications between outlying ranger stations was imperative. Crews built roads and telephone lines between the Paradise Valley Ranger Station and the outlying station at Martin Creek. The men also constructed the administrative buildings at Paradise Ranger Station and the forest supervisor’s compound in Elko. The construction of the Elko-Mountain Home road generated widespread interest and attracted dignitaries including Senator Pat McCarran, Governor Richard Kirman, Congressman James Scrugham, Attorney General Gray Mashburn, and state and highway officials." --The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada

These football field bleachers were constructed of native rock in the valley by the CCC, Company 3747 which was based in Paris from 1935-1939.  During that time, their primary work was agricultural terracing and drainage improvement.

Paris Mountain State Park was developed in large part by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). "CCC structures, including the Camp Buckhorn lodge, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places." The state park on Paris Mountain was built in the 1930s by the Depression-era CCC. Sixteen other parks in the state of South Carolina were also created due to the work of the CCC. The land for the park was acquired in 1935 from the city of Greenville." CCC work included the development of the entrance, road construction, a bathhouse and an office, picnic facilities, staff residences, a gazebo, the development...

The Park Avenue Observatory was built in 1934. Park Avenue was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps along the base of Mt. William as a scenic route into the city of Port Jervis and to provide employment to the people in Port Jervis. The observatory was built along the road the following year.

"The ultimate direction of development in the parks became an important issue due to the increase in construction activity during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. To ensure that this activity was proceeding in an orderly fashion, long-term planning was essential. Serious work along this line began in FY 1931, and resulted in the preparation by Vint and Sager of a master plan program for the National Park Service. The first Service master plans were six-year ones to be revised each year as work was completed. Each landscape architect was responsible for developing plans for his particular field areas. By mid-1932...

Park Road 4 is a 15.5-mile, two-lane scenic parkway that extends west from U.S. Highway 281 and terminates at State Highway 29 to the west of Burnet. It travels through Longhorn Cavern State Park and skirts the eastern edge of Inks Lake State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the first several miles were in the mid-1930s to provide visitor access to the newly renovated Longhorn Cavern State Park. Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers extended the road west of the park headquarters in the early 1940s. The road connected with Farm-to-Market Road 2342, and was finally completed concurrently with...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) "helped to rebuild the flood-damaged Walnut Canyon road" after a major flood in September 1941. This is the "main" road for the park, now known as Carlsbad Cavern Highway.

3 CCC camps were actively involved in the park's development from 1933-1942. In addition to repairing the pond and building Parker Dam, the CCC cleared beaches and bought a bathhouse and other bathing facilities. They also carried out extensive reforestation efforts, and built miles of roads, trails and bridges. Some traces of the CCC camps still remain.

Built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps company quartered at Camp South Fork, the Parker Meadows Shelter is typical of "rustic" style trail shelters or fire guard shelters constructed on the National Forest during the period. Constructed along an important Forest road, the shelter was intended for recreational purposes and associated with a nearby campground. The shelter was open for use by anyone and probably contained a fire-tool cache in a locked box, for potential fire emergency use (LaLande, August 4, 1999). Records of CCC activity associated with Camp South Fork refer to five man-months of labor at Parker Meadows...

"In 1930, the State purchased 918 acres of land and a 108 acre lake.  On September 12, 1931 the property was dedicated as Parvin State Park. The new Park continued to be a popular recreation area, adding camping to its list of activities.  Water festivals with swimming races were held each summer during the early years of the Park.  Joe Truncer was appointed as the first Park Superintendent and Bob Seymour, who had been the caretaker under the previous owner, became a Park employee.  Between 1932 and 1933 Almond Road was moved about 50 yards north of its earlier location in...

"The campsites are surrounded by and terraced with rockwork. The highlight of the CCC work in the campground is the Nature Den. It was originally built as the Winter Shelter. At that time, park activities included skiing, tobogganing, and ice skating. " from the Cuyamaca State Park CCC Heritage Adventure Site https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25411

"Conservation efforts began in the river valley in 1907 when the Patapsco State Forest Reserve was established. During the Depression years of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted trees and built trails, picnic areas, campsites and handsome cut-stone pavilions to improve what had by then become "Patapsco State Park". Company 356 of the Civilian Conservation Corps made its encampment near Lost Lake at Camp Tydings in the Avalon Area. The CCC built the stone picnic shelters in Orange Grove and Glen Artney (not visible from the river). The CCC was also responsible for planting trees in...

In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up camp at Pattison State Park in Superior, Wisconsin. Pattison State Park was named for Martin Pattison, a wealthy Superiorite who had purchased the land in 1918 and gave it to the state in order to preserve its resources. The land became a state park in 1920. At Camp Pattison, the Corpsmen of Company 3663 would improve the park from a miniscule natural area to the expansive work of conservation it is today. During its construction, the men of Camp Pattison transformed the park by clearing out and building trails and bridges, renovating...

President Franklin Roosevelt created Patuxent Research Refuge (PRR) with Executive Order 7514, December 16, 1936, and Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace dedicated it on June 3, 1939.  The refuge began with 2,670 acres and has since grown to 12,841 acres. It is “the nation's only national wildlife refuge established to support wildlife research” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Several New Deal agencies helped to build the extensive facilities at the Patuxent Research Refuge. At the time, wildlife refuges came under the direction of the Bureau of Biological Survey (later merged into the Fish & Wildlife Service).  The Works Progress Administration (WPA)...