Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Sites

A marvelous amphitheater graces the Storm Mountain picnic area.  It was created in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). The amphitheater is built from local stone and backs up against a striking stone cliff, part of the dramatic geology of lower Big Cottonwood Canyon. A path and bridge lead to the amphitheater. The site was renovated by the US Forest Service and Chevron Corp workers in the early 1990s and is still actively used. It is marked by a plaque added at that time and an informational sign, which speaks proudly of the CCC "Forest Army" of the New Deal era...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)  built the Storm Mountain Picnic Area in the lower reaches of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a major recreational area for Salt Lake City.  The CCC young men, supervised by the US Forest Service, laid out picnic sites, built a footbridge over Big Cottonwood Creek and rip-rapped the creek.  They also constructed two stone comfort stations (restrooms), which are no longer in use.   The Storm Mountain picnic area includes a beautiful stone amphitheater. The picnic area is not marked as CCC in origin, but the amphitheater is.  The small dam just above the Storm Mountain picnic area is part...

"Among most impressive projects was the C.C.C.’s construction of the first ski trails on the mountain in Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Charles Lord, a civil engineer overseeing a twenty-five-man work crew from the Moscow camp, carved out several trails, among them: the Ski Master, the Overland, the Perry Merrill, Lord, the S-53, and the Nose Dive. At the base of Nose Drive, the C.C.C. crew constructed a large parking area to accommodate several hundred cars." Lift serviced skiing at present day Stowe started when Sepp Ruschp and the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club opened a rope tow on the Toll House slope...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)'s Company #1193, Camp Britton, constructed the Stratton Brook Picnic Shelter.

The Stuart Guard Station was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s and was in regular use by the U.S. Forest Service for several decades thereafter. The Stuart Guard Station has a small museum right next door offering a glimpse of the 1930s life of a ranger and his family who once lived there. Exhibits of Civilian Conservation Corps projects and original equipment are also on display. It is a scenic stop on the Huntington and Eccles Canyons National Scenic Byway (also known as the Energy Loop Byway). Many of the roads on the byway were also...

The Stuart Nursery was established in 1934 by the Kisatchie National Forest (KNF) in conjunction with the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Although KNF employees managed the nursery, nearby CCC camps with 200 young men each provided manpower for its operation and field planting (Barnett and Burns 2012). Nursery seedling production was about 25 million annually with most of these seedlings shipped to CCC projects that had reforestation emphases. Wakeley’s research, now located at the nursery, took advantage of the CCC crews to apply a variety of nursery cultural practices and to establish outplanting studies. Over the 9-year...

According to the West Virginia Department of Commerce: “Completed and opened in 1937, Stuart Recreation Area is one of four developed recreation areas built by the CCC. Known locally as “Stuart Park,” it became the centerpiece of a large recreation complex built with CCC labor that also included Bickle Knob. Designed by MNF recreation planner H.T. Stoddard, Stuart’s landscaping plan called for large open grassy fields, winding wooded trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, rustic picnic shelters with the central swimming area found along the banks of Shaver’s Fork. Today, the open fields and the historic CCC-built administrative building along with two CCC-built...

From the Forest Service website: "Stubblefield Lake Recreation Area was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. Just an hour north of Houston, in the Sam Houston National Forest, Stubblefield offers great outdoor experiences, including camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking and picnicking."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did major work developing the former Patrick's Point (now Sue-Meg) State Park, which had just been purchased by the new State Parks Commission in 1929. The CCC work was carried out between 1933 and 1937 by the men of Company 1903 at Camp Prairie Creek. Engbeck reports that the CCC enrollees tore out an old road and reconfigured the entry road in a more naturalized fashion; constructed a campground and day-use picnic area, with combination restrooms, washrooms and laundry rooms; rehabilitated a staff residence; and cleared a protective firebreak around the perimeter of the park  (Engbeck, p. 24). The CCC...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did major work developing the former Patrick's Point (now Sue-Meg) State Park, which had just been purchase by the new State Parks Commission in 1929. The work was carried out between 1933 and 1937 by the men of Company 1903 at Camp Prairie Creek. Joseph Engbeck (2002) reports that the CCC enrollees carried out a number of basic improvements to the park, such as a new entry road, a campground and day-use picnic area, and a protective firebreak around the perimeter of the park  (Engbeck, p. 24). Evidently, the CCC crews did more than that, as rangers at the...

Located in the Umatilla Forest of northeastern Oregon, the Summit Creek Guard Station provides an early example of the US Forest Service's development of such forest management complexes. Overtime, guard stations replaced lookout towers. Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees began construction of the complex in 1933. Other sources attribute development of the complex to work completed in 1938. The Depression-era bunkhouse and warehouse still stand. The bunkhouse is available for rental use.    

This park is situated around a high glacial lake near Idaho Springs, Colorado. The park contains a CCC shelter designed by J. J. B. Benedict. According to the National Register of Historic Places, "the structure is an example of the rustic style of architecture use of native material in proper scale, the avoidance of undiluted hard lines and over-sophistication to ensure harmony and continuity between the natural and man-made elements. The location of the structure within the park and the use of native materials expresses an assimilation with nature."

Sumner Lake State Park is located northwest of Fort Sumner and contains  large reservoir created by the Sumner Dam in the 1930s. The CCC, the WPA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation constructed the dam between 1935 and 1939. Other CCC structures in the vicinity include five rock bridges (along the east side of the lake) and two bunkers near the dam built in 1939.

The Sunbeam Hot Springs was greatly improved for public use by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  In 1937, enrollees from the Clayton CCC Camp built a bathhouse on a walled, concrete platform overlooking the Salmon River, with two access stairways from the road above, a pump house (?), and a paved path down to the river. Bathers  could change in the bathhouse and proceed down the path to the river, where the hot springs water from the hillside mixes with river water. The bathhouse is not used today. An information panel next to the bathhouse reads: "The bathhouse was completed in 1937...

"The Division of Grazing (Grazing Service as of 1939) operated the greatest number of CCC programs in the state. There were several reasons for this. First of all, Nevada has the largest public domain (nonallocated federal acreage) of any of the forty-eight states. With little trouble, Nevada's elected officials and stockmen easily persuaded national CCC officials to approve requests for several new grazing camps, notwithstanding national CCC program budget cuts. Second, following passage of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, a large workforce was needed to implement its ambitious provisions. Even with CCC assistance, the amount of work needing to...

"The Sunset Highway No. 47 (see Oregon highways and routes), in the state of Oregon, is an official designation for the portion of U.S. Route 26 between its western terminus, south of Seaside, and the interchange with Interstate 405 in downtown Portland...The road was originally named the Wolf Creek Highway and was under construction by January 1933. Both the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps participated in the construction during the Great Depression. Portions of highway officially opened to the public on September 19, 1941. In 1949, the highway was completed." (Wikipedia) "The Wolf Creek and Wilson River highways were...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) undertook forest conservation work in Superior National Forest under the supervision of the U.S. Forest Service.

From 1934 to 1935, the Civilian Conservation (CCC) reconstructed a suspension bridge, spanning the St. Louis River, at Jay Cooke State Park.

Workers from the Camp Sisters Civilian Conservation Corps (Company #1454) provided the necessary labor for improvement to US Forest Service land on the south shore of Suttle Lake over a number of years (approx.. 1935-1937). The CCC workers constructed campgrounds, trails, picnic spots, and outdoor fireplaces.  In 1936, the CCC members built the Suttle Lake-Camp Sherman road. On the south shore of Suttle Lake, a natural lake located within the Deschutes National Forest on the east side of the Cascades, are three large campgrounds and two day-use areas.

Sutton State Forest is located in Sutton, Massachusetts. Portions of the forest area were owned by the state of Massachusetts prior to the creation of the New Deal programs, but the Civilian Conservation Corps made large scale improvements to it. Sutton State Forest is most well-known for Purgatory Chasm, a natural rock feature, and Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is located within the boundaries of Sutton State Forest. However, Purgatory Chasm had already been transformed into a sightseeing destination in the early 1900s, so the CCC did not work on that attraction. CCC Camp S-84 came to the forest in the fall...

The CCC built an administrative building, a pavilion, and a restroom at Swallow Falls State Park. All are still in use. The CCC boys also planted trees, performed fire suppression work, and engaged in other projects throughout the area. Visitors to Swallow Falls State Park can camp, hike, picnic, and swim; but extreme caution should be used when swimming due to wet rocks, several waterfalls, and strong currents. There are, however, calm areas to swim, for example, the usually-gentle and more sandy Tolliver Falls area. Swallow Falls is one of the most beautiful parks in the country, and a living testament to...

"Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies just two miles south of the town of Sumner, Missouri. It is located near the confluence of the Grand and Missouri Rivers, and is bordered on the south by Yellow Creek. The refuge was established in 1937 and consist of 10,795 acres of bottomland forest, grasslands, marshes, and managed moist soil wetlands. Following purchase of the land, the Civilian Conservation Corps began work on the refuge creating wetlands, constructing roads and buildings, and initiating the refuge farming program."

The single-lane, Pratt/Parker Truss bridge was built in 1936 by the CCC.

"The Division of Grazing (Grazing Service as of 1939) operated the greatest number of CCC programs in the state. There were several reasons for this. First of all, Nevada has the largest public domain (nonallocated federal acreage) of any of the forty-eight states. With little trouble, Nevada's elected officials and stockmen easily persuaded national CCC officials to approve requests for several new grazing camps, notwithstanding national CCC program budget cuts. Second, following passage of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, a large workforce was needed to implement its ambitious provisions. Even with CCC assistance, the amount of work needing to...

"The site contains two historic buildings: a forest ranger residence and a small barn with corral. Both buildings sit adjacent to the perennially flowing Sycamore Creek in an open forest of piñon pine and juniper and shaded by large sycamore trees along the creek. The buildings were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees between 1940 and 1941. The cabin contains original CCC-constructed furniture. Recently restored, the cabin is now part of the Forest Service rental program, "Rooms with a View" and is available to the public for daily rental."

The old "Beverage Garden" is part of the Jefferson Barracks Historic Site in Sylvan Springs Park. It was constructed by the CCC in 1939. It consists of a sunken patio with a stream running through it and surrounded by decorative walls of stone in a classic CCC type construction. There is a plaque in the wall on the east side of the gardens. It served as a “beer garden” in the run-up to and during WW2, being immediately adjacent to Jefferson Barracks. It is no longer in use, however much of the stonework remains.

"T.O. Fuller State Park is a state park in the city of Memphis in West Tennessee. It consists of 1,138 acres (4.6 km²) of mostly forest located in South Memphis on Mitchell Road. It is the only state park within the city limits and is one of the few locations within the city suitable for wildlife. The park is named in honor of Dr. Thomas O. Fuller, who spent his life empowering and educating African Americans. The park facilities were originally built for the use of African Americans in the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It was the second...

"Table Rock State Park is a 3,083-acre (12.48 km2) park at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Pickens County, South Carolina. The park includes Pinnacle Mountain, the tallest mountain totally within the state. The park features a lodge restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that includes a kitchen and a 72-seat dining room. There are two park lakes with seasonal swimming permitted and hiking trails that lead to the Pinnacle Mountain Summit (two routes), Mill Creek Falls, and the summit of Table Rock. A nature center offers educational programs, and there are picnic shelters and a playground. The 1.9-mile...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Calpine lookout tower in 1934. The forest fire lookout tower was in service until 1975. The three-story structure has exterior stairs, a ground floor storage room, a second floor sleeping room, and the observation cab on the top floor. The structure is one of the many CCC-built lookout towers that have been used for decades to spot wildfires fires in California's forests. According to the Forest Service: "Calpine lookout is an “L-7” or windmill style enclosed tower with a “BC-3” cab and has been determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The...

The Tall Peak Fire Tower is located southeast of Mena on Forest Service Road No. 38A in Polk County in Ouachita National Forest. The tower is a two story, field stone and wood structure built on a continuous stone foundation. The first level is made of field stone and each comer has the distinctive inward-sloping corners peculiar to Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) construction. The fist level consists of a single room that has two small, stationary windows on the west and south sides and a single door on the east side. The north side of the structure has an external...

"The CCC crews cut trails, built shelters on Bald Rock and down on the shore across from the old Sagamore site. Eventually, that would become the entrance to the new Camden Hills State Park. At Camp Tanglewood they constructed cabins, a dining hall, staff quarters, sewer and water systems and an infirmary using locally-purchased materials. After it was completed the Bangor YWCA contracted to use the new facility for a summer camp. Once the park, including Camp Tanglewood, was finished it was turned over to the state of Maine to administer as a state park."

"Still-visible stone walls enclosing the banks of the Ten Mile River in parts of Attleboro and North Attleboro attest to the CCC's flood control efforts." Some stone walls are visible, for example, from West Street in Attleboro.

The community of Mineral Wells hoped for the State of Texas to establish a new state park near where the Bankhead Highway crossed the Brazos River. That plan failed to materialize, so the city offered its existing 70-acre city park to the state. Known as Millings Park at the time, it was designated SP-8 for development. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1811 arrived in Mineral Wells on June 17, 1933 and divided its time between the park and the nearby National Guard facility at Camp Wolters. The company left on January 2, 1934. The CCC built entrance portals, roads, stone stairs, a...

The Thayer Lake East Shelter Cabin is a historic cabin in the Admiralty Island National Monument. It is one of the several cabins the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the Tongass National Forest for public recreation during the 1930s, and is part of the Admiralty Island Canoe Route. As reported on a registration form of the National Register of Historic Places, the cabin was in ruins as of 1995. The site continues to be a stop for canoers. “The Thayer Lake East Shelter Cabin site is the ruin of a three-sided shelter. It was not built in the post-and-beam style typical of the other...

The Thayer Lake North Shelter Cabin is a historic cabin at the north end of Thayer Lake, in the Admiralty Island National Monument. It is one of the several cabins the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the Tongass National Forest for public recreation during the 1930s, and is part of the Admiralty Island Canoe Route. A registration form of the National Register of Historic Places reports on the condition of the cabin as of 1995: “The Thayer Lake North Shelter Cabin is a three-sided Adirondack style shelter cabin that was part of the Admiralty Island Canoe Route, a Civilian Conservation Corps project in...

The Thayer Lake South Shelter Cabin is a historic cabin at the south end of Thayer Lake, in the Admiralty Island National Monument. It is one of the several cabins the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the Tongass National Forest for public recreation during the 1930s, and is part of the Admiralty Island Canoe Route. A registration form of the National Register of Historic Places reports on the condition of the cabin as of 1995: “The Thayer Lake South Shelter Cabin is a three-sided Adirondack style recreation shelter. The cabin has a peeled log superstructure and shake walls and roof. The building's present appearance matches...

Jay Cooke State Park’s River Inn, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) using a local rock known as gabbro, is among the “largest CCC buildings in Minnesota.”

The Utah Outdoor Association, working with the local Forest Service office in the Wasatch National Forest, created the Community Camp in 1921.  It was built on the site of a former tree nursery put there c. 1900 to reforest Big Cottonwood Canyon, which had been completely denuded of trees in the 19th century to build early Salt Lake City.  In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) added many new facilities to the Community Camp, including more campsites, tent platforms, baseball fields, horseshoe pitches and a volleyball court. A ski jump and toboggan slide were added in 1936-37 at the mouth of Day's Fork,...

 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees removed snow from the grounds of the White House after a snowstorm in March 1941.

In 1934-36, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the beautiful amphitheater at Aspen Grove – today known as the Theater in the Pines.  The amphitheater has an elegant stone stage that includes back and side walls with entrances for actors stage left and stage right, plus a tunnel behind the stage for easy movement and steps up to the top of the walls on both side. There is an orchestra pit, also in stone, and planting beds for flowers.  Surprisingly, the stage is built over a seasonal creek that passes through an arched tunnel beneath.  On each side of the stage area...