Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Sites

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...

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial was created in the 1930s with the aid of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and National Park Service (NPS). Theodore Roosevelt Island sits in the middle of the Potomac between Arlington and downtown Washington, just within the District of Columbia. The island covers some 88 acres and is both a forest park and a memorial to President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1931, Mason's Island was bought by the Roosevelt Memorial Association, which presented it to the federal government in 1932 to be developed as a memorial to the former president and ardent conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt. Congress authorized the...

"The North Dakota State Historical Society sponsored the three CCC companies that worked in the badlands from 1934 to 1941.  All three CCC companies in the badlands arrived in 1934. About 200 men were assigned to each company... Company 2767’s camp was located on the west bank of the Little Missouri River in what is now the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park  from July, 1934 to 1937. Companies 2771 and 2772 established camps adjacent to one another in 1934 on the north bank of the Little Missouri River near what is now the entrance to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National...

"Thetford State Park was the result of a CCC project. The 262-acre site was given to the State in 1931 by Dwight Goddard. In 1935 the CCC established a camp there. By 1937, the young workers had build a road to the summit of the hill as well as a log picnic shelter, a toilet building, 14 stone fireplaces and tables in a picnic area.   "The park was opened to the public in 1936. According to a park pamphlet, 'all that is left of these original structures are the remains of some fireplaces which are now hidden in the woods.' Currently,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped the picnic grounds below Phoenix Lake Dam and built this picnic shelter, which has recently been restored. Three Bear Hut was in poor condition as of 2016.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter, atop Mount Greylock, in 1940.

The Tilden Park Botanical Garden for California native plants was built by the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940-42. The garden was the brainchild of Professor Howard McMinn of Mills College, in 1938.  He knew of an extensive collection of California native plants at the US Forest Service's California Forest and Range Experiment Station in Berkeley, which had been assembled with the help of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) teams gathering seeds. Under Prof. McMinn's urging, the Forest Service and EBRPD formed a cooperative agreement to create a new botanic garden...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) built as many as twenty picnic grounds in Tilden Park over the course of the New Deal period. These areas lie along the Loop Road, Central Park Drive and South Park Drive (see map).  They are all still in use except for one replaced by a later merry-go-round. The work normally included clearing and leveling the ground, building picnic tables and fireplaces.  Reports by the park district indicate that 28 outdoor fireplaces were built, along with 350 picnic tables.  Several picnic areas have playfields, as well.   Most of the original fixtures have been...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a number of stone comfort stations (restrooms) at picnic areas in Tilden Regional Park in 1940-42.  It is possible that some were also built earlier by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which laid out many of the picnic areas.  There are many newer wood and stone restrooms built by Tilden Park staff, but the older stonework – especially of Italian stone masons working for the WPA – is usually distinct from later stonework by the Park District.  The restrooms found at these areas are probably original WPA or CCC work: Padre, Willows, Laurel, Jewel Lake, Big...

The Tillamook Burn was a series of forest fires occurring at approximately six-year intervals between 1933 and 1951. The fires destroyed 355,000 acres of old growth timber in what is now the Tillamook State Forest. At the time of the fires, the majority of timberland belonged to private timber companies. The CCC was instrumental both in fighting the fires in the early 1930s and in replanting much of the area destroyed by the burn.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Timber Creek Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park (Brock, p 40).  Timber Creek was the first campground on the west side of the park, in the valley of the upper Colorado River. Brock says the campground was done in 1941, but that doesn't jibe with information on the comfort stations, which were built in 1939, according to the national register; presumably the campground and comfort stations were done at the same time. The three comfort stations, or restrooms, constructed by CCC enrollees were designed in 1935 in classic Rustic Style by National Park Service landscape architect...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was present in Death Valley National Monument  from 1933 to 1942.  The main CCC camp was at Cow Creek, just north of the park headquarters and visitors center at Furnace Creek.   Among the many projects undertaken in the park was building a permanent Shoshone Village on a 40-acre site just south of Furnace Creek.  The National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs selected the site.  We do not know more about how that decision was made and what input the Shoshone had in it. The CCC built nine adobe houses, a washroom/laundry and a trading...

Timpanogos Cave was designated a national monument on October 14, 1922 and was initially developed and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and volunteer organizations.  The National Park Service took over responsibility for the monument in 1933 but did not undertake full management until 1954. (Wadsworth 2018) The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up camp F-5 in the National Monument, at Granite Flat, in the summer of 1933 and worked on trails and other improvements for public use of the monument. The most important trail work by the CCC enrollees of Company 940 was to extend the original trail up the sheer cliff...

Timpanogos Cave was designated a national monument on October 14, 1922 and was initially developed and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.  The National Park Service took over from the Forest Service in 1933 as part of the Roosevelt Administration's reorganization of national parks and monuments. Timpanogos NM was administered from Zion NP until 1955. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sent the first New Deal workforce into the monument for the summer of 1933.  The Company 940 established a camp at the site now occupied by the Granite Flat campground. Mostly notably, CCC enrollees built a new trail to provide better access...

This Tioga Pass comfort station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.  It sits near the Entrance/Ranger Station at the east entrance to Yosemite National Park, which was built earlier.   The building is done in classic National Park rustic style, with walls constructed of large boulders. Comfort stations was the name used at the time for restrooms with additional washing facilities, which this one does not have; hence, it is literally just a 'restroom'. The Tioga Pass road, which was largely built by the CCC, is closed from the first major snowstorm in November until early summer because...

New Deal agencies realigned and reconstructed 47 miles of the Tioga road from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass over the years 1933 to 1943.  They were not able, however, to complete the road down from Tioga Pass to Lee Vining (Mono Lake), which remained in deplorable condition until it was remade in 1961.  Funding for the Tioga Road project came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) managed construction, using private companies; and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did auxiliary work landscaping roadsides. The National Park Service (NPS) oversaw all work in the park.  The short-lived...

"Tishomingo State Park is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, north of Tupelo. Activities in the park include canoeing, rock climbing, fishing and hiking. The park pays tribute to Tishomingo County's remarkable geography of massive rock formations, found here and in the immediately surrounding areas but nowhere else in Mississippi. The steep cliffs and abundant carboniferous limestone outcrops represent the southwestern extremity of the Southern Appalachian Plateau. Archaeological excavations suggest the presence of Paleo Indians in the area of the park as early as 7000 BCE. The park is named for an early Chickasaw leader who...

The Tobias Peak Lookout is in the Hot Springs District of the Sequoia National Forest: "Probably first used as a lookout observation point sometime around 1912, Tobias Peak Lookout shows up on the 1913 Sequoia Forest work map. A mortar building was constructed on Tobias Peak around this time and was used as a Ranger Outpost and Lookout site. When Sunday Peak Lookout was built circa 1921, Tobias Peak became inactive as a lookout until 1935, when the Forest Service decided Tobias Peak was the better location due to its blocking the view from Sunday Peak. Sunday Peak...

“By the spring of 1936, the CCC continued where they left off in 1934. Crews built a water system for the Kyle Canyon Campground, the Rainbow Canyon summer-home area, the Kyle Canyon Guard Station, and the Air Force Base Rest Camp. Considerable time was also spent cleaning up collapsed CCC barracks destroyed by devastating storms during the previous winter…Once the camp was operational, the CCC began constructing Deer Creek Road into Lee Canyon and building trails to Little Falls and Mount Baldy.” --The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada

According to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, “The CCC improved the nation’s natural and human resources and also created opportunities for the public to recreate and appreciate a healthy outdoor experience. At Tolland ‘Pinecone Johnnies’ built access roads, bridges, trails, the peninsula campground, beach, picnic area and parking lot. Visit the beach and see the bathhouse they built in 1939.”

The Tollgate Campground lies on Highway 26 in the Mount Hood National Forest, close to the village of Rhododendron OR.  It was built by Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) workers from the Zigzag CCC camp – one of many recreational facilities created by the CCC around Mount Hood during the New Deal, chiefly to serve the Portland area. This relatively small, day-use campground features a classic CCC picnic shelter and unusual stone fireplaces.    

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. The CCC constructed numerous fire lookout towers, including that atop Tolmie Peak in 1933. Elevation: 5,939 feet.

The CCC carried out road and trail construction in the Tongass National Forest.

"Camps Newlands and Carson River worked primarily in the Fallon and Fenley areas. While Camp Carson River concentrated on improving the spillway at Lahontan Dam, Camp Newlands took on downstream canals and ditches. Camp Newlands also provided the labor force for the Walker River Irrigation system in Smith Valley. At Topaz Lake, the CCC constructed the levee along the east bank of the intake canal, adding an additional twenty thousand acre-feet of water storage. Camps Newlands and Reno also maintained a summer camp at Boca Dam where enrollees worked on the Truckee Storage Project – a Nevada and California joint...

The Torrey-Boulder Road is one of three roads into Boulder, Utah in Garfield County. Before they were built, Boulder was a completely isolated settlement. The three roads are: Hells Backbone road - northwest from Boulder; Escalante-Boulder road, also called the "Million Dollar Highway';"  Torrey-Boulder Road - north from Boulder. It is certain that Hell's Backbone and the Escalante roads were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  It appears that the Torrey-Boulder road was also started by the CCC, but more information is lacking. The Torrey-Boulder road is now part of Highway 12.  It goes over a 9,000 foot pass and through aspen forests.

In 1938, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Totem Bight State Historical Park. The park, believed to be the site of an old Tlingit fish camp, was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the restoration of totems and Native cultural assets. Located in Ketchikan, the site brings together totem carvings of the Tlingit and Haida people, gathered from uninhabited villages. As barter declined and non-Native settlements proliferated, Alaska Natives began to abandon their villages in remote forest areas and move in search of employment. The settlements and totem art they left behind began to deteriorate. In the late...

The Blackfish Pole is the reproduction of a Tlingit pole that was located in front of Forested Island House on Tongass Island. The pole tells the story of the origin of blackfish (killer whale). This Tlingit heralding totem is a reproduction carved by Charles Brown and a crew of apprentice carvers. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics of the carving: “The Raven, carved with the dorsal fin of the blackfish extending above him, is a special crest. The tiny face on each blackfish represents the blowhole; the human figure represents the...

The Eagle Grave Market Pole is a totem carved in the 1930s by John Wallace. The original was located in the old village of Howkan. The carving found today at the Totem Bight State Historical Park was reproduced from memory by John Wallace. Wallace’s carving has a Chilkat blanket, which is an uncommon detail for this type of totem, and was not present in the original design. The totem is 10’ high and has a 42” base below ground. The design of the blanket evokes clouds, mountains, and the symbolic characters that live in the forest. The photographic material published here...

A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “The fabled bird called Kadjuk, which is the special crest of the head of Kadjuk people of the Raven clan, is at the top of this Tlingit pole that was copied from Cat Island. The undecorated space separating the bird from the other figures symbolizes the lofty habitat of the bird and the high regard in which the crest is held. Raven is the next figure, with his breast forming the headdress of his wife, Fog Woman. She holds two...

This pole was carved at Totem Bight by Charles Brown in the late 1930s. It is a reproduction of a Tlingit pole from Tongass Island. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “The bear and paw prints symbolize Kats’ wife. Kats is a character of Tlingit mythology that lived for a time with a female grizzly bear as his wife. In 1985, Israel Shotridge carved a replica of the bear that replaced the bear carved by Brown.”

The Man Wearing Bear Hat is a reproduction of a Tlingit grave marker or mortuary pole from Cat Island. According to a 2013 Department of Natural Resources Master Development Plan for Totem Bight, the totem represents “a man of the Bear clan wearing a large carved wooden hat surmounted by a bear’s head. Such a hat was worn at a potlatch or other important occasions during which stories were told or dramatized. Charles Brown carved the first copy of this pole in the late 1930s. Israel Shotridge carved a second replica in 1995. “

The Master Carver Pole pole was carved by John Wallace in 1941. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “It was customary on Haida poles to carve the crests of husband and wife. The eagle on the top of this pole is one of the main crests of the Haida Eagle Clan, the clan to which Wallace belonged. The beaver and bullhead
on the pole are also Eagle Clan symbols. The pole additionally includes the opposite crest of the Raven Clan, represented by the raven, bear, blackfish, and...

This Tlingit heralding totem is a reproduction carved by Charles Brown and a crew of apprentice carvers. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics of the carving: “The top figure is a shaman in ceremonial garb, headdress, and fringed leather apron. The figures carved under the shaman depict a series of adventures including the story of the Chief’s Nephew Who Fed Eagles and the story of a woman with a frog husband and children. Near the bottom of the pole, Brown carved one of the many stories about Raven as ‘the trickster.’...

The Raven at the Head of Nass Pole was carved by Charles Brown with the assistance of a team of Civilian Conservation Corps Native carvers. This totem is a reproduction of a Tlingit pole 
located on Tongass Island. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “The top figure on this pole is a chief wearing a spruce root hat. The figure at the bottom of the pole is Raven-at- the-head-of-Nass, from whom Raven stole daylight. The human above Raven-at-the-head-of-Nass represents the ancestors of the Raven clan who...

This Sea Monster Pole was carved by John Wallace circa 1939-1939. It is the reproduction of a totem from the now-uninhabited Haida village of Klinkwan on Prince of Wales
Island. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “A village watchman stands guard at the top of the pole, just above two eagle crests and symbols representing clouds and mountains, the place of eagles. Below these are figures representing the world under the sea—blackfish holding a seal, a sea monster, and a devilfish (octopus) in the act of devouring...

The Clan House is a replica of a community house representative of houses built in the early nineteen-century native villages of Southeast Alaska. It served as the chieftain's dwelling and it also housed several families part of his clan. The structure and its totem art did not originally existed on the current site. The site was a fish camp prior to being turned into a totem park. The paining decorating the façade was created by Charles Brown. It represents a stylized raven figure painted in light blue and brown colors. The eyes of the raven are composed as two stylized faces. Such elaborate...

The Halibut Pole is a Tlingit pole that honors the Halibut House people of the Nexadi clan. According to a nomination form of the National Register of Historic Places, the Halibut is the only pole at Totem Bight that is an old original. Relocated from the Tlingit village of Tuxekan on the Prince of Wales Island, the pole was reconditioned and re-erected at Totem Bight. It was housed at the park until 1970, after which it was relocated to the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan. The replica of the bottomfish (halibut) at the top of an undecorated post that can...

A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “This pole illustrates the mythological conception of thunder. A huge bird that lives on the tops of the highest mountains, the thunderbird, creates thunder by beating its wings, and lightening by blinking its eyes. The thunderbird was said to live in the mountains and come down to prey on whales. The whale at the base of the pole symbolizes the mountaintop where the bird rests before devouring his prey and it is said that whale bones can be found on...

The Thunderer’s Pole is the reproduction of a pole that once stood at Tongass Island. It was carved by Native craftsmen in the late 1930s at Totem Bight for the Civilian Conservation Corps restoration program. A 2013 Department of Natural Resources, Master Development Plan for Totem Bight describes the characteristics and history of the totem: “This Tlingit pole symbolizes thunder, and belongs to the Thunder House people. It depicts four brothers belonging to the Wolf moiety who were changed into Thunderers, mythical beings who live in the sky and on the mountaintops and create thunder and lightning.”

The Village Watchman Poles are part of the structure of the clan house at Totem Bight. This is one of two identical posts that mark the corners the structure, flanking the entry facade. Sitting on the corner posts, a man figure wearing a spruce root hat and a crest design on his face, holds a cane and appears ready for a dance or potlatch. This pole was carved by Charles Brown at Totem Bight for the Civilian Conservation Corps restoration program. The photographic material published here by the Living New Deal was provided by courtesy of Linn A. Forrest (1905-1986), a practicing architect...