Conservation and Public Lands Sites

The historic Mingue Mountain fire lookout tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) working under the supervision of the US Forest Service. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The NRHP Nomination Form gives details: "Located on the Uerde Ranger District, this 59 ft steel x-brace tower with a 7 ft by 7 ft steel cab was erected in 1935, The lookout tower was designed by the Pacific Coast Steel Company. The wood frame cabin, a simple gable roofed structure with an overhanging front porch was also built in 1935. Study of historic photographs...

The Mono Debris Dam was Built by CCC Co. 2928, Camp Mono, in Los Padres National Forest CA, in the vicinity of Santa Barbara. This debris retention dam was built to protect the Gibraltar Reservoir from sedimentation. Gibraltar Reservoir, on the Santa Ynez River is a major source of municipal water supply for the City of Santa Barbara.  

 In 1937 the Bureau of Biological Survey (from 1940, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) purchased 6,432 acres of the former Montezuma Marsh at the northern end of Cayuga Lake (one of the finger lakes of upstate New York).  In 1938, the Montezuma Migratory Bird Refuge was established by Executive Order 7971 to provide a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds on the Atlantic Flyway. The name was changed to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in 1940.  Today, the refuge covered about 9,800 acres. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp to work on this wildlife refuge, as it...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees stationed in the Bridger-Teton National Forest of Wyoming constructed the Monument Ridge Fire Lookout in 1941. The structure is the only remaining fire lookout in Wyoming assembled with precut logs. The wooden cabin looks over the Hoback Ranger District and has a sweeping view of the surrounding mountain ranges. The lookout was used to identify and fight forest fires until the 1970s, when it was decommissioned by the U.S. Forest Service. Today, the Monument Ridge Fire Lookout is a common destination for hikers, bikers and ATV-riders who traverse the Hoback Mountain Range. It remains in relatively good...

The US Bureau of Reclamation built the Moon Lake dam and reservoir in 1935-38. Water supply from the reservoir began in 1938.  The curb and parapet were added in 1940-41. Funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA). Moon Lake Dam is an earth-fill, rock-faced dam, 101 feet high and with a volume of 513,000 cubic yards.  It dams the west branch of the Lake Fork River and the reservoir covers a former natural lake, also called Moon Lake.  The Uinta Mountains rise dramatically upstream of the lake. Moon Lake reservoir is the principle storage facility for the Moon Lake Reclamation Project...

The US Bureau of Reclamation built the Moon Lake Reclamation Project in 1935-41, with the assistance of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  It provides irrigation water for the the Moon Lake Water Users Association in the Duchesne Valley of northeastern Utah. The CCC established a camp, BR-11, under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Reclamation.  It was located near Bridgeland, a hamlet between Duchesne and Myton, on the north side of the Duchesne River.  There is no recognizable trace of the camp left that we could find. Moon Lake Dam and reservoir, built by the Bureau of Reclamation, is the principle element of...

The US Bureau of Reclamation built the Moon Lake Reclamation Project 1935-41, with the assistance of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  It provides irrigation water for the Moon Lake Water Users Association in the Duchesne Valley of northeastern Utah Moon Lake reservoir is the principle storage facility for the project. Moon Lake Dam was built by the Bureau of Reclamation. A secondary storage reservoir, now called Lake Boreham, was created by the CCC-built Midview Dam, The three main distribution canals for the project were built by the CCC:  •The Duchesner Feeder Canal (1934-35), running north-south for 15 miles from the Duchesne River to the...

Midview Dam was constructed between 1935 and 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working under the supervision of the Bureau of Reclamation.  It was built as off-stream storage for the Moon Lake Reclamation Project in the Duchesne Valley of northeastern Utah.   Midview Dam is an earthen dam with a height of 54 feet and length of 1900 feet at its crest. The CCC also built a dike 21 feet high and c. 2,500 feet long to secure the reservoir along its northeastern flank.  The dam is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, but the reservoir is operated by the local...

"Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is a northern treasure in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It consists of nearly 30,000 acres of federally protected lands in northeastern coastal Maine. The refuge's landscape is varied, with rolling hills, large ledge outcroppings, streams, lakes, bogs, and marshes. The diversity of forests and wetlands provides habitat for over 225 species of birds, endangered species, resident wildlife and rare plants. A northern hardwood forest of aspen, maple, birch, spruce and fir dominates the upland. Scattered stands of majestic white pine are common. The Edmunds Division boasts several miles of rocky shoreline where tidal fluctuations of...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, was  purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. In 1935-36, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was called upon to build an amphitheater, designed by the National Park Service, next to the museum. It an seat 500 people. (Brock, p 43). It was added to the national register listing for Moraine Park...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, is home to the Moraine Park Museum.  The building was formerly a private lodge built in 1923.  Both Moraine Park (a glacial valley) and Moraine Lodge were purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. The exterior of the museum building has been preserved in its original form as a typical rustic...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp NP-12 was established at the base of Mt Elden, near Flagstaff AZ, in 1935.  The camp continued through 1942.  Company 3345 was billeted there (and possibly others, but we have no evidence of that, as yet). The CCC enrollees at Mt Elden worked for the National Park Service (NPS) on many projects around the region, including at Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, and Sunset Crater National Monument.  They also helped build the road into the Arizona Snow Bowl in the San Francisco Peaks and Cottage City on the campus of the Teachers College in...

The Mount Shasta Ranger Station was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935 in classic rustic park style.  The original Ranger Station consists of several buildings, including the main office/visitors' center, timber management office, guest house and auxiliary buildings – which remain in pristine condition. The ranger station was the headquarters of the Shasta National Forest (1905) until it was unified with the Trinity National Forest in 1950. It is now one of four management units of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, whose headquarters is in Redding.  A sister station is located in McCloud CA. A relief map of the Shasta-Trinity area hangs...

The CCC did extensive work in Muir Woods National Monument. The National Park Service site summarizes their activity: "The men began work in Muir Woods and the surrounding Tamalpais State Park. Projects included a revetment (rockwork stream banks) in Redwood Creek; construction of a stone-faced concrete bridge on Fern Creek; construction of utility buildings and benches; and the construction of the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheater (the "Mountain Theater"), near Rock Springs, on Mt. Tamalpais. The CCC completed its last project in Muir Woods in May 1941, and was disbanded shortly thereafter."   (https://www.nps.gov/) Not everything the CCC did was ideal by modern standards,...

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Muleshoe Migratory Waterfowl Refuge by executive order on October 24, 1935. In 1940 the name was changed to the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. The original tract purchased for the refuge was 738 acres. The refuge is currently 6,440 acres. One of the primary purposes of the establishment of the refuge was to provide land that could be used to feed birds and thus reduce damage to commercial crops in the area. This would also decrease bird deaths by farmers protecting their crops from destruction. Additional benefits of building the refuge included providing a necessary link...

The United States National Arboretum was established as a public center for scientific research, education, and gardens to conserve and showcase the floral bounty of America and the world.  It was authorized in 1927, but the actual development of the arboretum was accomplished during the 1930s by the New Deal. The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded land acquisition, as well as extensive planning and mapmaking, for the Arboretum. Young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) performed the work under the supervision of the Bureau of Plant Industry (today's Agricultural Research Service) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA)  The Arboretum was established by an...

The New Deal carried out a major renovation of the National Mall, the green centerpiece of Washington DC.  Funding was provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and labor power by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). As of 1939, the PWA had expended $1,050,000  on redeveloping the Mall. Work began in 1934 under the direction of the Superintendent of the National Capital Parks, which had become a branch of the National Park Service when the park system was taken over by the Interior Department under Harold Ickes in August 1933.  One element of the reconstruction of the National Mall was to move and...

The New Deal carried out a major renovation of the National Mall, the green centerpiece of Washington DC.   Funding was provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and labor power by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). As of 1939, the PWA had expended $1,050,000 on the reconstruction work.  As one newspaper put it, “...the mile long park connecting the Capitol with Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial probably would still be in an early stage of development but for the allocation of PWA funds to finish the project."  Work began in 1934 under the supervision of the Superintendent of the National Capital Parks,...

The New Deal carried out a major renovation of the National Mall, the green centerpiece of Washington DC.  Funding was provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA), labor power by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and supervision of the work was the responsibility of the Superintendent of the National Capital Parks, which had become a branch of the National Park Service when the park system was taken over by the Interior Department in 1933.  One element of the National Mall project was the building of tennis courts on the north and south sides of the Mall between 3d and 4th streets.  It...

The Union Creek Historic District on the upper Rogue River in Union Creek, Oregon, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places because it is a fine representative of a type of rustic resort popular in the early 20th century and has been little altered since the 1930s.   There are almost one hundred buildings and other facilities in the Union Creek Historic District, almost all of which conform to the Forest Service plans of the 1920s and 30s.  Roughly a third were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1942, working out of the Upper...

Navajo Lake in Kane County, UT is a natural lake formed by a prehistoric lava flow.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) added a dike to raise the lake level and extend the recreational boating, swimming and fishing season.  This is one of several projects undertaken by the CCC in Dixie National Forest during the 1930s, under the supervision of the US Forest Service.

The Sprankle Building (also known by later names of The Pembroke and The Daylight Building) is now a 38- (formally 40) unit condominium in the adaptive reused building. Built in 1927, this building housed the initial offices of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Engineering Staff, Training, and Education programs, and Soil Erosion and Reforestation offices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Daylight Building in 2009.

The Norris Dam and reservoir were constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933-1936. It was the TVA's first major project.  It was built in a "modernist style, which was controversial and advanced for the era of construction." In addition to the TVA work on the site, "The Civilian Conservation Corps built recreational facilities and aided in the removal of various structures. The town of Norris, Tennessee was initially built as a planned community to house the workers involved in the construction of this dam."   (wikipedia)

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted extensive development work in Grand Canyon National Park from 1933 to 1942. Among its trail development work, according to the National Park Service (NPS), the CCC "improved the main trails into the canyon, Bright Angel and Kaibab, and added trails in the inner canyon, as well. ... At the North Rim, CCC company 818 widened and improved the North Kaibab Trail." The North Kaibab Trail descends from the North Rim to Black Bridge over the Colorado River, at which point it becomes the the South Kaibab Trail, which ascends to the South Rim.

As noted on the sign for the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range today, the research station was "established in 1936, (and) dedicated to research on the ecology and management of rangelands." At its inception, the research facility was known as the Squaw Butte Federal Range Experiment Station. The project was a joint effort of the Grazing Service of the Department of Interior and researchers from Oregon State University to address issues of range and livestock management. The federal Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 had brought Western public domain lands together in an effort to stabilize the livestock industry and improve range...

"Nottely Dam is a hydroelectric and flood storage dam on the Nottely River in Union County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s as a flood control structure and to help regulate flow at nearby Hiwassee Dam."   (wikipedia)

"Ocoee Dam No. 3 is a hydroelectric dam on the Ocoee River in Polk County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to meet emergency demands for electricity during World War II."   (wikipedia)

The Ogden River Project provides irrigation water for 25,000 acres of land along the Wasatch Front around Ogden UT, as well as supplemental water for the City of Ogden. The anchor of the project is Pineview Dam in Ogden Canyon and the resulting reservoir created from the waters of Ogden Creek.   Pineview Reservoir feeds a system of distribution canals to water users on the plains in and around Ogden.   The system is fed by the 5-mile long Ogden Canyon Conduit running down the north side of the canyon wall.  From there, a 25-mile long Ogden-Brigham Canal runs north toward Brigham...

The Ogden River Project provides irrigation water for 25,000 acres of land along the Wasatch Front around Ogden UT, as well as supplemental municipal water for the city of Ogden. The anchor of the project is Pineview Dam in Ogden Canyon and the resulting reservoir created from the waters of Ogden Creek.   The project includes a distribution system of canals branching off from Ogden Creek where it leaves the canyon: the Ogden-Brigham Canal, the South Ogden Highline Canal, and the lesser irrigation ditches that supply the farmers of the Weber Basin Conservancy District. The Ogden River Project was officially approved by...

This water management system was built by the SCS or Soil Management Service and its function remains the same as when it was constructed in 1936. The purpose of this concrete structure is to maintain a safe level of water which passes through a culvert under Oalis road near Strum, Wisconsin. The Soil Conservation Service was created in 1935 as a part of the Department of Agriculture which the purpose of preventing floods, run off, and other detrimental effects to top soil.

The Oregon State Forester’s Office was designed by a US Forest Service architect and constructed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers after preparation of the site by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this structure is considered one of Oregon’s best examples of a building in the National Parks style. Timberline Lodge heads the list in this category but the Oregon State Forester’s Office, although significantly smaller, shows a remarkably high quality of workmanship as well. Linn A. Forrest, the US Forest Service Architect associated with Timberline Lodge’s floor plan and elevations, produced the...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Ostrander Ski Hut in 1941.  The ski hut is a two-story stone structure, in the classic National Park rustic style. It was built  for cross-country skiers, meant to be part of a larger system of winter trails and huts along the Sierra Crest that never were developed. The hut sits in a small glacial cirque at the edge of Ostrander Lake. Very basic overnight accommodations and cooking facilities are available at the hut. It sleeps 25 people and has bunks, mattresses, wood stove, a kitchen with a gas stove for cooking and assorted pots...

Oswald West State Park, known for its quiet, secluded beach and its picturesque trail system, was established in the early days of the Depression. At that time, it was known as Short Sands Beach State Park. A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp was located within the park from 1939 through 1941. During those years, the CCC enrollees worked primarily on developing the park's trail system. The CCC Camp improved the park property as work on the Neah-kah-nie section of the Coast Highway (Highway 101) underwent construction. Before the nine-mile section of road between Cannon Beach and Manzanita opened, access to Short...

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 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 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...

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...

Parker Dam is diversion dam to channel water from the Colorado River into the Colorado Aqueduct traveling across the Mojave Desert to greater Los Angeles and San Diego. The later are served by a huge wholesale water agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).  MWD contracts for the water from the Bureau of Reclamation and resells it to a multitude of cities and local water districts.  Parker Dam was built by the Bureau of Reclamation from 1934 to 1938, at the same time as it was finishing Hoover (Boulder) Dam and constructing Imperial Dam on the lower Colorado River. "The metropolitan water district...

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)...