Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Sites

Preliminary work on one of the largest earth dams to be constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees in the south began with the clearing of the site for a 540-acre lake along the Tangipahoa river. Excavation began July 1, with work on the dam construction planned for mid July. Plans called for a barrier of 100,000 cubic yards of earth, spillway 300 feet wide and 800 feet long. The work was on Highway 48, five miles southwest of McComb. Engineer was George Long supervising the local crew of the Civilian Conservation Corp enrollees. Lake Tangipahoa was adjacent to the...

Construction on the man-made lake itself began in 1932 and was completed with help from the CCC: "In April of 1933, reforestation camps (Civilian Conservation Corps) were located in Iowa.  Camp #773, Camp Roosevelt Civilian Reforestation Army, was stationed at Lake Wapello.  George W. Vaughn was the army officer in charge of the men.  The 187 recruits assigned to Camp Roosevelt arrived on May 30th, the additional 25 men who completed the camp's enrollment were mustered from local unemployed men.  These men were assigned to gully erosion work, because erosion might dump crumbling tons of shore into the newly formed body...

In addition to Mosque Point, the CCC completed many other projects at Lake Worth. The pictured National Park Service document lists the many projects built by the CCC from 1934-1937, including: foot and auto bridges, several shelters, picnic and campground facilities, roads, foot trails, landscaping, tree planting, drinking fountains, toilets, water lines, fire protection amenities and more.

Lake Worth's Mosque Point shelter was designed by Hare and Hare of Kansas City, MO and built by CCC Co. 1816. The plan shown here was developed by Hare & Hare in 1930. That was the year that H&H completed a park master plan for the Board of Park Commissioners. The shelter was actually built in 1934. It was rehabbed following a fire to its present form in 1988. Originally it was a gable roof but was changed to a hipped roof covered with metal instead of the usual wood shingles. The CCC also completed many other projects at Lake Worth. The pictured...

Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada. It is a spectacular glaciated canyon with several side valleys, surrounded by peaks over 11,000 feet.  Much of the canyon lies within the huge Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest complex across Nevada and is jointly managed with the Trust for Public Land. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp in the canyon and did extensive work there, 1933-37. Camp Lamoille was the first CCC camp in Nevada, which had 54 camps overall by the end of the New Deal era.  It was located at the confluence of Lamoille Creek...

Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada. It is a spectacular glaciated canyon, known popularly as "Nevada's Yosemite" and is surrounded by peaks rising over 11,000 feet.  Lamoille Canyon lies mostly within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which extends in patches across all of Nevada. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp in the lower canyon in 1933 and did extensive work there from 1933-1937, under the supervision of the US Forest Service.  The CCC enrollees built the road up the canyon, built trails, and laid out two campgrounds in the canyon. The large Thomas Canyon...

Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada. It is a spectacular glaciated canyon with several side valleys, surrounded by peaks over 11,000 feet.  Much of the canyon lies within the huge Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest complex across Nevada and is jointly managed with the Trust for Public Land. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp in the canyon in 1933 and did extensive work there until 1937.  Notably, the CCC enrollees built the 12-mile road up Lamoille canyon (NF-660) from highway 227.   The road climbs from about 6,000 feet at Lamoille to 8,800 at the...

In 1933-1934, Civilian Conservation Corps workers built several wood frame buildings to serve as the Ochoco National Forest's Supervisor's Warehouse or Lamonta Compound. Exemplifying the rustic architectural style developed by the US Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Region, the three structures included an office/warehouse, maintenance shop, and oil and gas house. As described in a National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: "The Prineville Supervisor's Warehouse typifies the construction projects undertaken by the Civilian Conservation Corps and signifies the aid to the local community provided by the emergency work-relief program . . .  The Prineville Supervisor's Warehouse manifests the principles of comprehensive...

In 1933, the Lampasas Chamber of Commerce raised $2,500 to buy 154 acres of land along Sulphur Creek and presented the land to the State of Texas as a site for a state park. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 896 arrived the same year, set up Camp Miriam (in honor of Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, the Governor of Texas) and began development of the park. The CCC cleared brush and cactus, built gravel roads, a native stone entrance, a concession house, a low water dam, native stone picnic tables, barbecue pits, native stone cabins, a baseball field, and a polo field....

The Land's End road up the western end of Grand Mesa was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-34.  The main builders were 200 veterans enrolled in the CCC, who worked out of a CCC seasonal tent camp at the foot of the mountain; so, the project was long known as "the Veterans' Road". The road climbs up 9 miles up switchbacks to the rim of the mesa.  The hardest section, from Wild Road picnic area to the top, was completed by U.S. Forest Service employees in 1934-35. The road is still in use.

According to a National Register of Historic Places form for Lassen National Park, “In 1933, with the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), trail construction, campground development and road maintenance benefited from hundreds of laborers, who accelerated the pace of park infrastructure development….CCC workers provided most of the labor on spring clean up and road maintenance projects, including gutter line cleaning and slope stabilization. They built facilities at the park's developed campgrounds, as well as many of the park's 150 miles of hiking trails.” The CCC also removed dead timber (for fire prevention), developed scenic parking areas, made trail signs,...

"Another distinctive and ambitious project was at Pine Mountain, the site of the annual Mountain Laurel Festival. CCC corpsmen excavated an amphitheater from the hillside and constructed new seats and facilities for the thousands of visitors who made the annual spring pilgrimage to see the governor crown a new queen. More than $500,000 of CCC money went into this park alone." "The Laurel Cove Amphitheater is part of Pine Mountain State Resort Park. This incredible venue has been the home of the Mountain Laurel Coronation for 90 years, the world famous Book of Job drama, spectacular weddings, and the Laurel Cove...

"Beginning in 1935, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration began purchasing sub-marginal agricultural and forest land so that it could be converted to better use. In 1936, the National Park Service was given the responsibility of the Recreational Demonstration Areas. Laurel Hill was one of five areas in Pennsylvania and targeted for restoration and reforestation, and organized group camping and day picnicking. Beginning in 1935, with cooperation of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, men of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began building roads, trails, bridges and recreational facilities. Two CCC camps, SP-8 and SP-15 arrived...

The CCC at Lava Beds built roads, laid the first power and telephone lines, and built a superintendents residence and headquarters building at Indian Well, which is now a Visitor Center. They built a campground (which is now the "A" loop at the park), the picnic tables at Fleener Chimneys, and built dozens of trails through the lava tube caves. Without using any heavy equipment, they were able to move over ten million cubic yards of earth and debris, largely by hand, from the caves near the Visitor Center and install ladders and stairways there.   The following is an excerpt from...

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Abe Boehm, a CCC enrollee (Company 3740) stationed at Camp Clear Lake in northeastern California between February and June of 1937: "The CCC boys from Clear Lake fenced off the Petroglyphs. The reason they needed a fence was that the tourists would chip the rocks off for souvenirs . When we first went there, 90% of the Petroglyphs were still intact, but every day you’d see a few fresh chips missing. So out crew’s job was to build the fence and a tower that the game wardens and sheriffs could use for...

"Park facilities constructed of native timber and field stone by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930's are still standing today. These examples of fine craftsmanship include an arch stone bridge, shelter in Oak Woods, stone trail steps and the stone shelter in lower Ledges."

"Lee State Natural Area is one of South Carolina's first state parks. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression of the 1930s as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Formerly Lee State Park, it is situated along the banks of the Lynches River. The park is open to visitors year round for activities like camping, hiking, nature walks, horseback riding and fishing. The park has a boardwalk into the wetlands to reach habitats that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Visitors can see white-tail deer, herons and egrets, warblers and reptiles and amphibians like...

"Legion State Park, also known as Legion State Park Historic District, is located in the red hill country of Louisville, Mississippi, and area originally inhabited by the Choctaw Indian Nation. It is one of the original Mississippi state parks developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and includes the Legion Lodge, a hand-hewn log structure that has remained unaltered since its construction. Activities at the park include fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and camping."

Lehman Caves National Monument was established in 1922 and put under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service in 1933. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) came to Lehman Caves National Monument and set up a side camp in 1934.  (The main camp was at Berry Creek, northeast of Ely) The CCC enrollees made improvements to the national monument, including the  water supply, trails, the first campground and parking at the visitor center.   The biggest CCC project was helping the National Park Service drill a new access tunnel into the Lehman Caves, the main attraction at the park.  The tunnel was done...

Lehman Caves National Monument was established in 1922 and put under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service in 1933. New Deal relief agencies came in to aid the Park Service in improving facilities at the park to make it more welcoming to the public. First to arrive was the Civil Works Administration (CWA) in the winter of 1933-34. Relief workers made repairs to the water line from Lehman Creek to the caves, the cave trail and the modest park buildings by the cave. In the summer of 1934, workers from the Transient Relief Camp at Lehman Creek did general clean-up...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built park amenities and landscaped portions of the Leiter Estate in 1936-1937. A National Parks Service/Historic American Buildings Survey report describes the nature of the work performed by the CCC: “Upon acquiring the Leiter estate, the NPS planned to turn the acreage ‘into a public recreation area...form a section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.’ Enrollees from Camp NP-6-VA (Fort Hunt) engaged in ‘selective cutting to open up desirable vistas of the river.’ In addition to creating view sheds, they further enhanced visitor amenities with the construction of 2.5 miles of foot trails and fifteen table-and-bench combinations,...

The CCC assisted in the development of this state forest.

The Leominster State Forest area was purchased by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1922. The area was the site of many historic settlements and cellar holes from the 1800s. With the implementation of the New Deal, Leominster State Forest was selected for a number of improvements by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In particular, Crow Hill Pond, a ten-acre pond located on state Route 31 on the western side of the forest, was the site of many projects. Crow Hill Pond was the work site of the 197th company of the CCC during the years 1936-1938. Captain Dixon led the 197th...

"Five thousand people were present for the dedication of the park on July 25, 1935. It was named after an able Delta planter and lawyer who was a U.S. senator from Mississippi in 1909-13. Park facilities were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps Companies 2422 and 5467 between 1934 and 1936. Only two of the seven original log cabins are left. The solid log architecture is typical of the buildings that the CCC built in parks across the nation during the Depression." (McGinnis, 163)

A site devoted to the history of the park (www.letchworthparkhistory.com) has compiled an extensive list of CCC work done in the park: During the Great Depression, Letchworth Park was the site of several Civilian Conservation Camps. (See the Glimpse of the CCC) The information highlights the work done by the CCC "boys" in the Park, and is taken from Annual Reports of the Genesee State Park Commission during the time period. Great Bend Camp SP-5 (in operation for 30 months) constructed the camp built 6 miles of 18 ft wide gravel road installed 400 ft of 6" under drain constructed 15 concrete...

The Octagon Shelter is one of two stone and wood shelters built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp SP-49 in Letchworth State Park. The shelter stands in the Lower Falls picnic area of Letchworth State Park.

Civilian Conservation Corps Company SP-49 built a stacked stone retaining way and stone staircase to allow visitors to Letchworth State Park access to the Lower Falls from the picnic area above the falls. Over 100 individual stone steps were installed and continue to be used.

Big Timber Pioneer reported in 1936 that a CCC camp at what was then known as "Morrison Cave" built "a road to the mouth of the cave" and conducted "exploratory work inside of the cavern." The CCC did much of the work to make the cave system accessible to visitors. Wikipedia explains more of the park's history: “Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is located in southeastern Jefferson County, Montana. The primary feature of the park is its namesake cavern. The cavern was discovered in 1892 by local ranchers Tom Williams and Bert Pannel. The cave was first developed for tours by...

Both the WPA and CCC worked on the park.

"The park currently consists of 189 acres, one of the smallest state parks in the system; however, its size is not a reflection of limited recreational opportunities. The resources located within the park make Lewis and Clark State Park a desirable destination for history buffs, nature lovers, and outdoor enthusiasts alike. In addition to its association with the Lewis and Clark expedition, the park's history also includes a connection with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Initial development of the park was made possible through the efforts of the CCC, the WPA, and the Missouri...

The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana preserves the farm site on which Abraham Lincoln grew up. In the 1930s, the CCC aided in the restoration and development of the site: "In 1934, a Civilian Conservation Corps crew (a federal program during the Great Depression, also called the CCC) located and excavated the historic hearthstones. The CCC constructed a stone wall and landscaped the grounds. The bronze casting was finally placed on the site in July of 1935. This casting completed the first phase of the memorial’s development."   (https://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp) In addition, "After removing the structures from the memorial land, the...

The farm of Thomas and Sarah Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's father and stepmother. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) reconstructed a reproduction of their cabin on the site, along with building a maintenance barn and gift shop. A CCC camp, Camp Shiloh, was located at the site. Its enrollees were WWI veterans.

On May 26, 1933, Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Grant III, grandson of President Ulysses Grant and director of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, presented a large public works program for Washington, DC, “in anticipation of the early passage of the national industrial recovery act.” In the report, a request was made for $6,890, “For cleaning and pointing up interior stonework at the Lincoln Memorial… to prevent further deterioration” (Evening Star, 1933).  Ultimately, the Public Works Administration (PWA), created as part of the NIRA in 1933, allotted $3,465 for the job (about $69,000 in 2019 dollars)...

Lincoln State Park was occupied by three New Deal agencies from 1933-1942. The first agency to occupy Lincoln Park was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC Company 1543 was active in Lincoln State Park from 1933-1934. The CCC laborers planted trees and constructed a fire tower, shelters, and a ranger cabin. After the CCC laborers were relocated in 1935, Federal Emergency Relief Administration laborers arrived and continued to build improvements for the park. FERA workers developed numerous fish rearing ponds. Later the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was stationed at Lincoln Park. WPA workers built hiking trails, a service building,...

CCC Co. 1543 abandoned their campsite and relocated to Turkey Run in 1934. FERA workers seeded the abandoned campsite and WPA laborers salvaged the lumber.  Some remaining evidence of the CCC Camp include rock walls, ditches, and concrete foundations.

The CCC constructed firetowers on steel frameworks to help protect the new plantings and existing forests. The firetower at Lincoln State Park was completed in 1934 by CCC laborers. The firetower stands around 120' tall.

CCC laborers completed the first bridge in 1933. The bridge is accessible to vehicles and is positioned between nature center and group camp.

CCC laborers completed the second footbridge in 1933.

The Ranger's Cabin, also known as the boathouse, sits on the shore of Lake Lincoln. It was completed by CCC Company 1543 in 1934. The structure was intended for park personnel residence but is now used as a boat rental office. The style of the cabin is classified as parks rustic.

The lakeside shelter was completed by CCC workers in 1934. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.