Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Sites

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) "onstructed road and water holes, fought forest fires, and restored local roads and bridges after the 1936 flood and the 1938 hurricane."

The picnic area at Wahkeena Falls benefitted from the attention of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees soon after the program was rolled out in March 1933. Workers from CCC Camp Benson improved a picnic area on the north side of the Columbia River Highway at Wahkeena Falls by adding stone fireplaces, picnic tables and a community kitchen/picnic shelter. As a result, the Wahkeena Falls Picnic Area is the largest day use area on the historic Columbia River Highway. The Wahkeena Falls Community Kitchen, similar to the community kitchen at Eagle Creek, consists of post and beam construction, three to four feet...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees were brought in as early as 1933 to improve the hiking trail network in the Gorge along with their other forest management and recreation development. The Wahkeena Falls Trail was among the first to be improved, following Wahkeena Creek toward its source on the Columbia gorge rim. Another new trail, along the rim, linked Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls to allow hikers to go from one falls to the other without using the highway. In the 1920s, as part of a larger project giving Columbia River Gorge waterfalls their current names, the Mazamas (a local climbing and...

In June 1933, using a design by architect Robert H. H. Hugman, workmen from the Civilian Conservation Corps, began building walkways and bridges along Walnut Branch, a small tributary of the Guadalupe River, and lining the slopes of the waterway with curving stone retaining walls. Dams crossed by stepping stones, low falls, and quiet pools were built along the natural course of the waterway that passes along the edge of the city's downtown. The park eventually fell into neglect during a severe drought in the 1950s, though the main spring never dried up. Fear that mosquitoes breeding in the small ponds...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the warden’s residence at Mount San Jacinto State Park. The warden’s residence is located near the park entrance, off to the right. It is currently being used as ranger housing.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a warehouse in what is now known as the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Historic District. National Register of Historic Places nomination form, 1988: Warehouse, NPS Bldg #26. Designed in 1941 by architect Ken Saunders of the Branch of Plans and Design, Regional Office, Santa Fe; erected in 1942 by CCC workers; now used as a Maintenance Office and Warehouse. Simplified Hew Mexican Territorial Revival Style; one-story; rectangular plan measuring about 58' x 31'; beige-colored stuccoed adobe; arched wooden truss roof with iron tie rods is hidden behind an adobe parapet, and was recently sprayed with urethane foam;...

In 1929, the developer of the future Warner Mountain Ski Area, Henry Cairns, purchased the area from a man named James Strike. Cairns, having owned a farm in the area, decided to carve slopes into this mountain, located on the eastern side of East Mountain State Forest in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The trails emptied out into Cairns farm, which became known as the G-Bar-S Dude Ranch; this stood for the nearby Great Barrington Sports. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was employed in the area to carve two trails into the slopes: the more advanced and difficult Taconic Trail and the more...

"In 1918, the Forest Service moved its Guard Station from Hays Station, near the South Fork of the Salmon River, to Warren. Construction dates at the station site range from the barn built in 1909 to the 'modern' 1959 ranch style, one level frame house. The other facilities were built by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. The Guard Station offers information and exhibits on the history of the area."(https://www.secesh.net/Walk.htm) The CCC buildings, constructed in 1934, were part of one of the first CCC projects in the State of Idaho and in the Nation.

A stone wall along the north side of an overflow catchment field that typifies CCC water projects constructed in the area.

The Washington Monument grounds – the core area of the National Mall – was substantially altered and improved, including a major reconfiguration of the streets. The work was paid for by the Public Works Administration (PWA) from a fund of over $1 million provided for an overhaul of the entire National Mall.  Labor was mostly provided by Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) relief workers. First, the Washington Monument grounds were raised and reconditioned with new topsoil, followed by reseeding of the lawns. Second, the circular roadway on the north side of Monument was eliminated and a highway in the line of...

Washington Monument State Park was first developed by the CCC, circa 1934-1936. The CCC built a number of structures in the park, but the most well-known is the Washington Monument, the first completed monument to honor George Washington. The monument was first built in 1827, by the townspeople of nearby Boonsboro; but by 1934 it was in near-complete ruin. The CCC demolished what was left, and rebuilt the monument to its original specifications. This relatively small park is a good location for hiking (the park’s hiking trail is part of the Appalachian Trail), picnicking, and is “an ideal site for spotting...

"Washington State Park is a Missouri state park in the central eastern part of Missouri containing native American rock carvings. These carvings, or petroglyphs, carved in dolomite rock, are believed to have been made around 1000 to 1600 and give clues to the lives of the prehistoric native Americans who once inhabited this part of Missouri. It is also believed that the park served as ceremonial grounds for these Middle Mississippi people who were related to the builders of the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois. "Most of the carvings are of birds, arrows, footprints, turkey tracks, human figures, and various geometric shapes...

Construction for Watauga State Park began in 1939 with the CCC arrival to survey, clear land, and begin dam construction and other facilities (Van West, 2001). Kingsport Times (Sept. 18, 1939) indicated the name Watauga was rejected due to so many nearby projects with the name Watauga, and the park was to be named Kettlefoot State Park, but other records indicating a name change were not located. The CCC camp was expected to be completed by October, 1939, and landscape architects were developing park designs. Watauga State Park was developed as one of four Recreation Demonstration Areas for Tennessee (Jones...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted work to improve the Watchung Reservation as part of a massive collection of New Deal improvements to the Union County Parks System.

An inventive Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollee came up with the idea of making a glacial boulder into a drinking fountain by drilling a hole through the boulder and piping in water from a nearby creek. The Water-In-A-Rock fountain is situated along the East Mendenhall Glacier Trail. It no longer functions, but the holes for the pipe and a sign are still visible and it is marked with an information panel.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) combined efforts to construct the Waterbury Dam in Waterbury, Vermont during the Great Depression. On November 3 and 4, 1927, torrential rains created a disastrous flood that paralyzed Vermont. Little River’s rising waters drove the valley residents to their roofs and isolated the hillside farmers. Fifty-five people in the Winooski Valley lost their lives, and property damage was estimated at $13,500,000. A second flood occurred in 1934. These events spurred a plan by the US Army Corps of Engineers to built a set of four dams in central Vermont from...

Relief workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped carve out and construct the Waterside Theatre at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island. The theater has undergone renovations and changes over the years but is still very much in operation. Waterside Theater is home of the long-running play “The Lost Colony," written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Green, a native of North Carolina.  The story of the mysterious lost colony of Roanoke has been running consistently, though not entirely uninterrupted, since 1937.  WPA Federal Theater Project (FTP) actors took part in the original performances. As FTP historian...

"From 1935 until 1941, young men at the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp SP44 in Watkins Glen State Park built park buildings, trails, stonework, bridges, and many other projects." The buildings of the CCC camp now serve as the Hidden Valley 4-H Camp.

"The Sentry Bridge dates back to the 1930s and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The bridge is located at Watkins Glen State Park near the main entrance to the Gorge Trail ..."

"The largest of West Virginia’s state parks, at 10,100 acres, Watoga is also among the oldest, dating back to the first land acquisitions by the West Virginia Game and Fish Commission in the 1920s. The park is located in southern Pocahontas County on the Greenbrier River. It was named for Watoga, a nearby town... Two Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established, Camp Watoga in 1933 at the park’s present maintenance area and Camp Seebert at the mouth of Island Lick Run in 1934. Also in 1934 Watoga was changed from a state forest to a state park. A third CCC camp,...

"Many visible reminders of the  work are still in use. They include Fall River's Wattuppa Pond reservoir ..."

The Wawona Covered Bridge is one of only 12 covered bridges in California and the only one in Yosemite. It was originally built by Galen Clark as a modified queen post truss without a cover in 1868, making it the oldest surviving bridge in the state. After being sold to the Washburn group of investors, it was covered with Douglas fir cladding in 1878, enclosing the Ponderosa pine structure and its iron tie rods. The adz marks on the beams are still visible. Additions were completed in 1900 when extensions at each end brought the bridge to its current length of 138 feet. The...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a school house at Wawona in 1937. The enrollee work teams came from the nearby Wawona CCC Camp YNP #7. The building is a shingled, rustic wood structure set on a stone foundation, with large windows for good interior lighting. Its appearance is unchanged over the years. A new, large school has replaced the New Deal building sometime around 1970, built in a modern style at odds with the old idea of park rusticity.  The old CCC school was used for many years as a community center, until that, too, was replaced by a new, larger,...

The New Deal made possible the construction of a ranger station in the Wawona area, which was added to Yosemite National Park in 1932.  The ranger station complex includes two ranger residences and accompanying garages.  These buildings still exist, but are now used for different purposes. According to the Superintendent's Monthly Report of December 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided the funding to the National Park Service (NPS) for the ranger station complex (Broesamle 2022). This contradicts the 2012 NPS report on design in the park, which attributes the buildings to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) (see quote below).  The latter...

New Deal agencies played a major role in the transformation of the narrow and dangerous Wawona wagon trail into a safe and comfortable route into Yosemite Valley. The route from the South Entrance to the Valley floor is 27 miles.  It is one of three access roads to Yosemite Valley, along with the El Portal road and Big Oak Flat Road. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement in July 1925, authorizing the planning and construction of new roads within Yosemite National Park. Surveying was begun in 1928 and initial construction was...

The historic Webb Peak fire lookout tower in Coronado National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933. NRHP Nomination Form: "Located on the Safford Ranger District, this 'Aermotor MC-40 steel tower is approximately 45 ft high and has a 7 ft by 7 ft steel cab. It was erected in 1933, possibly by a CCC crew. The existing cabin was constructed in the early 1960s and is not eligible for the Register . The original cabin was removed in 1968. Historic photographs indicate that no major structural changes have occurred to the lookout tower since it was...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built facilities at the Wellington State Beach. The work included several structures, picnic facilities, and the landscaping of the beach. Brief history of the park, from NH State Parks: "One dollar; what will it buy today? In 1931, for one dollar and the generosity of an ecologically-minded summer visitor from New York City, the state of New Hampshire obtained the deed to Wellington Reservation. It was "to be forever kept as a public forest reservation, to be used for the development of a bird sanctuary, for public recreation, . . and for any purpose tending to the promotion...

According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, “Some of the park development and most of the road systems are attributed to Civilian Conservation Corps activities in the 1930s.”

The historic West Peak fire lookout tower in Coronado National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933. NRHP Nomination Form: "Located on the Safford Ranger District, this 45 ft high Aermotor HC-40 steel lookout tower has a 7 ft by 7 ft steel cab and was erected in 1933 by a CCC crew. The original log cabin associated with this lookout was removed in 1959 and replaced by a modern structure which is not eligible for the National Register. Study of historic photographs reveals that no major structural changes have occurred to the tower, This tower is...

West Potomac Park lies just below the National Mall and encircles the Tidal Basin.  It is the site of many national landmarks, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. It is administered by the National Park Service. In the 1930s, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees graded, topsoiled, and seeded a one-and-one-half acre hockey field in West Potomac Park. Although nothing remains of the hockey field, that CCC work established the park as a site of sports and athletics. (HABS Survey report).   In 1936, the Works Progress Administration...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a grandstand at the Uintah County fairgrounds, now known as the Uintah County Western Park.  We do not know the year of construction. A report on historic sites in and around Vernal, Utah, says that there were several New Deal projects, including street work and sewers in Vernal, work at the dinosaur quarry at Dinosaur National Monument,  41 reservoirs, 150 miles of roads and 20 bridges.  These were done by various New Deal agencies, which are not specified here in that report (Lufkin 2004, p 6).  The county fair grandstand would have been built by the...

Westfall Station was a former Sierra National Forest station that housed "Type III wildland fire engines that are typically staffed with five to seven firefighters. Our specialized engines carry equipment to spray water and foam and are equipped to respond to a variety of incidents." (USDA Forest Service) Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), it consists of "a collection of 12 buildings located 12 miles north of Oakhurst, CA in high-canopy forest at 4,580 feet in elevation. Eight of the structures were constructed between 1933 and 1938, as were stone walls and steps around the site." (The Sierra Historic Restoration...

CATESBEIANA: "Westmoreland State Park is one of the six original state parks formed in Virginia. It opened its doors to the public in 1936. Many of the trails and other features of the park were constructed by the CCC in the early 1930’s."

"President Roosevelt signed a $750,000 Works Progress Administration (WPA) project bill for the air base's construction in November 1939. Fourteen hundred WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers cleared the land, and actual construction was started in February 1940." W.P.A. project information: "Construct and improve facilities and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐3‐14‐23 Total project cost: $4,197,055.00 Sponsor: War Department, District Engineer, Corps of Engineers "Construct telephone system" Official Project Number: 165‐3‐14‐340 Total project cost: $98,526.00 Sponsor: Commanding General, 1st Corps Area, U.S. Army "Construct and improve facilities and grounds" Official Project Number: 65‐3‐14‐715 Total project cost: $1,497,384.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Northeast Air Base, Constructing Quartermaster, Westover Field, U.S. Army

The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR) covers 35,000 acres  along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama.  The Wheeler Migratory Bird Refuge was established by Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 to provide habitat for wintering and migrating birds in the eastern  United States (the name was changed to the present NWR in 1940). The refuge was made possible by the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) construction of Wheeler dam (1933-1936) and the creation of Wheeler Lake.  It became the first National Wildlife Refuge associated with a multi-purpose reservoir, which provides for navigation over the Muscle Shoals area, flood control, electricity production, and...

The CCC operated in the Whipple Dam area from 1933 to 1941. In addition to other improvements throughout Whipple Dam State Park, "in 1935, the CCC dismantled the old dam and constructed the existing dam and bridge."

"Between 1933 and 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a work camp at Owl’s Gap (S-60-PA), east of the park. The corps members built pavilions, roads, beach and restrooms during this period. In 1935, the CCC dismantled the old dam and constructed the existing dam and bridge. In 1987, the 32-acre park day use area was designated the Whipple Dam National Historic District. This entry on the National Register of Historic Places recognizes, protects, and preserves the work site of one of the Depression-Era's most important relief programs, the CCC. The CCC work was performed to guidelines embraced by the...

White Lake campground is located on a National Natural Landmark of 72 acre Pitch Pine Stand, surrounding a glacier formed lake. The 117th Co. S53, CCC based out of Tamworth NH, was involved in the building of bath houses, beach improvements, and camp ground development.

White Pines State Park on Ogle County, Illinois, contains several CCC structures: "In 1933, with the Great Depression in full swing, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sought to relieve the work needs of unemployed Americans. The National Park Service sought to work with state governments in an effort to meet those ends. Many of the projects the CCC was involved with were construction projects. The project at White Pines was originally meant to be the construction of a lodge building. From 1933 to 1939, two hundred men, many of them World War I veterans, worked on the State Park construction...

"The White River Mess Hall and Dormitory is the only remaining Civilian Conservation Corps camp structure remaining in Mount Rainier National Park. The wood-framed building was built in 1933, and comprises 2185 square feet, originally containing a kitchen dining room, living room, two bathrooms, a bedroom and a bunkroom, as well as a service porch. The building no longer serves as a residence and is used for storage. It is located at the White River entrance to the park, part of a complex of service buildings." (Wikipedia)