Lakes and Ponds Sites

The CCC worked to develop Savoy Mountain State Forest during the 1930s. From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: "Savoy Mountain State Forest was created in 1918 with the purchase of 1,000 acres of this abandoned farmland. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) reforested much of this area with Norway and Blue Spruce, and built new concrete dams at Bog, Burnett and Tannery Pond to replace older dams."

The C.C.C. created Scheeder Pond in 1934. It also developed a swimming area within the pond.

WPA work on the park included “cleaning out the lake, building 3,000 feet of rubble masonry retaining walls, one foot bridge, repairs to fish hatchery, four new growing pools, repairs to superintendent’s residence, a new garage, five tourist cabins, construction of drives, walks and field ovens.”   (NARA)

Shady Lake is a popular 25-acre recreational impoundment in the Ouachita National Forest served by an accompanying U.S. Forest Service recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was involved in construction of a bathhouse (1936), dam and picnic pavilion (1938), and a caretakers house (1940).

Shakamak is an attractive site today, but in 1930 when it opened as a state park, much of the parcel was a wasteland of abandoned strip mines. Shakamak State Park entered a new phase of development during the Great Depression. In the winter of 1933-34, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed hundreds of local men to build trails, shelters, and a new lake. The dam was completed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) which also constructed fish ponds and pens for exotic animals. In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) finished the projects. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) started construction on a new lake. Lake Jason, now known as Lake Lenope, was completed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937.

"Shelbina boasts a beautiful city lake, built in 1936 as a WPA project, to serve as the city's water reservoir. A second WPA project begun in 1941, added picnic tables, landscaping, shelter houses, and a 9 hole golf course. The lake area is beautifully maintained by the city. This beauty enhanced by mature trees and grassy rolling hills, makes camping, picnicking, fishing, or just visiting the lake area, a very pleasant experience for both young and old." -City of Shelbina

The Lake of the Pines (now known as Sheridan Lake) on Spring Creek was constructed as a joint project by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1938 to 1940.  It was the largest earth dam built by the CCC or WPA in South Dakota. "...some of the most significant structures built by the CCC were the dams that created recreational lakes in the Black Hills. Most of these dams were either 'earth fill with core trench' or 'earth fill on bentonite base.' Occasionally, concrete dams were constructed. Earth fill on bentonite dams created Lakes Mitchell, Major, Dalton, Roubaix,...

Silver Lake Park sits in the Coastal Plain Province of Pennsylvania. "Owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the lake scarcely had any open water by the 1920's.  In 1927 the Pensylvania Railroad completed a survey and we believe it was them who marked the boundary with a square stone having a small hole at the top. You can find a few of these along the trails in the park. In 1935-6, the Pennsylvania Fish Commission purchased the lake which was mostly wetlands.  It was at this time that the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began work on the present lake, by then called Silver Lake. Most...

Various New Deal agencies built the Silver Lake Reservoir in Rochester MN. According to the City of Rochester "Silver Lake is actually a reservoir that was created by first, hand-digging a basin to hold water, and then constructing a dam from 1935-1936 to back-up river water. It was built for half a million dollars during the 1930’s Great Depression as a work relief project, providing work for over 400 unemployed men. Various New Deal programs supported the effort. The project was started by the Civil Works Administration (formed as part of the Federal Emergency Relief Act in 1933), then joined by...

Skokie Lagoons is a 190 acre nature preserve in Glencoe and Winnetka, Illinois. The Skokie Lagoons are notable as a CCC work because the project merged the ideas of fixing a pertinent mosquito issue in the area and of developing the area into an escape to nature for the community. The Skokie Lagoons project began in 1933 with with 1100 eager, working men from the CCC (“Start Digging First Lagoon in Skokie Project”). Soon after the Forest Army downsized to 1000 men looking to aid in clearing the area of mosquitoes, which used the weedy swamps as a breeding ground. The...

“WASHINGTON, (AP) – The Works Progress Administration advised Senator W. Warren Barbour, N.J. Rep., today that applications from Morristown, N.J., for allocations for the proposed Speedwell dam and Speedwell Lake bottom construction projects had been approved here and treasury warrants signed for release of the money….The two Speedwell Lake projects would cost $49,614, of which $43,429 would be financed Federally and $6,185 by the town of Morristown. One job stipulates the construction of a completely new concrete dam above the Whippany River bed, and it would mean virtual recreation of the once beautiful Speedwell Lake. As a regular unit in...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created a dam on Spencer Creek in northern the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, in 1933/4. The lake was "all inside the game pasture" and the public required a permit in order to visit it. The exact location and status of the structure and lake are unknown to Living New Deal.

The CCC laborers completed the Spring Mill Lake in 1937. The CCC workers also built a dam. The dam has remained in use and is unaltered.

175-acre lake impounded by earth dam. Large concrete spillway Southeast end. Set in heavily wooded hollow. Fish hatchery below dam. Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1938 and 1939.

This park was originally known as Second Ward Park. In 1935, "WPA workers constructed a wall of fieldstone around the pond," turning it into what was for years a popular swimming pool. The pond still exists but is no longer used for swimming (www.dailygazette.com).

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.

Sunset Lake was one of many lakes the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, resulting from dam construction projects. The dam, which impounds Headquarters Creek near what was the refuge's headquarters, was completed in 1933 or 1934. Multiple trails and a picnic area can be found in the area of the lake.

The federal Works Progress Administration worked to develop and beautify Sunset Park in Asbury Park, New Jersey ca. 1936. Work involved the construction of an island in the middle of Sunset Lake. WPA N.J. Project No. 5-51.

According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory, Swan Park "is comprised of a lake, with the dam and sides and small rock islands created by WPA labor out of cut native sandstone." As the name suggests, the park is designed to provide a habitat for swans and other birds.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) financed the construction of Lake Anza in Tilden Park.  The lake is formed by a dam on Wildcat Creek which flows through the park (apparently, the lake drowned a lovely 9-foot waterfall on Wildcat Creek). Lake Anza was created initially for water supply for the Tilden Golf Course and other facilities, but afterward it was developed for recreation like swimming and boating.  Before the lake could be developed, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) teams cleared vegetation in the  area with hand tools; Guerin Brothers and other contractors, used earth-moving machinery to construct the dam.  Work was completed in...

Tionesta Lake and Dam were created as part of a multi-site flood control program to protect the city of Pittsburgh and Ohio Valley. Work on project began in 1937 on Tionesta Creek near its confluence with the Allegheny River. The earth and stone dam was designed by Lieutenant James K. Herbert of the Army Corps of Engineers and constructed by S.J. Groves and Son Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The project cost approximately $7 million and was completed in 1940, with flood control operations beginning in January of 1941. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the lake and dam have...

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.”

Originally known as Strawn Lake, this 90-acre lake was constructed to supply water to the city of Strawn by damming Russell Creek. It was renamed Tucker Lake in honor of a mayor, and now is part of the recently created Palo Pinto State Park. ...November 23, 1936, Freese described his campaign to secure PWA financing for his firm's Texas clients: Today, I got Secretary Ickes' approval of Strawn ..." (Simon Freese, letter to Eunice Freese, November 23, 1936, as cited in Freese & Sizemore, undated).

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) impounded Turkey Creek with three dams, creating fish pools, just north of the creek's confluence with West Cache Creek. The collective area of the lakes was about two acres.

Tyler State Park was developed by CCC Company 2888 from 1935-1941: "Set into the Piney Woods of East Texas, Tyler State Park reflects two major park development efforts. The first, directed by landscape architect Ben K. Chambers, involved extensive forest reclamation and land rehabilitation that included tree planting, development of a road system, and construction of a dam and lake. Architect Joe C. Lair oversaw the other effort, which focused on the development of essential park buildings. Particularly noteworthy, the architect’s designs represent a clear break from the National Park Service rustic style so often used at CCC parks, including many...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) or Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), possibly both, completed the dam and Lake Kunkal in 1939. The 25 acre lake is impounded by an earthen dam. There are also concrete steps on dam's south face.

From the Morristown Daily Record: "TRENTON—Construction work of the Civilian Conservation Corps has been so successfully demonstrated by Camp No. 3, near Springfield, one of 22 such camps in New Jersey, that Union County Park Commission, under whose jurisdiction the work is being carried on, is receiving many unsolicited letters of commendation of the work, especially that of flood control, according to State Forester Charles P. Wilber….Channel clearing and flood control on Rahway River is but one project….The workers are making rapid progress in the improvement of the 3,000-acre section of Union County Park System, which includes Watchung Reservation, Briant...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed what was then known as Willow Park (now Victor Crowell Park) in Middlesex, New Jersey. Work began in December 1935. Among other work, Ambrose Brook was dammed "by a concrete-cored earth fill into a seven-and-a-half acre lake with an average depth of seven feet. A sluice gate was constructed for drainage and flood control." Shrubs and trees were planted, and picnic tables and benches constructed. The WPA installed swing sets as well. Roads on the north and south shores of the lake were paved, and "an attractive stone grotto" was erected "at the entrance...

Virginia Lake Park south of Reno was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936-1938. The park is both a recreational site and serves as a detention reservoir for flood control and irrigation. "Thanks in part to night work crews, the WPA quickly created what became known as Virginia Lake Park south of Reno. The lake was designed for swimming and wading with an average depth of five and a half feet. It was one of many Nevada parks created."   (Meyer 2008)

"One of Georgia’s oldest and most beloved state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. Vogel is particularly popular during the fall when the Blue Ridge Mountains transform into a rolling blanket of red, yellow and gold leaves. Hikers can choose from a variety of trails, including the popular 4-mile Bear Hair Gap loop, an easy lake loop that leads to Trahlyta Falls, and the challenging 13-mile Coosa Backcountry Trail. Cottages, campsites...

"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,...

Town Report, 1938: National Youth Administration An average of 35 young people from needy families have been given part time employment by this branch of the W.P.A., on various worthy and useful projects. The boys have improved the land at Waushakum Pond purchased by the town for a bathing beach; have graded and improved town playgrounds, and since Sept. 21, 1938, have been continuously employed in clearing up the effects of the hurricane damage in the parks and playgrounds. The girls have acted as helpers in the Nursery schools.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) impounded West Cache Creek with multiple dams above Lost Lake, in Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. This created a series of lakes, or "fish pools," downstream of French Lake. The project is discussed in Lawton News-Review: The next project listed for this camp will provide one of the most desireable improvements, aside from the construction of the larger lakes. It embodies the construction of seven fish culture pool dams on West Cache creek, extending over a distance of three miles from Lost Lake to Forest Headquarters. These pools will serve to keep live water running...

Multiple New Deal agencies: the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) participated in constructing Whitman Dam in Sarnia Township, Nelson County, North Dakota. The impounded lake provides a bucolic setting. "The Whitman dam in Sarnia Township required the raising of the county highway six feet and the installation of a box culvert 8 by 12 feet, large enough for boats to pass through as the spot will be used as a recreational center. Water at the dam site will be 14 feet deep with the reservoir 13,200 feet long covering 56 acres and storing 220 acre...

"Several of the campground buildings and cabins hold important historic and educational value. The bunkhouse and dining hall area still reflects the architectural signature of its builders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Likewise, the three CCC‐built cabins, remotely nestled in the woods, retain the historical aesthetics of the era in which they were constructed. ...in 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp on the hill where the present outdoor center stands. Approximately 16 structures were erected. Additionally, the CCC was responsible for the construction of over eight miles of trails, installation of a public...

Willow Creek dam and reservoir were constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding in 1938-39.  Willow Lake is now the centerpiece of Willow Lake Park and there is a 6-mile trail around the lake.  It sits in an area called the Granite Dells, with impressive rock hills all around and prehistoric indigenous sites and petroglyphs. Willow Creek Dam is constructed of concrete that tapers fro 6 feet thick at the base to 2 1/2 feet thick at the top and it is 85 feet high.  It created a reservoir of about 400 acres, with a storage capacity of 8,000 acre-feet. The...

"Woodland Park contains two ponds and one shelter house built by the WPA. The ponds are framed with stone walls and have a small stairway in between them. The shelter house is a rectangular (28' x 25') structure of coursed and rusticated native stone of buff color. A new brown gabled roof is attached. Two privies are located next to the structure. Newer shelters, concrete tables, and cookers have been added to the park."

Woodlawn Lake Park began as a subdivision development outside of San Antonio in 1887. The developers constructed a dam across a creek on the property to create a lake which soon became a resort area. The City of San Antonio acquired the property in 1918 and a citizen's group constructed restrooms and a playground and planted trees. A bond package in 1928 allowed for the construction of a pool and community center. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built two masonry bridges in the park. One still carries vehicular traffic into the park. The road over the second bridge was...

Woodson State Fishing Lake was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps near Toronto KS.