Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers Sites

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated a camp at Rattlesnake Springs from 1938 to 1942 and conducted substantial construction and development work at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, including at what's now known as the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Historic District. Among untold other projects and improvements the CCC undertook trail development and landscaping work and constructed residences and maintenance facilities that are still in use today. Treasures on New Mexico Trails: The Historic District at Carlsbad Caverns National Park comprises a number of Pueblo Revival buildings constructed by Park personnel in the 1920s and 1930s and several stuccoed adobe buildings in the...

From 1933 to 1937, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers developed Castle Crags State Park for public use.  CCC enrollees from a camp at Castella built "the park’s roads, trails, infrastructure and buildings in the 'park rustic' style of native wood and stone." (State Parks brochure).  Evidently, some of the CCC workers at Castle Crags were African American (see photo below). The state purchased the land in 1933 from a bankrupt private resort with a mineral springs, "Castle Rock Spring", which had fallen into disrepair.  The CCC workers built a trail down to the river, a new suspension bridge to replace an old, unsafe bridge for...

CCC Company 1713 established Camp Smokey in Roaring River State Park in the 1930s and used it as a base from which to make extensive improvements throughout the area. The large CCC camp itself  is still remarkably well-preserved. The camp is within the state park, but it is well-defined as its own area, Camp Smokey.  The buildings are still used at this time.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) maintained a camp on French Creek east of Custer State Park in South Dakota from 1934 to 1941.  It was officially camp SP-3 (meaning State Park #3).  The recruits worked on projects in region under the supervision of Custer State Park rangers and the National Park Service (NPS). The CCC enrollees built many miles of road, telephone lines and boundary fences. To this they added 20 bridges.  They constructed a fire lookout on Mt. Coolidge, along with a ranger's residence there, and fought fires and bark beetle infestations. They developed the Blue Bell Lodge and cabins...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)'s Camp White, which housed Company #106 at American Legion State Forest in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, operated from Dec. 28, 1933 to Jan. 1, 1942. C.C.C. Museum: This camp was named for Alan C. White, who was a leader in the campaign to purchase the land that would become Peoples State Forest. The original site of Camp White is now used as a youth group camping area and the building site and camp roads are still visible. The camp had a tree nursery and built the Stone Museum as a natural interpretive center. The museum, nursery building, and camp office are...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)'s Company #176, Camp Wolcott, was based at Paugnut State Forest in Torrington, Connecticut. It operated from 1933 to 1937. Work accomplished included construction of 8 miles of truck trails and many miles of cross-country ski trails.

Camp Zigzag, near Zigzag OR in Clackamas County, was the chief Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in the Mount Hood National Forest, operating from 1933 to 1942 when the CCC was terminated.  Several of the CCC buildings are still in place and in use at the site, which is now one of four US Forest Service district Ranger Stations in the Mt. Hood NF. Some of the buildings at Camp Zigzag predate the CCC, but most were built by CCC workers and are still standing and in use: the Ranger's Office, Carpenter Shop, Bunkhouse Residence, Ranger's Residence, Gas House, Fire Warehouse,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was extremely active in Grand Canyon National Park from 1933 to 1942.  There were six CCC camps on the North Rim, South Rim and in the canyon itself and seven companies active over the decade: #818, 819, 847, 2543, 2833, 3318 and 4814.   Grand Canyon National Park received more development funds and labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps than any other location in Arizona. CCC enrollees built many of the recreation facilities still in use today, such as paths, trails, roads, shelters, and campgrounds, along with basic infrastructure, such as telephone lines, electric lines, water pipes and sewer...

From Our Mark on This Land (2011): "If you have driven, hiked, or slept in the Chisos Mountains, you have experienced CCC history. In May 1933, Texas Canyons State Park was established; it was later renamed Big Bend State Park. Roads and trails were needed for the new park, and the CCC provided an ideal workforce. A year after the park was established, 200 young men, 80 percent of whom were Hispanic, arrived to work in the Chisos Mountains. The CCC's first job was to set up camp and develop a reliable water supply. The CCC boys faced many challenges, living...

Beginning in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working from NPS regional office designs, built new structures and cleared “unneeded or undesirable” buildings, lakes, and ponds. Corpsmen also did landscaping work to improve the camp- and picnic grounds, overlooks, and places for parking. Corpsmen also helped restore historic buildings.

Cedar Breaks National Monument was created by President Franklin Roosevelt on August 22, 1933, with just over 6,000 acres carved out of Dixie National Forest in southwest Utah. This was Roosevelt's first national monument declaration and it set a precedent that FDR would follow again and again: transferring monuments and parks from the US Forest Service to the National Parks Service – which grew substantially under the New Deal. In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sent men from Zion Canyon to set up a 'stub camp' (closed in winter) at Cedar Breaks, where they started working on improvements to the...

The creation of the Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Tennessee was a multifaceted joint project of the Resettlement Administration, the CCC, the forestry division, NPS and the WPA: "Project development began in the fall of 1935, with forestry personnel, along with RA and CCC workers, planting new seedlings of juniper cedar, black walnut, black locust, ash, yellow poplar, and mulberry trees. The crews introduced erosion controls and built roads and trails... The WPA constructed recreational facilities, including picnic areas, overlook shelters on the Jackson Cave Trail, and the original park lodge. Lebanon Cedar Forest was officially opened in September 1937...

Concrete foundation, clapboard walls. Gabled roof, asphalt shingles, stone chimney. Carpenters is other skilled workers employed through the Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked on the buildings as well as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The building is now only used occasionally.

According to CCC alumnus Charles E. Humberger, quoted in the Nebraska History journal, “guest cabins were constructed and improvements made at the swimming pool and picnic and recreation area. Roads and trails were improved and drainage structures built. Brush dams were built to control soil and stream bank erosion, and the water supply system at the headquarters area was improved. They also carried out extensive rodent control and soil erosion programs on private property north of Chadron.” According to the city of Hemingford, “, one of Nebraska’s most beautiful, was developed to a large degree, by Civilian Conservation Corporation (CCC) forces…”

"The park’s history is tied to Camp Morehouse, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp that was located nearby, and a company of young men who began construction of the park in the 1930s. The Morehouse Enterprise reports June 8, 1933 that CCC Company 1491 under the command of U.S. Army Capt. Ralph L. Ware had arrived in Bastrop via train from Camp Beauregard. The company included 188 enrollees from Morehouse and surrounding parishes. The men would be stationed at Camp Morehouse about 12 miles north of Bastrop  on land owned by the Crossett Lumber Co., where they planned to build a lighting plant,...

" buildings were erected by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. Two programs of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program to pull the country out of the Great Depression. They began working in 1933 — only three years after the park opened on Memorial Day in 1930. Roads were built and drainage systems were put in by those workers in a park designed by Dr. Laurie Coz and students of Syracuse University’s School of Forestry. Using nature and its environs, they carefully sculpted out a park with forested areas for cabins and clear fields for sports fields,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Chief Shakes Historic Site in 1940 on a 0.704 acre tract of land located on Shakes Island in Wrangell Harbor. The park was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the restoration of totems and Native cultural assets. At the center of the park is a 1940 replica of an early 19th Century Tlingit community house. Nine totem poles surround the house—a Sealion Prince, Kadashan Red Snapper, Kadashan Crane, Underwater Grizzly, Three Frogs, Bear Up Mountain, and Sea Serpent. Seven of these totems poles are reproductions of older poles, while two are originals....

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Chief Shakes Historic Site in 1940 on an acre of land located on Shakes Island in Wrangell. The clan house is a 1940 replica of an early 19th Century Tlingit community house. The house is surrounded by nine totem poles and it contains two posts that represent two killer whale fins. A 1970 nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places describes the formal qualities of the structure: “A central square fire pit is the focus of the structure's interior. The fire pit is surrounded by a planked platform that would have...

"It was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a product of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, that turned Charlton Flat and Chilao into prime recreation areas. A CCC camp was set up at Charlton Flat in June 1933, and another one at Chilao six years later. The young and energetic lads of the CCC built an elaborate campground and picnic area at Charlton Flat, and a campground, ranger station, and maintenance facilities at Chilao. It was their labor that erected the fire lookout on Mount Vetter in 1935, and built fire roads and trails all over the back country. Seldom...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) undertook conservation work in Chippewa National Forest, under the supervision of the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 1935 and 1936, workers for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Chippewa National Forest Headquarters. The building, overseen by Ike Boekenoogen, “an expert in log building techniques,” is “made entirely… from Minnesota forest products. The exterior is Scandinavian style notch-and-groove (chinkless) log construction. And many interior details, including the fifty-foot glacial stone fireplace designed by Nels Bergley, the wooden stairway, and the ironwork on the door hinges and fireplace, were made by hand.” The building is used to this today and is in the National Register of Historic Places.

"Chiricahua National Monument was constructed by a single Civilian Conservation Corps camp, NM2A, between 1934 and 1940. These young men reconstructed the Massai Point Road and built the trails, campground structures and visitor center, the lookout on Sugarloaf Peak, and the exhibit building on Massai Point. The buildings were assembled from boulders or blocks quarried from native welded tuff (hardened ash) found in the surrounding mountains. Designed in the National Park Service Rustic style, the buildings sit low and close to the landscape mimicking the surrounding rock environment and have been screened with native vegetation. A CCC exhibit in the...

Stone walls, wood proches. Clark State Forest is one oldest, established in 1903. This building, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935, probably replaced the old administration building constructed in 1905 at this site.

The park was built by CCC Co. 3804 who were at the park from the spring of 1935 to Aug 1940. According to "Parks for Texas," CCC work includes the dam and lake, a limestone residence and maintenance area, entrance portals, and fireplace units. Additional work was completed by the WPA in 1941, including a bathhouse and concession building, plus a water and sewer system.

Originally known as the Saddle Barn, this building was completed in 1935 by CCC laborers. The style of the barn is classified as Parks Rustic. The barn was damaged during a tornado in 1974 and was later remodeled into a nature center.

Using a variety of native materials, the CCC built gatehouses designed to appeal to the eye and draw in visitors with hints of the delights of nature within the park. The north gatehouse at Clifty Falls was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the gatehouse is classified as Parks Rustic.

Using a variety of native materials, the CCC built gatehouses designed to appeal to the eye and draw in visitors with hints of the delights of nature within the park. The south gatehouse at Clifty Falls was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the gatehouse is classified as Parks Rustic.

In operation from Dec. 9, 1933 to Jul. 30, 1941, C.C.C. Camp Filley conducted extensive development work in the Cockaponset State Forest in Middlesex County, Connecticut. Camp Hadley, Company #2101, also operated on this site, from Sept. 5, 1935 to Apr. 4, 1941. Projects included tree planting; renovations to the Forest Ranger's house; construction of a lumber shed, garage, brick charcoal kiln, a picnic shelter, and clean-up after the flood of 1936 in the town of Middletown. Work also included development at Chatfield Hollow State Park, designated as such in 1949. It was originally a Civilian Conservation Corps recreation area within Cockaponset State Forest.

"The Saddlehorn Caretaker's Residence and Garage are located at the intersection of Rim Rock Drive and Saddlehorn Loop Road, approximately 5 miles from the west entrance of Colorado National Monument. Both buildings are rectangular, one-story structures designed by the National Park Service and constructed of native red sandstone masonry by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 and 1936. The style exemplifies National Park Service Rustic Architecture. The buildings are in good condition and maintain integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association from the historic period.

"Significant for its association with the CCC and WPA, the district includes four good examples of National Park Service Rustic style architecture. The structures were constructed of locally quarried sandstone by the CCC with Emergency Conservation Works funding. The 1937 Roads and Trails Shop, 1938 Oil House, and 1941 Open Storage Building functioned as garages, warehouses, storage facilities, and maintenance buildings for the park. Completed in 1942, the Building and Utilities Shop housed the primary administrative offices for Colorado National Monument until 1963, when a Visitor Center was completed."   (www.historycolorado.org) The utility area is located at the intersection of Rim Rock...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) carried out major work at Colossal Cave and the surrounding park north of Vail AZ (now a suburb of Tucson, but far to the east in the 1930s). They improved access for visitors to the cave itself, built a large visitors'/administration center, laid out a campground and picnic area, opened roads and trails and built a water supply system.  The Arizona State Park Service oversaw the work. Work inside Colossal Cave included widening the entrance and passageways, installing rock walkways and handrails, and added lighting and a water pipeline. This work was done in 1934-37 by...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) carried out major work at Colossal Cave and the surrounding park north of Vail AZ (now a suburb of Tucson, but far to the east in the 1930s). They improved access for visitors to the cave itself, built a large visitors'/administration center, laid out a campground and picnic area, opened roads and trails and built a water supply system.  The Arizona State Park Service oversaw the work. The visitors/administrative complex is a massive stone edifice on the side of the hill at the main opening of the cave – one of the most beautiful CCC works...

An inventory of WPA project photographs compiled by Becky Jordan at Iowa State University includes reference to numerous public works projects undertaken by the agency in Iowa between 1935 and 1940. The collection of 1,271 photographs documents the variety and extent of New Deal related efforts undertaken in the Hawkeye State. The Comiskey Field Clubhouse in Dubuque (Project 430) is included among the many WPA projects described in the collection. Living New Deal believes this structure to have been demolished.

"Conchas Dam is the oldest and one of the largest water projects of the US Army Corps of Engineers in New Mexico. Begun under the New Deal's Emergency Relief Act of 1935, the construction of the dam and associated facilities provided employment for nearly 2400 people. The WPA supported school teachers for the children of the work crews and after the dam was completed, the work camp provided housing for CCC crews building onsite recreational facilities. Today the headquarters building is still in use, and five other units provide housing for staff." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails The following quotes are all...

The Cook Forest Association was formed in the 1920s to protect old growth pines from logging. In 1927, Cook Forest became a state park and would later become designated a Natural National Landmark. "On March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The purpose of the CCC was to provide employment and restore our nation’s natural resources. In 1934, CCC Camp SP-2 was built in the present-day River Cabins area along River Road. A typical CCC camp had barracks, a mess hall, bathhouses and other structures. This camp housed 200 enrollees and staff until 1937 when it...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped construct the Cooper River Park in Pennsauken Township NJ in 1940. “A WPA project to give Pennsauken, N.J., its first public park and recreation facilities costing $350,000 has been approved,” a reporter for Parks & Recreation noted in March 1940. “Included in the plans are provisions for a swimming pool, wading pool, tennis, basketball, volleyball, handball, quoit and shuffleboard courts, picnic grounds, baseball diamonds and playground equipment for children. The Camden Park Commission is sponsoring the project.” According to the Cultural Landscape Foundation, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work crews as well as the WPA “provided design...

Cove Lake State Park, originally planned as Fort Mountain Park, was the third joint effort of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the National Parks Service (NPS). The initial 668-acre park was built along the banks of the lake created by the Caryville Dam (1936). The dam was built to minimize the flooding to Caryville from the Norris Dam (1933-1936) project down stream. Even with the Caryville Dam, some 70 structures including the First Baptist Church and a high school were demolished. In addition, Tennessee Highway 63 and US Highway 25 (Dixie Highway) required relocation....

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1931 under the Hoover Administration, but was not improved until President Franklin Roosevelt came into office in 1933. The refuge lies on the southwestern edge of the Sand Hills of Nebraska and it 45,000+ acres include one of the great wilderness areas of the NWR system. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “The earliest government actions on the Refuge were tree planting and small construction projects by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Projects Administration (WPA). The CCC built several buildings still in use today at the Refuge headquarters....

Crispin Center was constructed with the assistance of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). "Crispin Center - with its large swimming pool, golf shop and Pine Room area - has changed little on the outside. Built in 1937-38 of natural sandstone, much of it quarried locally, the facility stands as a tribute to the quality of work in Depression-era projects."

"Crowley's Ridge State Park is a 291-acre (118 ha) Arkansas state park in Greene County, Arkansas in the United States atop Crowley's Ridge. Located on the former homesite of pioneer Benjamin Crowley, the park contains many excellent examples of the work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s...The park was originally constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the original stone and log structures give the park a rustic feel."    (wikipedia.org) Specific CCC structures  include: "The Bathhouse was constructed c.1935 at Crowley's Ridge State Park by the men of the 4733rd Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps,...