Parks and Recreation Sites

"The bathhouse and original swimming pool were built in 1940 with the help of the WPA program. Under County jurisdiction the site was originally named Lapham Park. This name was used until the late 1950’s when it was changed to Carver Park."

The WPA and NYA worked to construct a large wading pool in what is now known as Carver Park, in 1936. The pool is no longer extant. Paterson, New Jersey's Evening News wrote on May 8, 1936: Thirty Negro workers of the National Youth Administration pulled the last piece of brush from a 5-lot tract at the corner of Second and Clay streets today, and began the second half of excavation for a wading pool 315 feet in circumference. The work is part of a WPA project, sponsored by the city. Workers there reported the five lots cleared and a 155-foot ditch...

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, Arizona, preserves an ancient Sonoran Desert people's farming community and "Great House."  One of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America, the purpose of the Casa Grande remains a mystery. Between 1937 and 1940 the CCC did extensive work in the area, including constructing a number of adobe park facilities. All of these structures remain in use today and are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. "y 1937 the park still did not have a maintenance and storage facility. For this large building project of the 1930s, Park Superintendent Frank...

"Built in 1934 on low swampy land across the street from the Bangor Water Works, which supplied city water from the Penobscot River, the park was designed by city manager James G. Wallace and funded by the Works Progress Administration . It was known for its unusual system of water features, including a twenty-foot-tall grotto with a waterfall carved into the hillside and stabilized with a battered stone wall. At the bottom of the cascade, water from a small concrete pool flowed into a narrow concrete “brook,” and then into a larger oval pool. Daytime visitors flocked to see the...

During the 1930s, with the help of Works Progress Administration funds and labor, the Seattle Park Department made significant improvements to Cascade Playground. Among these improvements was the construction of a small brick comfort station in the northeast corner of the playground. The comfort station consisted of two structures, one on either side of the diagonal path leading into the playground, and included rooms for the playground caretaker, a playground instructor, and storage, as well as men's and women's restrooms. Work on the two structures began in 1937 and was completed in 1938. A plaque on the north side of...

The push for construction of a playground in Seattle's Cascade neighborhood began during the 1920s. In 1926, using funds from a 1924 bond issue, the Seattle Park Department acquired the proposed Cascade Playground site, which covered nearly the entire block between Harrison and Thomas Streets, and Minor and Pontius Avenues. The property remained largely unimproved for the next nine years. Beginning in 1935, however, a series of Works Progress Administration projects upgraded the site into a fully developed urban playground. As part of the first project, begun in 1935, WPA workers built concrete retaining walls around the perimeter of the site,...

In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) implemented a camp at the Spruce Creek State Park for drought relief by Robert E. Fechner (p.4, The Minneapolis Star), who was selected by President Roosevelt to direct the CCC (Roosevelts tree army). The Spruce Creek Camp established its camp ground at the Cascade River on the North shore. From there they started to build the Cascade River Overlook, which is the largest structure built by the Spruce Creek CCC camp. The CCC camp worked on the overlook for one year between 1934-1935, The Cascade River Overlook is Minnesota’s first example of a...

The Works Progress Administration built facilities in Cascades Park in Bloomington, Indiana. The original construction included drinking fountains, shelters, picnic tables of limestone slabs. Today the park spans 68 acres with original features, hiking trails, softball fields.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) conducted improvement / development work at "Casper mountain park."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Cass Park benefited as the result of multiple improvements. Woonsocket, RI: A Centennial History, states: The Woonsocket Call of September 28, 1935, reported that "work was started on the first five WPA projects in Woonsocket, giving employment to 300 men. ... Cass Park athletic fields were completed. In addition to other landscaping improvements and the construction of picnic areas and fireplaces, "a swampy area was filled in and rustic bridges built" across a brook (Allaire).

There is a three page history of the pool in the Castine Historical Society newsletter by Lynn Parsons (winter 2011) detailing the role of the New Deal in bringing about this fine example of public recreation. According to a Selectman's report from March 2, 1934, the town voted $1,000 for a CWA project on land donated by Warren Hooper and William Bevan. It opened July 4, 1935 under the supervision of the Public Grounds Department, receiving considerable public support and was very popular with children. In 1937 the Public Grounds Dept. suggested the construction of a bath house. $1,967.55 was...

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...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted afforestation and reforestation efforts in what were then known as "North Cat, Middle Cat, and South Cat" canyons, believed to be located on what is now restricted property in southern Nevada. The efforts were taken in part for erosion control.

Cathedral Gorge State Park, outside Pioche, Nevada, was first constructed during the 1930s by the federal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). "Cathedral Gorge is also the site of a water tower that the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built and used when constructing the park in the 1930’s." (lccentral.com)

“Lincoln County was not far behind Clark County sites in terms of federal funds spent on park developments. The county received approval for a fair share of state-operated recreational facilities that's to the collective efforts of the county commission, the Caliente Chamber of Commerce, state senator L.L. Burt, and Congressman Scrugham. Lincoln County was anxious to promote its little-known natural attractions, including the intense red spires and erosional features at Cathedral Gorge. After purchasing park properties with federal Public Works appropriations funds, Congressman Scrugham and Senator McCarran secured a CCC camp for Panaca to build new parks. A full company...

In a letter dated July 20, 1933 to the weekly newspaper the Independent Reporter, F. L. Hutchins praises the New Deal for work on the Cathedral Pines campground. The next year, the paper ran a longer story on the campground: "C.W.A. Work At The Famous "Cathedral Pines," Eustis-Stratton, Maine Jan. 19, 1934 Recently I visited with Supt. A. A. Berry of Megantic Preserve at "Cathedral Pines" to look over the work being done there by CWA workers. As Skowhegan people remember A. A. Berry was at one time a resident of that town. For quite a good many years Supt. Berry has been manager...

From the National Park Service website for Catoctin Mountain Park: “President Franklin D. Roosevelt created programs to give people a chance to rebuild their lives from the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps gave this land a second opportunity and through re-growth, a new role as a recreation area (https://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm)... Historic structures and products of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, along with the site of our nation's first Job Corps Center, are tangible reminders of the capability of vigorous youth programs to strengthen the nation's economic and social fabric. The totality of resources found...

“An additional 75 men will be put to work in Morristown tomorrow, making about 375 who have been given employment under the CWA and other relief projects, it was announced this morning by Town Clerk Nelson S. Butera, Deputy Director of Relief. The men will be put to work at Cauldwell Memorial Playground, fixing up tennis courts, the wading pool and handball court."

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Recently the Birch Street Playground, which was transformed by WPA from a gravel pit into an attractive athletic site, was dedicated by Mayor Burgin who turned over the "Keys of the Field" to the School Committee. North Quincy High School helped in the dedication by defeating Milton's High School in a football contest, 21 to 7. This playground is to be used exclusively for track and football."

Cazenovia Park and the nearby South Park in Buffalo were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century. Improvements to the park continued throughout the early 1900s. In 1935, the WPA built a pedestrian suspension bridge across a creek in the Cazenovia Park golf course. The WPA photo pictured here also shows a swimming pool listed as being "South Park Swimming Pool - Cazenovia Park." This may well be the swimming pool in Cazenovia Park, which was also constructed in 1935.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp near the town of Callao, west-central Utah. It is unknown to us which years the camp operated. From their base of operations in the camp, CCC workers constructed a road over Sand Pass and erosion terraces, fences, and reservoirs on range lands. They also built campgrounds (possibly in what is now Big Basin National Park). When the camp closed, one of the camp buildings was moved to the town of Callao UT, where it was used first as a Mormon Church and later as an elementary school.  A site presently known as 'CCC campground', lying...

A sign marks the site of a former CCC camp at Linden: "As part of the New Deal's efforts to offer unemployed workers jobs on public projects, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the United States Congress created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in March 1933. Three months later, Company 1814 was organized in Fort Logan, Colorado, to serve in reforestation and other conservation efforts. After transfers to Groveton and Austin, Texas, the company was transferred to Linden on June 4, 1937. The CCC enrollees in Linden established their camp here on the nearby hillside. Working closely with the U. S. Forest...

A commemorative marker erected in 1984 reads: "Created by President Franklin Roosevelt and approved by an Act of Congress in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided youth employment programs during the Great Depression. The Lufkin CCC Camp, located near this site from 1933 until 1942, was administered by the Texas Forest Service. Young men helped to build roads and bridges, string telephone lines, and plant trees. The Lufkin CCC Camp proved to be instrumental in relieving unemployment but also helped revive the East Texas forest industry through its use of progressive forestry techniques." (https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us)

According to a plaque: "In 1935 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established Camp Harrison on the site . This camp was one of 67 in West Virginia during the New Deal era." There is now in this location a museum dedicated to the CCC in West Virginia.

In July 1934, the Kearney Daily Hub announced that a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp would be developed at Ravenna. The camp would be responsible for soil erosion projects in northern Buffalo County and southern Sherman County. Two hundred young men would build land dams, terrace fields, plant trees, and do other conservation work on the land in this portion of the state. They would also be responsible for improving the lake. The camp would be set up at the state lake site at Ravenna. At first, a temporary camp was set up with tents. If the camp was to be...

The Omaha World-Herald announced in the June 13, 1933 edition that Nebraska’s sixth Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp was approved in Washington D.C. and that it would be located near Valentine. Officials arrived in September to make arrangements for the establishment of the camp at the Federal Game Preserve, three miles east of town (the present Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge). The camp, as planned in 1933, would consist of seven buildings to provide comfortable quarters for the 200 men and camp officers who would reside there. The camp, designated for soil erosion projects, would house young men in barracks measuring...

A local marker commemorates the CCC Camp based at this location: "Weches Camp P-58-T was established by the Federal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in June 19, 1933. Manned by company 888, the Weches camp was the first CCC camp established in Houston County. It contained barracks, a mess hall, recreation area, post office and medical infirmary. Camp enrollees helped restore and develop the Davy Crockett National Forest and the Historic 118-acre San Francisco Mission State Forest. They planted trees, built roads, developed park facilities and erected log structures and fire observation towers. The camp closed in November 1935."   (https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us)

Lassen National Volcanic Park was created in 1916. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked in the park on buildings, trails, roads and more. Most of this work was done out of three CCC camps at Mineral, the site of Lassen Park headquarters (which lies outside the main park borders).  The CCC was active in the park from 1933 on. Park staff pointed out the site of the CCC camp below the headquarters area, on the south side of state highway 36.  Nothing remains of the camp except a large clearing in the forest and the traces of a...

"The 'Cees', as they came to be known, were instrumental in building much of the original infrastructure of the Inyo National Forest. They were almost entirely strong, young men who needed work, a paycheck and a direction in their lives. Construction of fire stations, trails, bridges, roads and even airport runway strips were included in their duties. Lillian Guesman of Mammoth Lakes recalls:' ...they were great kids. I'd play the piano and they'd sing...we always had such a good time.'" from: https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/about/centennial.shtml CCC Camp F-99 (pictured below) was also active in Inyo National Forest.

The CCC had multiple camps in this area of the Chequamegon National Forest and engaged in many kinds of forest work including "planting of Jack Pine and Norway Pine seedlings, fire hazard reduction, scalping or preparation for future planting,...imber stand improvement, lake surveys, roadside clean-up." (rootsweb.ancestry.com)

One of three Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps located in the Columbia River Gorge, CCC Camp Benson occupied what was then the City of Portland's Benson Park between 1933 and 1935. Enrollees at this early CCC camp made significant contributions to the development of recreational amenities in the Columbia River Gorge. Camp Benson provided workers for much of Eagle Creek Campground's construction in the Cascade Locks area, as well as improvements at the picnic areas at Wahkeena Falls and Benson Park itself.  Commenting on the progress of Camp Benson enrollees at Benson Park, The Oregonian reported: "Crews of CCC workers assigned to...

CCC company 2503 was stationed at Camp BR-57, one mile southeast of Ballantine, beginning in 1935. One of the camp's projects most likely included the CCC built Anita Dam and Reservoir located just five miles away. Whether remnants or historical markers remain at the campsite is unknown to the Living New Deal at this time.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)'s Company #1193, Camp Britton, was based at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Windsor, Connecticut. It operated from Sept. 12, 1935 to May 26, 1937. Work included planting trees, insect eradication, forest improvements, road building, and clean-up work after the flood of 1936.

In May 1935, The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began building housing and auxiliary structures in Goliad for CCC Company 3822(V), a military veterans unit. Built on land that belonged jointly to the city and the county, the camp consisted of forty cottage-style barracks, each to house six men, and nine larger buildings that included a wood shop and metal shop. The camp opened in August 1935, and housed former military enrollees veterans of the Spanish American War, the Boxer Rebellion in China, and World War I. According to a 2001 National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: "The Goliad Camp was...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)'s Camp Cross housed Co. 182, S-51, and operated from June 20, 1933 to Apr. 1, 1941. It was based "in the rock-strewn valley of the Housatonic River." According to the CCC Museum, work included the "creation of 12 miles of truck trails, including Gold Road and Titus Road," and "clean-up work after the 1936 flood of the Housatonic River." CCCLegacy.org: "For eight years Camp Cross was set up in the Housatonic Meadows State Park in Sharon. The enrollees were World Was I veterans who pitched their tents across the road from the Housatonic River. They built 12...

In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed Camp Emigrant Springs for their use while improving the State Park at that location. Approximately twenty-five miles southeast of Pendleton near the summit of the Blue Mountains, the park marked a historical stop on the Oregon Trail when it became part of the state's park system in the mid-1920s. CCC enrollees, however, were significant in development of the park for day-use. As noted in an Oregon State Parks report, these improvements included: "constructing camp buildings, clearing away unnecessary brush, constructing park roads, trails, and car parking areas, drilling a 6-inch well 370 feet...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built camp F-42 at the Saint Joe National Forest, Idaho.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)'s Camp Fechner, which housed Company #2102 at Wooster Mountain State Park in Danbury, Connecticut, conducted the following improvement and development work: "removal and burning of over 80,000 elm trees to control Dutch Elm Disease; construction of roads; forest fire suppression and prevention; forestry work; control the Pine Shoot Moth; assistance in the lower Connecticut River Valley after the Flood of 1936." The camp operated from Sept. 12, 1935 to May 24, 1937.

CCC Camp Greene was located on W. 2nd St. in Xenia, OH from 1935 to 1942. CCC boy Harold Kilgore's CCC papers (pictured below) lists some of the activities the CCC engaged in from Camp Greene, including: fence construction, timber stand improvement, tree planting and building temporary dams.

“A former CCC camp is located at the base of Hart Mountain. From this camp, Company 3442 carried out various projects, including fence construction and the installation of telephone lines. The remaining building was the camp infirmary. The CCC campsite will be developed as a campground in the future. Refuge personnel supervised the building of the existing refuge headquarters buildings and residences, which feature CCC-era stonework.” –“CCC Landmarks: Remembering the Past”