Parks and Recreation Sites

In ca. 1939 at Kanawha, CCC workers built Davis Creek Dam to form the 1.5-acre Ellison Pond. Pinned to the solid rock streambed and built of concrete and cut sandstone, the impoundment dam is 100 feet in length and approximately 10 feet high. The dam was recently removed to re-establish the original stream.

From the Texas CCC Parks website: "An extensive mountain range provides the setting for one of the most majestic of the state parks and one of the earliest CCC projects in Texas. Work at Davis Mountains State Park commenced in June 1933..." Skyline Drive, Overlook Shelter, two Mess Halls (both adobe; one used by CCC as recreation hall for a short time, currently a residence; the other currently storage), Stone Picnic Tables, Stone Fireplaces, Stone Steps, and Latrine. The park's adobe 'Indian Lodge' was also built by the CCC, as was a rest stop located just outside the park."  

A historical marker erected in 1994 explains the CCC's role in the area: "J.H. Ratcliff's 1880s sawmill and village here gave way to major timber industry operations that by the early 1930s had decimated Houston County's densest virgin forest. As part of federal efforts to restore the nation's natural resources, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp F-4-T was built at this site in 1933-34, and the Davy Crockett National Forest was established in this area in 1935. CCC workers constructed fire towers, built roads, developed an old sawmill pond into a public lake with recreational facilities, and planted about 3,000,000 trees. Ratcliff...

"Dawley Memorial Park a 200-acre tract of woodland that was given to the State in 1933 by Mrs. Mary W. Dawley of the village of Wyoming. It is a memorial to her husband, Amos J. Dawley, a descendant of one of the early Colonial families. The area left of State 3 has suffered heavily from fire. Nothing was done to develop the park until 1936 when members of the C.C.C. camp at Beach Pond cleared the burned area and planted about 70,000 seedling trees. Truck trails and water holes have been constructed to aid the control of forest...

The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1938: "The irrigation project for the Dawson county fairgrounds is under way. WPA workmen are laying pipe and building a house for installation of pumping equipment on the Yellowstone river with a capacity of 9,000 gallons an hour. Pressure will be maintained by the large tank west of the main building which is ready for use."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) conducted development work at what was later established as Day Pond State Park. Work included development of a recreation area.

Florida "boasted several notable and highly visible WPA projects, including the Daytona Beach Bandshell Oceanfront Park Complex (NR 1999) and the Bayshore Boulevard Sea Wall (NR 1985) in Tampa. Conceived to help promote Daytona Beach's flagging tourist industry and assembled with native coquina, the distinctive Daytona Beach structure faced south with its profile perpendicular to the Atlantic Ocean. As designed by architect Alan MacDonough, the structure included a clock tower, fountain, and monument to Edward H. Armstrong, Daytona Beach's aggressive mayor who used New Deal resources to enhance the "World's Finest Beach." ... City funds and WPA coffers allocated approximately...

In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed improvements at, and helped beautify, De Mores Memorial Park in downtown Medora ND. The city park improvement project was one of several beautification initiatives around Medora that depended on WPA work crews. “WPA labor is being used with Ben Lantz acting as landscape architect,” a journalistic commentator remarked at the time. “Scoria walks are being built through the park. A fountain will be constructed and the whole area nclosed with a stone wall fence, surmounted by iron grill work.” The park remains an attraction and site of leisure and recreation for town residents.

This park was first established in 1901. In October 1941, the WPA and the Department of Parks completed the reconstruction of the park: "The old pavilion and comfort station was demolished and replaced by a modern brick building. The play was enlarged by the construction of retaining walls. There are two wide gate controlled entrances on each side of the new comfort station, which is located on the center line adjacent to the east fence, leading to the wading pool area. The wading pool may also be used for basketball and volleyball in the fall and winter. Two shuffleboard courts are parallel...

The Dead Indian Soda Springs Shelter was built in 1936 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) on the Ashland Ranger District of the Rogue River National Forest. The structure is significant for its association with the CCC activities in recreational development in southwestern Oregon, as part of the federal government's response to the Great Depression. Submitted as part of a multiple property submission, "U.S. Forest Service Historic Structures on the Rogue River National Forest, Oregon," the Dead Indian Soda Springs Shelter represents its historic context, "CCC/FERA Recreation Development on the Rogue River National Forest 1933 to 1942." The building...

"In 1940, WPA workers completed this park in the heart of Dallas. Named for an early publisher of the Dallas Morning News, the plaza lives in infamy as the location of President John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. There may be other "grassy knolls" in American parks, but none have gone down in history like the one in Dealey Plaza."  (money.howstuffworks.com) The park is built around a triple underpass in the heart of Dallas: "After the triple underpass was built, the remaining green space between the streets, and to the north of Elm and the south of Commerce, was...

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed Dean Park in West Warren. WPA Bulletin: What was once a rough field in West Warren, on the road to Ware, is now a seven-acre recreational site built by the WPA. This is the first athletic field in town history. According to sponsors and engineers, construction of the field, now called Dean Park, was replete with trouble and they point to the fact that 60 percent of the excavation was done by dynamite blasts. Youngsters of the town (who are not a bit interested in engineering difficulties) are proud of the new baseball and football...

"Thanks to Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, which promised jobs to needy citizen, many facets of modern-day Roswell were born. Workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built several schools, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a city hall, DeBremond Stadium, and Roswell's first museum in 1937, today known as the Roswell Museum and Art Center." -John LeMay

Now known as Decatur Playground, this playground adjacent to Public School 35 opened in September 1942. It is jointly operated by Parks and the Board of Education. A press release announced the completion of the playground: "The playground, approximately 200 feet square, lies immediately west of the existing school which will be considerably expanded after the war… A softball field with hooded backstop, one basketball court with removable standards, two practice basketball standards and four handball courts have been provided. The construction of the playground was done by the Work Projects Administration from plans prepared by the Department of Parks." It is still in...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built recreational structures, rock walls along roads, and other features at Rosario Beach at Deception Pass State Park on Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands in WA. The structures are classic stone and timber CCC picnic structures and rock walls along roads.

W.P.A. project description: "Dedham Parkway and Turtle Pond Parkway; a project in operation at the end of the year will provide a parking area on each of these two parkways in the Hyde Park district."

The Dee Wright Observatory in the Willamette National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and was completed in 1935. It was named after the construction crew's foreman who died a year before the observatory was completed. "The observatory is an open shelter built with lava stone found at the construction site. The viewing windows are cut to specifically highlight the neighboring mountains. These "lava tube" viewing holes allow visitors to easily identify the different Cascade peaks. There is also a 36 inch (90 cm) diameter, bronze azimuth-like "peak finder" on the observatory’s roof to help visitors locate nearby geologic features as...

The spring-fed Deep Eddy Swimming Pool was originally built in 1916 as part of a private resort on the banks of the Colorado River called "Deep Eddy Bathing Beach." The City of Austin purchased the resort on May 31, 1935 to use as a park. Early June 1935 saw heavy rains and flooding in Central Texas with peak discharge along the Colorado River at Austin occurring on June 15. This flood destroyed all the buildings at the resort and filled the pool with debris. The city quickly took advantage of New Deal funds for work relief projects. The Works Progress Administration...

"President Theodore Roosevelt created a national bird refuge at Deer Flat Reservoir, now Lake Lowell, with his February 25, 1909, executive order. The refuge was one of 17 federal reclamation projects referenced in the order, each of which used manmade aquifers to provide safe havens for migratory birds. 1935 Civilian Conservation Corps BR-24 Co. 2506 charged with restoring dams eroded by waves and ice. 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the Snake River Islands Refuge by executive order. Thomas Horn assigned as first refuge manager. 1938 Works Progress Administration workers help build refuge infrastructure (roads and buildings). 1939 WPA workers complete observation tower."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Deer Park Pool in Sparks, Nevada.  Construction began in 1941 and the pool opened in 1942.  The pool was entirely renovated in 2007, including rebuilding the pool structure itself. Stonework around the pool is in typical WPA fashion.    

Deer Valley Resort near Park City UT is one of Utah's major ski areas, along with Park City, Alta and Snowbird.  It is ranked among the top ski resorts in the country, thanks to the quality of powder snow in the Wasatch Mountains. Skiing began at Deer Valley with the Park City Winter Carnivals of the 1930s and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built some of the first ski trails and other facilities during the winter of 1936-1937.   No clear trace of the WPA's work remains, given the massive enlargement of Deer Valley ski area and condominium complex in recent years.

The Del Mar Fairgrounds project is unique in that it is the only WPA incorporated and built race-track. It was meant to be an economic stimulant for the county. The racetrack was also built with the expectation of providing fairgrounds for the 22nd Agricultural District (it is still the site of the Del Mar Fair). The project was one of the most expensive WPA project in San Diego County, and was also the only WPA project in the county to be investigated for fraud. Branton (1991).

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed recreational facilities for Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, near Crescent City, California.  Del Norte Park was one of the newly-formed State Park Commission's first acquisitions c. 1930.   According to Engbeck, "CCC Company 1903, working out of Camp Prairie Creek, built a park entrance road, a campground and day-use picnic area, and coastal access trails." While Engbeck doesn't specify, the only campground in Del Norte Coast Redwoods is at Mill Creek, east of Highway 101 and it has a two-mile entrance road; both are surely the work of the CCC. It was closed when we...

"When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used landscape and park projects to provide relief and hope for America. The second great period of park building occurred during this ten year period when the CWA and WPA work teams focused much of their attention on our "City Park" building the Rose Garden, bathhouse, wading pool, bandstand, and the stone armory, now known as Fort Decatur Recreation Center." (decaturparks.com)

The WPA conducted extensive work at former Delaware Ordnance Depot, located on the west side of Route 130 about halfway between Penns Grove and Pedricktown. Many buildings and much of the infrastructure from the time is still extant. WPA projects at the old Ordnance Depot included: "Improve buildings and grounds by constructing magazines and rail facilities, barracks, dispensary, offers and non‐commissioned officers quarters, roads, sidewalks and utilities, landscaping; and performing appurtenant and incidental tasks." Official Project Number: 713‐2‐19 Total project cost: $900,000.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Delaware Ordnance Depot, and War Department "A non‐construction project to improve and rehabilitate buildings, public utility systems, water supply and gypsy...

The Works Progress Administration built the Delbert J Haff Circle Fountain in Kansas City MO, in 1940.

The Delilah Lookout is in the Hume Lake Ranger District: "Delilah Lookout, elevation 5,176, is approximately 45 miles east of Fresno California in the Southern Sierras. Delilah was established in 1916 as a site for fire detection. It has seen several incarnations including a 50 foot metal tower with live-in cab constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. In 1960 this structure was replaced with a 70 foot tall metal tower from Lemoore NAS."

"The historic amphitheater was constructed in the Dell Rapids City Park in 1936 as a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)." Presently listed to the National Register of Historic Places, the "structure continues to be a popular focal point for many summertime activities."

"Stretching back almost a century ago, the residents of Dell Rapids beat the South Dakota heat with a dip in the Big Sioux River. An historic quartzite bathhouse, built in 1934 as a Civil Works Administration project, is the only remaining monument to one of the most popular swimming beaches in the state." --City of Dell Rapids

Dells of the Eau Claire County Park has significant New Deal resources in the areas of recreation, conservation, landscape architecture, and architecture thanks to the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Between 1935 and 1942, the CCC greatly enhanced the park as it designated and constructed the north park entrance; constructed two small trail-side shelters, a set of stone steps, a stone stairway, a foot bridge, a pumphouse, an overlook, and the Combination Building. These resources are still extant and contribute to the historic character and significance of the park. The CCC also designated parking areas with massive boulders;...

"The Division of Grazing (Grazing Service as of 1939) operated the greatest number of CCC programs in the state. There were several reasons for this. First of all, Nevada has the largest public domain (nonallocated federal acreage) of any of the forty-eight states. With little trouble, Nevada's elected officials and stockmen easily persuaded national CCC officials to approve requests for several new grazing camps, notwithstanding national CCC program budget cuts. Second, following passage of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, a large workforce was needed to implement its ambitious provisions. Even with CCC assistance, the amount of work needing to...

$107,000 was approved in the WPA project no. 41003 for the Delta Station Forest Tract for fire lanes, roadways, and general improvements. The Experiment Station purpose was experimental work in lowland forest types. Henry Parker, of Grenada, Mississippi was the project supervisor in charge of "clearing and grubbing roadways and firebreaks (WPA Project, p. 1)...road construction and bridge building; manufacture of lumber for bridges; and stand-improvement work under the supervision of state and federal foresters" (p. 5).

The Delta State Teachers College (now Delta State University) "...did add to its physical plant with the completion in 1936 of an outdoor swimming pool with $20,000 from the Works Progress Administration" (Gunn & Castle, 1980, p. 45). The pool opened in May, 1936 for the senior class party. The pool was eventually demolished, and the site remodeled into a natatorium.

"Golf was played on land leased and eventually purchased from the City of Deming. The original course (nine holes) started with sand greens, but since sand tended to blow out in strong winds magnetite was used to replace the sand. In 1932, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created to provide jobs and stimulate the economy. The building which was to become the Clubhouse was built by the WPA in 1935. The building was completed in 1936 and served as administration headquarters for just over a year. In the spring of 1938, New Mexico WPA Administration approved the use...

The Works Progress Administration made a number of improvements to the original 1919 city park, including stone drinking fountains, walls and entrance gates, and a stone bridge that are identifiable in 2023.

"According to a write-up in the Andovers Trail Guide, the land that makes up the park was purchased by the city in 1877 originally for use as a cemetery. It was changed into a city park in 1896, and was improved in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, whose workers built trails, two amphitheaters, and a boardwalk, among other improvements."

The CCC worked at what is now Denali National Park for two summers in 1938 and 1939. "The Mount McKinley National Park Headquarters District in what is now called Denali National Park was the original administrative center of the park. It contains an extensive collection of National Park Service Rustic structures, primarily designed by the National Park Service's Branch of Plans and Designs in the 1930s... As the hub of park administrative and management, the headquarters area expanded according to detailed plans provided by the Branch of Plans and Design. As in many of the national parks during the Depression, the Civilian...

A baseball stadium "built in 1940 by the WPA, Denton Field was built to the specifications of professional minor league baseball. Today, the ballpark is still up to code for the Pioneer League. Today, the ballfield and grandstand, remains in pristine condition... Perhaps, even in better shape than the day it was built, (due to renovations including new elevated party decks down each line). Denton Field, has been home to the American Legion's Miles City Mavericks since it opened, and still hosts them today. However, Miles Field soon caught the attention of the rest of the American Legion, and became the tournament...

Monkey Island, built by the WPA in 1937, was the only notable New Deal addition to the Denver Zoo. It was rehabilitated in the 1950s.

The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve Peekskill, New York's Depew Park and Fort Hill Park during the 1930s. One project (involving either/both parks) was described by the WPA in its project rolls: "Work includes constructing comfort station, shelter building, and fireplace; performing masonry, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work; installing water pipe, drinking fountains, and edging around running track; painting and roofing; removing stone wall." WPA Official Project No.: 665-21-2-540.