Parks and Recreation Sites

During the summer of 1935, the Oregonian newspaper announced that among Oregon's 67 Civilian Conservation Camps that summer one would be located at Shelton State Park in Wheeler County. The 200 member work crew made improvements in the state park along with other tasks associated with CCC workers, such as reforestation work and fire fighting, and road construction. Shelton Wayside Park is the park's current name. It is located approximately ten miles southeast of Fossil on Highway 19.

"Between May 11, 1933 and March 31, 1942, ten CCC camps were established within, or on leased land adjacent to, Shenandoah. At any one time, more than 1,000 boys and young men lived in camps supervised by the Army and worked on projects directed by the Service and the Bureau of Public Roads. Until the park was established officially on December 26, 1935, the bulk of CCC activity took place on the narrow 100 foot right-of-way of the Skyline Drive, in the few areas of purchased or donated land transferred to the federal government by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or on...

One of the first CCC camps in the park, (Camp N.P.-2), was established at Big Meadows. Some of the CCC camp structures remain. The CCC also created many of the structures that make up today's Big Meadows Campground. CCC works remaining include water fountains, comfort stations, picnic grounds, roads, cabins, a maintenance office, a gas/oil building, a stable/storage structure and more.

"Big Meadows Lodge is on Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, and 75 overlooks along the 115-mile-long National Scenic Byway provide valley vistas. The lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and local laborers in 1939 from stone cut from nearby Massanutten Mountain. The interior paneling is made from native chestnut, a tree that is almost extinct because of chestnut blight."   (https://traveltips.usatoday.com)

"Located south along the drive from Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain Development Area sits on a plateau approximately 3,400 feet above sea level east of Lewis Mountain and consists of a picnic grounds, lodge and eight cabins (having 15 overnight units), and a campground, 30 sites for tents or trailers, a picnic area, a camp store, and two comfort stations... Lewis Mountain’s facilities were built to accommodate African American visitors during the period of racial segregation that marked Depression-era Virginia. The developed area opened in the summer of 1939 but closed in 1942 for the duration of WWII. Desegregated after the war,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted substantial work at Shenipsit State Forest in northern Connecticut. Work was undertaken by Camp Conner, housing Company #1192, which operated from Sept. 5, 1935 to May 23, 1941. Projects, which include those given separate pages on this website, included "miles of hiking trails" and "clean-up after the Flood of 1936 and the Hurricane of 1938 in East Hartford, Stafford Springs, and South Windsor."

The Sherando Lake Recreation Area was constructed in the George Washington National Forest by the 351st Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. Consisting of a main lower lake and smaller upper lake in the Appalachian Mountains, the Sherando Lake Recreation Area continues to offer opportunities for swimming, fishing, boating, hiking, and camping to the general public.

The livestock pavilion at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds in Sheridan, Wyoming was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The structure is located near the southern edge of the grounds, by Victoria Street.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) painted "grandstands, fences, and buildings" at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds in Sheridan, Wyoming.

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,...

"During the Great Depression, laborers from the Works Progress Administration constructed a swimming pool and bathhouse in Sheridan Park, and the park hosted a WPA Toy Loan Center and WPA outdoor theatrical performances. Several years later, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed jetties in Lake Michigan off Sheridan Park as well as a service road down the face of the bluff."

Sheridan Park in Tonawanda, New York was one of a number of parks in Erie County improved ca. 1936 by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA).

"The shoreline parks: Hammonassett Beach, Sherwood Island and Rocky Neck were all completed during this time period as WPA projects."

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded improvements at the Sherwood Playground in Washington DC. The work consisted of the following improvements: FERA, 1934-1935, “Wrecked two houses; remodeled garage into shelter house (50 percent complete).” (Report of the Government of the District of Columbia 1936) WPA, 1935-1936, “grading 1,000 cubic yards.” (Report of the Government of the District of Columbia 1936) WPA, 1936-1937, “Continued grading 1,000 cubic yards, renovized two small houses for temporary use as (1) playground shelter and (2) marionette workshop.” (Report of the Government of the District of Columbia 1937) WPA, 1937-1938, “Grading, filling, fencing.” (Report of the Government...

Beginning in 1934, 400 African American WWI veterans were employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to participate in restoration of the Civil War battlefield. As Timothy Smith writes in “Black Soldiers and the CCC at Shiloh National Military Park”: “Among the chief beneficiaries of the New Deal's job creation programs were Shiloh and other national parks, to which thousands of laborers were sent to construct, rehabilitate, and restore. In the case of Shiloh, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed several hundred local men from Hardin and McNairy counties on erosion control projects, road maintenance, and excavations at Shiloh's Indian mounds. The...

The New York Times reported that five playgrounds had been constructed by WPA labor within Shore Park along Brooklyn's Narrows, alongside the recently constructed Belt Parkway. The playgrounds were located at 79th St., 83rd St., Ridge Blvd., 99th St., and 3rd Ave. They were meant to accommodate people of all ages, providing "sandpits, swings and slides ..., court games ..., and athletic fields with field houses ..." The long 'shoestring park' was also equipped with promenades and bicycle paths. Facilities at this location are still in use today.

The New York Times reported that five playgrounds had been constructed by WPA labor within Shore Park along Brooklyn's Narrows, alongside the recently constructed Belt Parkway. The playgrounds were located at 79th St., 83rd St., Ridge Blvd., 99th St., and 3rd Ave. They were meant to accommodate people of all ages, providing "sandpits, swings and slides ..., court games ..., and athletic fields with field houses ..." The long 'shoestring park' was also equipped with promenades and bicycle paths. The 79th Street Playground is still in use today.

The New York Times reported that five playgrounds had been constructed by WPA labor within Shore Park along Brooklyn's Narrows, alongside the recently constructed Belt Parkway. The playgrounds were located at 79th St., 83rd St., Ridge Blvd., 99th St., and 3rd Ave. They were meant to accommodate people of all ages, providing "sandpits, swings and slides ..., court games ..., and athletic fields with field houses ..." The long 'shoestring park' was also equipped with promenades and bicycle paths. Athletic fields are still in use at this location.

The New York Times reported that five playgrounds had been constructed by WPA labor within Shore Park along Brooklyn's Narrows, alongside the recently constructed Belt Parkway. The playgrounds were located at 79th St., 83rd St., Ridge Blvd., 99th St., and 3rd Ave. They were meant to accommodate people of all ages, providing "sandpits, swings and slides ..., court games ..., and athletic fields with field houses ..." The long 'shoestring park' was also equipped with promenades and bicycle paths. Facilities at this location are still in use today.

The New York Times reported that five playgrounds had been constructed by WPA labor within Shore Park along Brooklyn's Narrows, alongside the recently constructed Belt Parkway. The playgrounds were located at 79th St., 83rd St., Ridge Blvd., 99th St., and 3rd Ave. They were meant to accommodate people of all ages, providing "sandpits, swings and slides ..., court games ..., and athletic fields with field houses ..." The long 'shoestring park' was also equipped with promenades and bicycle paths. Facilities at this location are still in use today.

The WPA and the Department of Parks together developed an extensive park and parkway area (sometimes known as Shore Road Park and sometimes as Shore Park) along the shore adjacent to the Belt Parkway. The area eventually developed extended from Owl's Head Park south to Fort Hamilton, and included multiple playgrounds and athletic fields. In August 1941, Parks announced the completion of the first section of the Shore Road Park development stretching from Bay Ridge Ave. to 72nd St. The WPA's work included: "remov a considerable quantity of old paving, benches and drinking fountains. The new promenade along the west side...

The Works Progress Administration built the Shorewood River Club in Shorewood WI. It was originally built to hold community events, and today it serves the same function. WPA crews also graded the land, built pathways and a spring-fed pool and fountain.  According to one history, "Hubbard Park saw a lull in activity until the 1930s when Shorewood secured about $2,650,000 for public works projects in the village, primarily through the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) intended to work the country out of depression." "This is when Hubbard Park Lodge was built, as a cabin for boy and girl scouts. There was also a...

Per the US Forest Service: "This recreation site was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Shoshone County Sportsman’s Association purchased the land and donated it to the Forest Service for development of the recreation site. The site is located along the old Yellowstone or Mullan Trail that allowed early day travel across Lookout Pass between Idaho and Montana. The historic structures within the picnic area consist of two picnic pavilions built in 1936, a rectangular single room, single story log cabin, and a single story rectangular framed...

The Works Progress Administration built the Showboat Theatre in Seattle WA. According to the UW Magazine, the theater was, "uilt by the Works Progress Administration in 1938, the Showboat opened in September of that year with a production of “Charley’s Aunt.” For many years it was the center of Seattle’s nascent theatrical community." "For almost 10 years the University and a group of drama alumni, the Showboat Foundation, tried to save her. The cost of restoring the building—estimated at $1 million in 1984—far exceeded the cost of removing or demolishing the structure. To move it, the structure would have to be dismantled and...

(33 1/2 Acres) 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. Improved the grove by building retaining wall, tennis courts, bowling greens and barbecue, providing facilities for family community outdoor activities, in a natural bowl surrounded by magnificent trees which make a sheltered and delightful recreational area. This was the site of the historic Trocadero Inn where the only reminders are the small lake and the rock garden. This is now the locale for summer musical festivals attened by 15,000 or more music lovers.--Healy, p. 61.

The Works Progress Administration built Sijan Field in Milwaukee WI in 1937. Today, the facility serves as the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Recreation Division Playfield. It is used for baseball and soccer.

"The Silcox Hut is a small rustic mid-mountain lodge located at 6,950 feet elevation on Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. It is approximately 1,000 feet vertical above Timberline Lodge and roughly one mile distance directly up the mountain. Silcox Hut was built by the WPA and finished in 1939. It was named after Ferdinand Silcox, the fifth Chief of the Forest Service, 1933–1939. The hut was the upper terminal of the original Magic Mile chairlift and housed the lift's upper bullwheel in what is now the guest sleeping quarters... Silcox Hut was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985... Over...

The Works Progress Administration ( WPA) built several of the features in the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds: a grandstand, two sides of the Education building, and a barn for all sorts of stock animals.    The Silver Dollar Fairgrounds is home to the Third District Agricultural Association and has a fair every Memorial Day week.  Butte county fairs go back to the mid-19th century, off and on, and came to be sponsored by the Third District Agricultural Association after it was formed in 1935. The fairgrounds hosts other events throughout the year, particularly open car races on the Silver Dollar Speedway.  The Gold Cup...

Silver Falls Park is the largest and one of the finest roadside parks in Texas. Since the 1800s travelers have found Silver Falls a scenic, pleasant place to stop. In 1935 the National Youth Association, part of President Roosevelt’s Work Project Administration, build the park’s stone facilities.

Although the State's initial acquisition of land for the park occurred in 1931, the early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. As shown on the map below, a portion of the land that became Silver Falls State Park was once Silver Falls City.  Surrounding this old logging town, the...

The early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c. 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. During that period, a distinction was made between Silver Falls Park, which was accessible to the public, and the area designated as the Silver Creek Recreation Development Area (RDA), which was a special federal program designed to allow urban youth...

The early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the Federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c. 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. During that period, a distinction was made between Silver Falls Park, which was accessible to the public, and the area designated as the Silver Creek Recreation Development Area (RDA), which was a special federal program designed to allow urban...

Although the State's initial acquisition of land for the park occurred in 1931, the early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. As shown on the map below, a portion of the land that became Silver Falls State Park was once Silver Falls city. Surrounding this old logging town, the...

On May 7, 1936, the Department of Parks announced the opening of the Silver Lake Golf Course, which had been "thoroughly reconstructed with new tees and greens throughout...with relief funds provided by the C.W.A., T.E.R.A. and W.P.A."

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...

The F.E.R.A. and W.P.A. conducted development and improvement work at Simonds Park in Burlington, Mass. Work included the construction of tennis courts, the grading of land, and work on baseball fields.

Among other work at Simonds Park, in Burlington, Mass., the F.E.R.A contributed to the construction of tennis courts in 1934. The foundation of the tennis courts was broken stone, acquired from the "blasting and moving of a great quantity of ledge" while expanding the park's ball field. The W.P.A. continued work at the site.

"In 1936, through a federally financed work program, the National Park Service bought portions of the land surrounding Singletary Lake for a recreational demonstration project. One of two projects in North Carolina, the federal government purchased the land at an average cost of $4.51 per acre. The land was managed by the Resettlement Administration until 1939, and during this period resettlement workers and local residents constructed Singletary Recreation Center, which included an office, maintenance building and recreation facilities. In addition, using local talents and materials, an infirmary building, ten cabins, a dining and recreation hall, and a workshop—a fully operational group...

The fire lookout tower and associated outbuildings at Sinking Creek were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934, probably under the supervision of the US Forest Service (USFS). The complex includes various buildings including a house, garage, and outhouse. Also on site are a water well and presumably a pump beneath concrete tops.   Access to the fire lookout tower is by a metal ladder rather than the stairs that were subsequently used by towers.  Currently, it is not in active use, but is near the sinking Creek Trailhead and part of the extensive Ozark trail system. The complex is located...