Parks and Recreation Sites

From the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area website: “The first skiing trails on Wachusett Mountain were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930's (Pine Trail 1934; Balance Rock Trail 1937).”

Duluth, Minnesota's Wade Municipal Stadium was constructed with federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) funds/labor between 1940 and 1941. The 4,200-seat stadium is still in use today.

In 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a wading pool in the "city park" in Scottsbluff. Living New Deal believes this to mean what is now known as Pioneer Park as the project is mentioned in conjunction with a museum that was another Pioneer Park project. The pool appears to no longer be extant.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) "onstructed road and water holes, fought forest fires, and restored local roads and bridges after the 1936 flood and the 1938 hurricane."

The picnic area at Wahkeena Falls benefitted from the attention of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees soon after the program was rolled out in March 1933. Workers from CCC Camp Benson improved a picnic area on the north side of the Columbia River Highway at Wahkeena Falls by adding stone fireplaces, picnic tables and a community kitchen/picnic shelter. As a result, the Wahkeena Falls Picnic Area is the largest day use area on the historic Columbia River Highway. The Wahkeena Falls Community Kitchen, similar to the community kitchen at Eagle Creek, consists of post and beam construction, three to four feet...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees were brought in as early as 1933 to improve the hiking trail network in the Gorge along with their other forest management and recreation development. The Wahkeena Falls Trail was among the first to be improved, following Wahkeena Creek toward its source on the Columbia gorge rim. Another new trail, along the rim, linked Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls to allow hikers to go from one falls to the other without using the highway. In the 1920s, as part of a larger project giving Columbia River Gorge waterfalls their current names, the Mazamas (a local climbing and...

"In the 1930's the Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a series of improvements including the construction of the loop road around the summit ." A 1937 WPA Bulletin reported: In 1934 Waitt's Mount in Maiden looked like a quarry-workers' nightmare. It was a huge, bald and jagged granite ledge whose slope was covered with twisted, stunted trees and tangled underbrush; probably the most useless piece of land in this section of the state. Today the Mount is a beautifully terraced park which commands a 15-mile panorama of metropolitan Boston. The park, built by the WPA, has landscaped slopes, shade trees, rustic...

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Residents of Lynn consume 2,854,464,350 gallons of city water a year and from the same reservoir system the town of Saugus uses 333,542,250 gallons during the same period. Last week a WPA project started which will improve the purity of the water supply by clearing and grubbing 40 acres along the northerly shore of Walden Pond and cleaning out a half dozen tributary brooks which feed into the pond. When the land is cleared 25,000 three-year-old white pine seedlings will be planted. Most of these trees will be taken from the 2,200-acre Lynn Woods Reservation and will...

"Mayor George Walker: In the 1930's, Winter Garden, Florida, was struggling economically along with the rest of the nation. The Great Depression left growers without markets, consumers without spending money, and many without work. It was Winter Garden's fortune to have George Walker as its mayor during this difficult period. Mr. Walker, a native of Savannah, Georgia, came to Winter Garden in 1919, and in the following year opened Walker Electric Company and Appliance Store. An avid sportsman, Walker was the director of the Lake-Orange County semi-pro baseball league and served as the manager of the Winter Garden League in...

"Walker Field Shelterhouse is a historic park shelter located at South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. It was constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration."

In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) landscaped the grounds of the Utah State Training School in American Fork, just north of Provo UT. The landscaping included a quarter mile-long stone wall along the south property line of the school, along 700 North Street.  The school morphed into the Utah State Development Center and grew much larger; the original building is gone.  Part of the grounds have been carved out as Quail Cove park for the city of American Fork. But the stone wall still stands, marking the southern boundary of Quail Cove, home of a beautiful New Deal amphitheater.    

Today, The Wallace Bowl is now the home of the Park District's summertime Starlight Theatre, which provides a unique outdoor setting for musical and dramatic performances offered to the public free of charge. The WPA began construction in 1936 of an outdoor amphitheater at the Lakefront. This outdoor stage was officially dedicated as the Wilmette Outdoor Amphitheatre in 1946. The same space would later be named the Wallace Bowl in honor of Gordon Wallace, superintendent of parks from 1936-68. This project was made possible through the generosity of Charles H. Feltman, one of the commissioners of the Wilmette park district. It...

The local high school received a $15,000 CWA football stadium in 1934. The stadium is not located on the school property, but rather a few blocks away in Wallace Park. While the site no longer functions as a football stadium, the stone bleachers are still standing, and now overlook two baseball diamonds.

In June 1933, using a design by architect Robert H. H. Hugman, workmen from the Civilian Conservation Corps, began building walkways and bridges along Walnut Branch, a small tributary of the Guadalupe River, and lining the slopes of the waterway with curving stone retaining walls. Dams crossed by stepping stones, low falls, and quiet pools were built along the natural course of the waterway that passes along the edge of the city's downtown. The park eventually fell into neglect during a severe drought in the 1950s, though the main spring never dried up. Fear that mosquitoes breeding in the small ponds...

"The Stadium at Cary Field was constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395 under a grant from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. The namesakes of the stadium are Walter (W&M class of 1937) and Betty Zable (class of 1940), who made a $10 million contribution to William & Mary in 1990, adding the Zable moniker to the existing Cary Field. The construction of the stadium is distinct in that the primary entrance to the stadium is at the 50 yard line on one side, eliminating prime midfield seating locations. In order to secure the stadium, college officials...

Walton Field in Wakefield, Massachusetts "was improved in the 1930s as part of the WPA program."

This park and recreational lake was created largely by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and dedicated in 1940. The borough of Eatontown funded $3,500 of the cost of the project and the WPA $35,000. The park is still in use.

“Wapato Park was the site of a major WPA work project. Sherman Ingalls, Metropolitan Park District Supervisor at Wapato directed the project and designed the park improvements. The WPA built bridges, boat and bathhouse, modern kitchen with hot and cold water; installed electrical outlets; graded, leveled and seeded the park; built modern ball fields, a sandy bathing beach, and a stone entrance; cleared roads and pathways, and developed Alpine gardens and a lily pond.” ("History of Wapato Park.")

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) had a great impact on War Memorial Park, including constructing the "golf clubhouse".

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) had a great impact on War Memorial Park. "During the 1930s the original zoo buildings, the golf clubhouse, the bathhouse and the swimming pool were constructed by WPA workers." The W.P.A. likely undertook other construction projects at the project as well, such as stone walls and the 1940 bridge carrying "Club House Drive" over Coleman Creek.

Wikipedia: "War Memorial Park is a public park in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is located south of the town center, bounded by River Street, Arch Street and the Town River. The park was established in the 1930s and was constructed in part with funding from the Works Progress Administration. ... The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008."

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers constructed War Memorial Park in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. From a W.P.A. Bulletin: The historic home of Capt. John Ames, built in 1774 in West Bridgewater, featuring "Pulpit Rock" where Rev. John Keith in 1663 preached his first sermon to settlers in this country, is being converted by a WPA project into a five-acre park and beauty spot.

A WPA stadium originally completed in 1937, War Memorial Stadium (a.k.a. the Rockpile, or Best Street Stadium) housed the Buffalo Bills before falling into disuse. Though the stadium itself was demolished in 1988, its northeast and southeast entrances have been preserved. A 1940 WPA write-up detailed the project: "Like Bleecker Stadium in Albany, Best Street stadium was an abandoned reservoir, destined to become a city eyesore. Forming a natural amphitheatre the site was converted into a stadium, with concrete stands and walls, seating 38,000 persons. As a result many sports events which the city could not otherwise have accommodated, have been...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the warden’s residence at Mount San Jacinto State Park. The warden’s residence is located near the park entrance, off to the right. It is currently being used as ranger housing.

In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a barn at Warder Nursery in Cincinnati OH. The project was one of several undertaken by the WPA in the city. “Three WPA projects for park improvements at Cincinnati, Ohio, have been given approval by the council finance committee of the city,” a contemporary journalist remarked at the time. “One project provides for the erection of a service and storage building at the Warder Nursery on North Ben Road, one for the construction of roads and walks in the various parks, and the other for landscape development in some of the parks.” The WPA...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a warehouse in what is now known as the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Historic District. National Register of Historic Places nomination form, 1988: Warehouse, NPS Bldg #26. Designed in 1941 by architect Ken Saunders of the Branch of Plans and Design, Regional Office, Santa Fe; erected in 1942 by CCC workers; now used as a Maintenance Office and Warehouse. Simplified Hew Mexican Territorial Revival Style; one-story; rectangular plan measuring about 58' x 31'; beige-colored stuccoed adobe; arched wooden truss roof with iron tie rods is hidden behind an adobe parapet, and was recently sprayed with urethane foam;...

In 1929, the developer of the future Warner Mountain Ski Area, Henry Cairns, purchased the area from a man named James Strike. Cairns, having owned a farm in the area, decided to carve slopes into this mountain, located on the eastern side of East Mountain State Forest in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The trails emptied out into Cairns farm, which became known as the G-Bar-S Dude Ranch; this stood for the nearby Great Barrington Sports. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was employed in the area to carve two trails into the slopes: the more advanced and difficult Taconic Trail and the more...

The Works Progress Administration  (WPA) built grandstands for the Warren Ballpark in Bisbee. The stadium was built by the C&A Mining Co. in 1909. By the 1930s, the Phelps Dodge Corporation had purchased the C&A Mining Co. and had inherited the Warren Ballpark complete with old wooden grandstands that needed to be replaced. In 1936, the Bisbee Unified School District purchased the ballpark from the mining company for $10. It turned the ballpark into public property eligible for WPA improvements. The superintendent of the Bisbee Unified School District was R.E. Souers. In addition to being the superintendent, he was also the president of the...

"In 1918, the Forest Service moved its Guard Station from Hays Station, near the South Fork of the Salmon River, to Warren. Construction dates at the station site range from the barn built in 1909 to the 'modern' 1959 ranch style, one level frame house. The other facilities were built by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. The Guard Station offers information and exhibits on the history of the area."(https://www.secesh.net/Walk.htm) The CCC buildings, constructed in 1934, were part of one of the first CCC projects in the State of Idaho and in the Nation.

" This two-story astylistic utilitarian ranger station features a rectangular shaped plan configuration, a concrete foundation, a rock-faced concrete block exterior, a wood trim, and an asphalt shingled multi-gabled roof...The station is in excellent condition. The Washburn Ranger Station has functioned since its 1936 date of construction as an office, a place for equipment storage, and living quarters for the ranger. The station was built during the W.P.A. program."

"Washington Crossing Historic Park is a 500-acre site operated by The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in partnership with the Friends Of Washington Crossing Park. The park is divided into two sections. One section of the park, the "lower park," is headquartered in the village of Washington Crossing located in Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania..." (Wikipedia) The WPA and CWA did extensive work on Bowman's Hill and the surrounding area: "During the mid 1930s there were approximately seven major improvement projects completed at Bowman's Hill under the Civil Works Administration and Works Progress Administration of the New Deal under President...

The Washington Marina was originally called Yacht Basin No. 1 and was part of a multi-million dollar improvement program for the Washington Channel and Southwest Waterfront, funded by both the Army Corps of Engineers and the District Commission (DC government).  In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared by Executive Order that the nation’s capital needed a first class marina to meet the needs of recreational boaters (FDR was a great yachtsman). Roosevelt commissioned Charles Chaney, the Philadelphia Harbor engineer, to design and supervise the construction of what was then called Yacht Basin One.  The eastern half of the basin was built by the...

The Works Progress Administration built a city park in Buffalo, Johnson County, Wyoming. Today the park is stil in operation under the name Washington Memorial Park.

The Works Progress Administration built a municipal pool in Buffalo, Johnson County. Today the pool is still in service under the name Washington Memorial Park Swimming Pool. Living New Deal believes the pool was constructed in conjunction with WPA work undertaken at the City Park.

The Washington Monument grounds – the core area of the National Mall – was substantially altered and improved, including a major reconfiguration of the streets. The work was paid for by the Public Works Administration (PWA) from a fund of over $1 million provided for an overhaul of the entire National Mall.  Labor was mostly provided by Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) relief workers. First, the Washington Monument grounds were raised and reconditioned with new topsoil, followed by reseeding of the lawns. Second, the circular roadway on the north side of Monument was eliminated and a highway in the line of...

Washington Monument State Park was first developed by the CCC, circa 1934-1936. The CCC built a number of structures in the park, but the most well-known is the Washington Monument, the first completed monument to honor George Washington. The monument was first built in 1827, by the townspeople of nearby Boonsboro; but by 1934 it was in near-complete ruin. The CCC demolished what was left, and rebuilt the monument to its original specifications. This relatively small park is a good location for hiking (the park’s hiking trail is part of the Appalachian Trail), picnicking, and is “an ideal site for spotting...

This large park sits on both sides of a creek that meanders through the grounds and is crossed by several bridges. The park was developed by the WPA in the 1930s. The Washington Park shelter house on Missouri St was originally an open air structure, but has been enclosed and added onto. The bridge to the baseball field has a WPA insignia in the rock work. A large tennis court is on the east side of the park. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe played on these courts. Extensive rock wall are found adjacent to the creek for erosion control.

Adjacent to Portland’s International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park, the amphitheater served originally as a venue for “all ceremonies incident to the christening of roses or functions held in honor of roses in Portland”(1921). Designed to accommodate 5000 people viewing a 300-square foot stage, the Washington Park Amphitheater has become a popular public venue for concerts, theater performances and other events since it conception as the “Portland Rose Theater” or “Rose Bowl Theater” (1921; 1924; 1937). In 1941, Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers helped document the Washington Park Amphitheater architectural plans and complete access to the natural amphitheater by constructing...

The Washington Park Arboretum is a public park, run as a joint project between the University of Washington and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. "In 1933, the Public Works Administration did some rough clearing in Washington Park, but it was not until 1935 that real progress began... Governor Martin proposed the Arboretum as a candidate for additional Works Progress Administration (WPA) funding to Washington Senator Lewis B. Schwellenbach, who approached the WPA with the suggestion. The Arboretum was designated an official project of the WPA, which authorized the employment of 800 workers at a cost of $1.5 million. The WPA funding...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) expanded Washington Park in Laramie, Wyoming.