Paths and Trails Sites

The Union Creek Historic District on the upper Rogue River in Union Creek, Oregon, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places because it is a fine representative of a type of rustic resort popular in the early 20th century and has been little altered since the 1930s.  There are almost one hundred buildings and other facilities in the Union Creek Historic District, almost all of which conform to the Forest Service plans of the 1920s and 30s.  Roughly a third were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1942, working out of the Upper...

From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: “This 2660 acre forest offers visitors a natural diversity of flora and fauna accented with historically significant contributions of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The focal point of the forest is located at 205 Westboro Road in Upton, where visitor parking, the main trail head and park information is available. One has the opportunity to survey the grounds and exterior of a number of CCC structures located at this site."

The New Deal Network's website explains that in the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed a foot path in Van Cortlandt Park that divided two picnic areas within the park. The website tells us that the foot path consisted of "...over 13,000 feet of paved path all completed by NYA." The work included pouring "...4 inches of cinder concrete and then, 2 inches of colprovia for the finished surface. Gutters built adjacent to the paths for drainage."

Van Damme State Park in Mendocino County CA was purchased by the state of California for its newly-established state park system in 1934, after the death of the landowner, Charles Van Damme. As with so many of the original California state parks, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) moved in to develop the site for camping and recreation in the 1930s.  According to Engbeck, CCC Company 572 built a new access road and a water system, expanded the campground by adding tables, stoves, and cupboards, and added a picnic area.  They also built a park staff residence and a community recreation hall,...

The Annual Report from 1932-33 of the Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioners records extensive federal aid in developing the park: "Victory Vanowen Park is one of the largest parks in the San Fernando Valley, with an area of a little over ninety acres. This park is bounded by Whitsett Avenue, Laurel Canyon Boulevard, and Calvert Street. An enormous amount of improvement work was done here with the help of the R.F.C. and County Welfare labor. New roads, a length of 6,110 feet, were constructed, which required the grading of 4,072 cubic yards of dirt, and installing 8,850 feet of redwood...

"One of Georgia’s oldest and most beloved state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. Vogel is particularly popular during the fall when the Blue Ridge Mountains transform into a rolling blanket of red, yellow and gold leaves. Hikers can choose from a variety of trails, including the popular 4-mile Bear Hair Gap loop, an easy lake loop that leads to Trahlyta Falls, and the challenging 13-mile Coosa Backcountry Trail. Cottages, campsites...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a major impact on the development of Voorhees State Park between 1933 and 1941. According to the the New Jersey DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry website: "Voorhees State Park served as a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) , planted trees and constructed shelters, picnic sites and trails throughout the park." "When the CCC boys arrived at Voorhees in 1933, they found three relatively undeveloped parcels of land. The park still reflected Governor Voorhees’ use of the property as a farm including pastures, woodland, barns and an apple orchard. By the time the...

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).”

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."

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...

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...

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...

“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.")

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...

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...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) developed Washington Memorial Park in Guernsey, Wyoming. "In Guernsey, Washington Memorial Park was fenced, graded and given sidewalks and water mains." There does not presently appear to be a park by this name in Guernsey; the site and status of this project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

"Washington State Park is a Missouri state park in the central eastern part of Missouri containing native American rock carvings. These carvings, or petroglyphs, carved in dolomite rock, are believed to have been made around 1000 to 1600 and give clues to the lives of the prehistoric native Americans who once inhabited this part of Missouri. It is also believed that the park served as ceremonial grounds for these Middle Mississippi people who were related to the builders of the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois. "Most of the carvings are of birds, arrows, footprints, turkey tracks, human figures, and various geometric shapes...

Washginton's Walk is an area of parkland extending along the south edge of Jerome Park Reservoir, stretching roughly from Strong Street Playground to Old Fort Four Park. Although we have yet to uncover direct textual evidence of New Deal involvement in the development of this stretch of parkland along the south end of Jerome Park Reservoir, researcher Frank da Cruz makes a persuasive case here for the likelihood of New Deal involvement in building Washington's Walk. First, photos of the area from 1924 show that the park did not exist at that point. So, da Cruz explains, "unless the Bronx...

"From 1935 until 1941, young men at the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp SP44 in Watkins Glen State Park built park buildings, trails, stonework, bridges, and many other projects." The buildings of the CCC camp now serve as the Hidden Valley 4-H Camp.

"The largest of West Virginia’s state parks, at 10,100 acres, Watoga is also among the oldest, dating back to the first land acquisitions by the West Virginia Game and Fish Commission in the 1920s. The park is located in southern Pocahontas County on the Greenbrier River. It was named for Watoga, a nearby town... Two Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established, Camp Watoga in 1933 at the park’s present maintenance area and Camp Seebert at the mouth of Island Lick Run in 1934. Also in 1934 Watoga was changed from a state forest to a state park. A third CCC camp,...

According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, “Some of the park development and most of the road systems are attributed to Civilian Conservation Corps activities in the 1930s.”

In 1935, the City of Portland Bureau of Planning approved the development of a city park to serve the Westmoreland neighborhood, which had rapidly developed during the previous twenty years without the benefit of any park or playground facilities. The City acquired forty-two acres for the park’s development from the Oregon Iron & Steel Co. (a business owned by Ladd Estate Company, the developer of Westmoreland) in January 1936. Since Crystal Springs Creek ran through the flat rather marshy site, water features were incorporated into the park’s design by Francis B. Jacobberger, a principal in the architectural firm Jacobberger &...

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created Wheelwright Park trails in Cohasset, Massachusetts. The area was already a public park but the WPA greatly improved the accessibility. The trails that were cleared are about 4,000 feet or .7 miles long and traverse an area of 232 acres of land known as Wheelwright Park. The trails were constructed of gravel but have since become covered in leaves and pine needles. The park has trails that have natural rock formations in the midst of them as well as beside them. At parts there are natural rocks carved to be stairs in...

"Between 1933 and 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a work camp at Owl’s Gap (S-60-PA), east of the park. The corps members built pavilions, roads, beach and restrooms during this period. In 1935, the CCC dismantled the old dam and constructed the existing dam and bridge. In 1987, the 32-acre park day use area was designated the Whipple Dam National Historic District. This entry on the National Register of Historic Places recognizes, protects, and preserves the work site of one of the Depression-Era's most important relief programs, the CCC. The CCC work was performed to guidelines embraced by the...

Construction on White Rock Lake began in 1910 in response to a water shortage in Dallas. The City of Dallas dammed White Rock Creek in 1911 and built a water processing plant. White Rock Lake was the city’s main source of drinking water until a bigger lake was built in Lewisville, Texas in 1929. The City of Dallas transferred ownership of the land surrounding White Rock Lake to the Park and Recreation Department. The Park and Recreation Department started developing the 1,254 acre White Rock Lake Park in 1930. One of the first projects was stone picnic tables. Next to these...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Whitestone Playground in New York. The playground was dedicated in April 1940. The construction of Whitestone Playground was one of many recreation projects pursued by the WPA in New York. “Two thirds of this new twenty-one acre playground was formerly property of the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, and was known as the Whitestone Pumping Station…Here recreation facilities have been provided for all age groups.” Whitestone Playground, “designed by the Park Department and Built by the Works Progress Administration,” contributed to “a total of 323 new or reconstructed playgrounds completed by the New...

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge began in 1901 when part of the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Indian Reservation was set aside as a National Forest. The area was transferred in 1935 to the Bureau of Biological Survey to become a wildlife refuge under the New Deal.   The 59,020 acre refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow.  It  provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison and Rocky Mountain elk – both of which had been exterminated in this area...

This project was undertaken by the 156th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1933, CCC supervisor Robert Monahan wrote his parents about this work:  "My job the past two days has been to supervise some 78 men in the task of beautifying the bank of the Wild River, which the Forest Service road parallels for nine miles. As you may have noticed the banks of many of our streams have been lined for years with debris deposited there by the 1927 flood. It was a stupendous task to restore the appearance of these stream banks but with 80 men at one's disposal,...

"Several of the campground buildings and cabins hold important historic and educational value. The bunkhouse and dining hall area still reflects the architectural signature of its builders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Likewise, the three CCC‐built cabins, remotely nestled in the woods, retain the historical aesthetics of the era in which they were constructed. ...in 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp on the hill where the present outdoor center stands. Approximately 16 structures were erected. Additionally, the CCC was responsible for the construction of over eight miles of trails, installation of a public...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement and development work at Wildwood Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Among other efforts, such as conservation work, they constructed a bridge along a bridle path over a stream. The location and status of the structure is unknown to Living New Deal. The park is bordered by highways that did not exist during the Great Depression.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont's Wilgus State Park during the 1930s. Vermont.gov: "The land of Wilgus State Park was given to the State of Vermont in 1933 by Colonel and Mrs. William Wilgus for the creation of Wilgus State Park. The original park, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs), consisted of a picnic area with large flue-type stone fireplaces and picnic tables, and the ranger's quarters." "CCC crews from Mt. Ascutney State Park constructed the park between 1933 and 1935. Park structures and features built by the CCC that contribute to the historical significance of the park include the stone...

"Development of this 118-acre park began in the 1930s as a joint project of the Oklahoma City Parks Department and the National Parks Service, with labor from the CCC and WPA. The CCC cleared trees and brush, pruned, built terraces and dammed two small tributaries of the North Fork River to form two small lakes. The WPA work consisted of many native sandstone structures, including picnic shelters, a wood and stone Rose Arbor, footbridges, low walls and terraces, curbing, gardens, curved roads, and a beautiful amphitheater. These stone structures are still used today and are in excellent condition. The coordinates...

The Civilian Conservation Corps completed work at the Windsor State Forest in Windsor MA, between 1933 and 1938. "Located deep in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, Windsor State Forest is known for its beauty. Visitors can experience the cascading waterfall at Windsor Jambs, and the Windsor Jambs Brook winds through a wide gorge with 80-foot granite walls." (https://www.mass.gov/locations/windsor-state-forest) "In 1933, CCC Camp SP-9 (Company 115) was established at Windsor State Forest. The first year was spent on building roads and on forestry work, as well as improvements at Windsor Jambs where a trail, parking lot and picnic area were constructed.... Other...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted extensive development work at Grand Canyon Village, including the construction of a modest wooden bridge across Bright Angel Wash that can be found along a path between the railroad tracks and Village Loop Drive, about 300 feet down hill (but inaccessible) from Coulter Hall. CCC Walking Tour: "The CCC built two bridges across this normally dry drainage leading to the railroad tracks. The remaining bridge dates to 1937. A close look reveals that some of the timbers have been replaced recently, including adding metal beams underneath."

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to improve Woodland Veterans Park in Shawnee, Oklahoma, installing new concrete walks and constructing tennis courts.

Woodlawn Lake Park began as a subdivision development outside of San Antonio in 1887. The developers constructed a dam across a creek on the property to create a lake which soon became a resort area. The City of San Antonio acquired the property in 1918 and a citizen's group constructed restrooms and a playground and planted trees. A bond package in 1928 allowed for the construction of a pool and community center. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built two masonry bridges in the park. One still carries vehicular traffic into the park. The road over the second bridge was...

The Massachusetts Department of Forestry acquired "one thousand acres of land in Wrentham and Plainville" in 1934. CCC labor was utilized to "clean up the underbrush, make the woodroads into real roads, rebuild old dams which have been down for many years, stock the ponds with fish, and set out young pine trees."

The original 32-acre tract that established Yaquina Bay State Park was donated by the United States Department of Commerce, Lighthouse Service on September 1, 1934. Shortly after, Civilian Conservation Corps workers from CCC Camp Newport began development of the site. Located on the north shore of Yaquina Bay, with access to the ocean beach and views of the jetty, the park offered scenic amenities given its distinctive location as well as its historic landmark. The wooden Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, active from 1871 to 1874, served as a focal point for the new picnic area developed by CCC enrollees. They also laid-out...

The Civilian Conservation Corp’s (CCC) work at Yellowstone National Park was extensive and lasted for the entirety of the CCC program, 1933-1942.  Projects included water and sewer line installation, landscaping, tree planting, the construction of fire lookouts and weather stations, firefighting and fire prevention, trail maintenance, museum assistance, snow removal, campground development, building amphitheatres, and the “Construction of buildings ranging from many of those at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch to the residences in Lower Mammoth, sheds and utility buildings throughout the park’s developed areas” (Manns, 1981). There were six main CCC camps in Yellowstone: Mammoth Camp (YNP-1), Canyon Camp (YNP-2), Lake...

The Canyon Overlook Trial at Zion National Park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933.  It runs about a half mile from the east portal of the famous Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel to an overlook at the Great Arch.  Sections of the trail are cantilevers over sheer stone cliffs.  The trail was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.