The New Deal gave a huge boost to the development of Alta Ski Resort in the 1930s and early 1940s. The work involved the US Forest Service, the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. Alta is the second… read more
The New Deal had a large impact on Maynard’s Alumni Field. In 1933 the Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) surfaced the running track, built a concrete foundation for bleachers, graded a field next to the highway, and surfaced tennis courts. The… read more
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers worked at Anniversary Park in Holyoke, Mass. Work included the construction of a recreation center and winter sports facilities.
The former armory building in Red Bank, New Jersey was the recipient of WPA improvement efforts: “Improve, renovate, and make alterations at Armory.” WPA Official Project Number: 65‐1‐22‐163 The former armory later served as an equestrian riding hall, and presently houses an ice… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped develop the Badger Pass Ski Area at Yosemite National Park in the mid-to-late 1930s. Limited skiing had started in 1933 with the opening of the Glacier Point road, making Badger Pass one of the… read more
From the New England Lost Ski Areas Project: “Beartown Ski Area was a classic, and somewhat long lived CCC area that was originally built as a Ski Train Destination. It was also one of the largest areas to close in… read more
WPA Bulletin, 1937: “A 12-acre pond is included on the land. WPA workmen have completed construction of a dike to hold in this water and in the winter the spot can be used for winter sport purposes.”
The Civilian Coservation Corps (C.C.C.) was active at the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, Mass. 1934 Metropolitan District Commission annual report: “Under Chapter 338, Acts of 1934, the Commission were authorized to purchase about 650 acres of land in Saugus and Wakefield,… read more
Interest in winter sports, particularly skiing, grew in Oregon during the 1920s. Given the Willamette National Forest (WNF) management’s commitment to recreation and the availability of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) labor, US Forest Service Staff worked with local outdoor groups… read more
“The Cannon Mountain Ski Area is state-owned and offers nine lifts servicing 165 acres (67 ha) of skiing (158 with snowmaking). In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps cut six ski trails, many of which were later incorporated into the… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)’s Camp Toumey was stationed at Mohawk State Forest from June 25, 1933 to July 26, 1941. “Named for James W. Toumey, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry, CCC men from this camp lived among… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)’s Company #176, Camp Wolcott, was based at Paugnut State Forest in Torrington, Connecticut. It operated from 1933 to 1937. Work accomplished included construction of 8 miles of truck trails and many miles of cross-country ski trails.
From 1933-1937 a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp operated within the Blue Hills Reservation, south of Boston. Over that time the CCC made numerous improvements to the Reservation, including two lookout towers, ski trails, a toboggan run, and any number… read more
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… read more
Multiple New Deal agencies worked to develop Green Brook Park in Plainfield, New Jersey beginning in 1933. The project involved the construction of a 1.55-acre artificial lake (which could be converted into an ice skating rink during the winter); the… read more
Montpelier Annual Report, 1937: “In the early summer of 1933 the C. C. C. started improvement work at Hubbard Park under the direction of the Vermont Forest Service cooperating with the Montpelier Park Board. From that time until the fall… read more
Kendall State Park, plus park land from the cities of Cleveland & Akron, were formed into a National Recreation Area in 1974 and then Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The story of its establishment highlights the impact local citizens and political… read more
This small mountain town developed Olympic quality winter sports facilities in order to host the Olympic games in 1932. These facilities, including ski slopes and the bob-sled run, were later improved by the WPA. The resort was again used for… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) developed “miles of downhill and cross-country ski trails that became the Mohawk Mountain Ski Area.”
The CCC conducted extensive work on Mount Greylock State Reservation between 1933 and 1942. From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: “The Mount Greylock Summit, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contains an exceptional collection… read more
Mount Rainier was the nation’s fifth National Park, established 1899. During the Great Depression the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps greatly aided the park’s development. NPS.gov: “The Civilian Conservation Corps was busily building and repairing park lands and structures from… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in conjunction with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a ski hut on Mount Rose in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The exact location and status of this facility is unknown to Living New Deal.
Various relief and infrastructure efforts were provided by the New Deal for this small New Hampshire mountain village, population 514 (1930 Census). From 1933 to 1935, the Public Works Administration conducted a survey for a proposed water project, at a… read more
TheWorks Progress Administration built a Municipal skating rink in Laramie, Albany County.
According to a historical sign on site, “Named for Fridjof Nansen, the Greenland explorer. Berlin’s first ski club formed in 1872. The club sponsored the “Big Nansen” constructed in 1936 -38 by the National Youth Administration and the City of… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop Olympic National Park, including constructing the park’s headquarters, during the 1930s.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Ostrander Ski Hut in 1941. The ski hut is a two-story stone structure, in the classic National Park rustic style. It was built for cross-country skiers, meant to be part of a larger… read more
Mount Rainier was the nation’s fifth National Park, established 1899. During the Great Depression the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps greatly aided the park’s development. Wikipedia: “The Paradise Ski-Tow Powerhouse was built to house a portable ski-tow system. Paradise was… read more
“The Paugnut Forest Administration Building (also known as Burr Pond Park Bungalow) is a historic building at 385 Burr Mountain Road in Burr Pond State Park, Torrington, Connecticut. Built in 1937 by a crew of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC),… read more
The CCC worked to develop Pittsfield State Forest during the 1930s. From BerkshireWeb.com: “In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted large tracts of spruce and red pine on the former grazing land. They also constructed roads, dams, and… read more
“Making the project possible was a bequest of $70,000 in the will of (late) Sophia Nolte Pullar. Her funds were largely used to build the Pullar” Community Building “in 1939 as a … Public Works Administration project. The Pullar is one… read more
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided labor for the construction of multiple facilities at Recreation Park in Asheville, NC. The CWA constructed a barracks at the park, as well as developing a skating rink…. read more
Camp Stuart, Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) Company #1194, operated between July 8, 1935 and May 31, 1937. It conducted development work at the newly-established Salmon River State Park. Work included construction of one mile of truck trails, “the clearing of miles of… read more
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) developed a school skating pond in Superior, Wyoming in 1933/4. Cassity: “School life appears to have been significantly upgraded by the CWA workers at schools in the towns and countryside alike. … Superior’s students got… read more
Bartlett, Texas’s Tribune and News noted in mid-1939 an “unusual” PWA-funded project being constructed in West Portal, Colorado — a ski-tow.
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers constructed a toboggan slide at St. Moritz Park in Quincy, Mass.
Civilian Conservation Corps workers from Camp Canyon Creek constructed a warming cabin to the south of Starr Ridge and just to the east of Highway 395 sometime between 1937 and 1940. The log structure with its impressive fireplace and chimney… read more
WPA Bulletin, 1937: “On a misty, dismal day last April, a WPA crew started work on the wild and undeveloped 70-acre Bemis tract of land in the rear of the Chicopee High School, which is being converted into the city’s… read more
The Utah Outdoor Association, working with the local Forest Service office in the Wasatch National Forest, created the Community Camp in 1921. It was built on the site of a former tree nursery put there c. 1900 to reforest Big Cottonwood Canyon,… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter, atop Mount Greylock, in 1940.