Camp New Brighton - Capitola CA
Description
A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was established at Capitola, just east of Santa Cruz, for the purpose of working on nearby California beach state parks, such as New Brighton, Capitola, and Sea Cliff. The California state parks system had only been created c 1930, so all these beach parks needed work on recreational facilities.
It was officially camp SP-24 (for State Parks) and was active in the late 1930s, but we do not have exact dates. We know that Company 5447 arrived there in late 1937, when the camp already existed, and worked there for some time on local parks. We also know that the Camp Commander invited the public to come view the ongoing CCC work in the Spring of 1938. On March 19, 1938, the Santa Cruz Evening News reported, “Lieutenant Chreitzberg announced this week that the general public will be invited to drive to the Capitola grounds to inspect it and the work being done on the state beach parks.”
The camp was most likely located at the present site of New Brighton Beach State park, given its name, but that is not certain.
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CCC men at work on a state beach park - Capitola CA
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Company 5447 at Camp New Brighton - Capitola CA
Source notes
https://nddaily.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-three-cs-of-capitola-camp-new.html
Official Annual, Civilian Conservation Corps, Fresno District, Ninth Corps Area, 1938
Project originally submitted by Brent McKee on February 21, 2022.
Additional contributions by Richard Walker.
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My grandfather (age 99) worked here for 6 months. His CCC camp in GA asked for volunteers to go to Capitola by the sea, and he volunteered. Last week he told me a story about chiseling rock from a mountain to use in building the park. His harness broke, and he fell into the truck bed below which collected the gravel.