CCC Camp Wawona (former) – Yosemite National Park CA

City:
Yosemite National Park, CA

Site Type:
Forestry and Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, Shops and Auxiliary Buildings, CCC Camps

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Started:
1933

Completed:
1941

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Marked:
No

Site Survival:
No Longer Extant

Description

Camp Wawona, at the south end of Yosemite National Park, was one of two hubs for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the park during the New Deal era, 1933-42 (the other hub was at Camp Cascades in Yosemite Valley).  The Wawona area had only been added to the park in 1932 and there was much work to be done to improve that part of the park.

The first two camps at Wawona, YNP #1 and 2, were established in May 1933 and were the first CCC camps in the West. These early camps were located at the far end of Wawona meadow, but they only last a bit over a year.  Soon, the main Camp Wawona, YNP #7, was constructed at what is now the maintenance area near Pioneer Yosemite History Center.  It functioned from 1934 to 1942.

Several CCC companies, each of 200 men, worked out of the Wawona camps:
•YNP #1, NP 15:  Co. 915 May to November 1933; Co. 529 April to October 1934
•YNP #2, NP 16: Co. 942 May to November 1933; Co. 530 April to October 1934
•YNP #7, NP 21: Co. 529 October 1934 to May 1935; Co. 916 June 1935 to January 1936;  Co. 2548 January 1936 to October 1937;  Co. 487 October 1937 to November 1941   

Camp Wawona companies were engaged in a variety of projects around Yosemite National Park.  The work of CCC enrollees in Yosemite included forest cleanup and insect control, roadside clearing and road fills, building horse trails and telephone lines,  establishing public campgrounds, and erosion prevention. 

When the CCC program ended in 1942, the Wawona CCC buildings were held for use as a possible public service camp. But during the Second World War, the camp was given over to the US army for Signal Corps training. 

Four of the original structures have survived with slight modifications and upgrades and are used by the park service: the Wawona campground registration booth, an office building, and two maintenance buildings turned into a garage and a warehouse.

Source notes

Superintendent’s Monthly Reports, January-December 1933, microfilm roll #2, Yosemite Research Library and Records Center, 26-32.

https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_resources/recent_years.html#page_815

THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS (CCC) IN YOSEMITE by Lois Orr

Site originally submitted by Andrew Laverdiere on October 23, 2017.
Additional contributions by John Broesamle.

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3 comments on “CCC Camp Wawona (former) – Yosemite National Park CA

  1. I have some photos taken by my Uncle when he was stationed there in 1933. I am in the process of adding photos to his page. The current page is located at https://www.seibelmurphy.com/quicklinks/arnoldccc.html

  2. Andrew Laverdiere

    Thank you very much Philip! Those are great!

  3. Carolyn Vondriska

    Hi Philip and thank you for the photos! My father is working on a book regarding the New Deal in Yosemite (he wrote an article that was published a few months ago on this site, as well). His name is John Broesamle. We are hoping to track down any living CCC alumni who might be willing to be interviewed. Is your uncle still alive? Wawona has a lot of meaning for our family – my grandparents lived there for decades. Thank you for your time!

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Contribute to this Site

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3 comments on “CCC Camp Wawona (former) – Yosemite National Park CA

  1. I have some photos taken by my Uncle when he was stationed there in 1933. I am in the process of adding photos to his page. The current page is located at https://www.seibelmurphy.com/quicklinks/arnoldccc.html

  2. Andrew Laverdiere

    Thank you very much Philip! Those are great!

  3. Carolyn Vondriska

    Hi Philip and thank you for the photos! My father is working on a book regarding the New Deal in Yosemite (he wrote an article that was published a few months ago on this site, as well). His name is John Broesamle. We are hoping to track down any living CCC alumni who might be willing to be interviewed. Is your uncle still alive? Wawona has a lot of meaning for our family – my grandparents lived there for decades. Thank you for your time!

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

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This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.