CCC Camps – St. Thomas VI

Description

On January 29, 1935, the Emergency Conservation Work was inaugurated on the Virgin Islands and the CCC was established along with two camps. The CCC built camp facilities across the islands, on St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. The Annual Report of the Governor of the Virgin Islands, published betweeen 1935 and 1942 describes the CCC’s effort to establish and expand the camps: “Substantial and well-equipped camp buildings have been constructed, the necessity to provide against hurricanes making it desirable to provide sturdy housing units. The enrollees (limited to the ages between 18 and 25 years) are benefiting by improved food and living conditions and by trained supervision and direction of the healthy outdoor work.”

In 1937, “In addition to the continuance of two 100-man camps located in the island of St. Thomas and in the island of St. Croix, there was authorized the establishment of a “Senior Camp” in St. Thomas permitting the enrollment, under special conditions, of mature unemployed workmen. The authorized enrollment in this senior camp is 200, but to date not more than 50 enrollees have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in this program.”

In 1938, a senior camp was also established on St. John: “During the year, a side camp was established on the island of St. John, where there are now 26 persons enrolled in the senior camp.”

On the Virgin Islands, as elsewhere in the Unites States, men who had worked in the CCC became in demand labor for private sector or defense agency employers. The Annual Report of the Governor of the Virgin Islands for 1941 mentions that “The outstanding function of the C. C. C. during the past year has been to serve as a reservoir of employees for national defense work. Defense agencies engaged in the development of defense facilities have secured many trained employees from the ranks of the C.C.C. enrollees. Practically every older trained enrollee has been turned over to these agencies.”

The 1941 Directory of All CCC Camps lists the following camps in the Virgin Islands:

Camp #          Name of Area                Location

V1                        Lindbergh Bay                        Charlotte Amalie

V2                        Estate Grand Princess        Christiansted

V3                        M.W.F.H. *                                Charlotte Amalie

V4                        M.W.F.H.                                   Charlotte Amalie

* Men Working From Homes