Dolliver Memorial State Park – Lehigh IA

Description

“C.C.C. Company 2725 established camp DSP-3 (now SP-6) in Dolliver Memorial State Park on August 7, 1934, and immediately set to work constructing a series of barracks (Fig,.10) and a shop (Fig. 11). Aerial photography of Webster County from 1939 by the A.A.A. (Agricultural Adjustment Agency – a New Deal program to pay farmers to reduce their crop production) captured the area of the C.C.C. camp at Dolliver shorly after the barracks were constructed (Fig 12a). It shows the lo[d]ge, cabins, the mess hall, rest room facilities, shortly after they were constructed and the remains of a baseball diamond. It is interesting to compare that photograph with a color infrared aerial photograph of the same area today (Fig. 12b) showing most of the same features in the area around the group camp. As a part of their work at Dolliver Park, the C.C.C. constructed and improved roads, created hiking trails, and constructed a series of buildings and other structures in the park. These structures included northern (Fig 13a) and southern (Fig. 13b) park entrance features, the central (Fig 13c) and southern (Fig 13d) two stone cabins for park visitors, and several open shelters (Figs 13e & 13f[)]. Unfortunately many of these structures deteriorated through the years and were dismantled. When their construction activities at Dolliver Park were completed, the C.C.C. dismantled the barracks buildings and used the wood to construct 10 cabins for use by group campers. The maintenance shop building (Fig. 11) was turned over to the State Park and is still in use today.”   (s-iihr34.iihr.uiowa.edu)