Grand Teton National Park - WY

City:: Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Moose, WY
Site Type:: Parks and Recreation, Infrastructure and Utilities, Forestry and Agriculture, Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers, Paths and Trails, Campgrounds and Cabins, Lakes and Ponds, Picnic and Other Facilities, Water Supply, CCC Camps
New Deal Agencies:: Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Started:: 1934
Completed:: 1942
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

“Camps were set up at several locations in the valley, at Leigh Lake, Lizard Point, and “Hot Springs” near Colter Bay. In 1934, Camp NP-4, the most prominent camp, was built at the south end of Jenny Lake. CCC crews manned this camp through 1942.

Civilian Conservation Corps laborers worked on a variety of projects. The Superintendent’s Report for August 1936 listed the following: landscaping headquarters; improvement and development of a campground at Jenny Lake; construction of fireplaces; construction of barriers at Jenny Lake campground; construction of table and bench combinations at Jenny Lake; construction of permanent employees’ dwellings headquarters; extension of water system; Jackson Lake shore cleanup; trail construction at Phelps Lake-Granite Canyon and Teton Glacier-Garnet Canyon; telephone line construction at the headquarters at Death Canyon; maintenance and lakeshore cleanup; and general trail maintenance.

Without doubt, the most significant accomplishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Jackson Hole was the cleanup of dead and downed trees along the shores of Jackson Lake. Contractors worked on the project in 1931 and 1932. The CCC finished the job of cleaning up the bulk of 7,000 acres between 1933 and 1937. In September 1936, the superintendent of Grand Teton National Park reported that CCC crews were finishing the last 85 acres. “By next summer, Jackson Lake will present to the tourist a clean, natural beach,” it was reported. Soon after, the United States entered the war in 1941, and the CCC program ended. The camps were dismantled. Several buildings from Jenny Lake, intended to be a temporary measure, were moved to other locations and remain in use today.”

“The superintendent’s residence, rustic log houses, garages, and three maintenance buildings were constructed between 1934 and 1937 with New Deal funding and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) labor. The CCC added wings onto the Stewart Ranger Station in 1939, which served as park headquarters.”

(https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte2/hrs17d.htm)