Ouachita National Forest – Crystal Springs AR

Description

Camp Clearfork Historic District: “The ten buildings, one site and one structure that compose the contributing resources to the Camp Clearfork Historic District were constructed by members of the 741st Company of the Arkansas CCC District stationed at the Crystal Springs Camp that was located close nearby. This complex, constructed circa 1935, served as a public recreational area within Ouachita National Forest (ONF) as part of the CCC’s emphasis upon recreational construction that began in earnest that same year.

This complex, with its dam and lake, staff and caretaker’s buildings, cabins and bathhouses functioned purely as a recreational facility, as it continues to do today.  As such, the Camp Clearfork Historic District remains significant through its associations with the contributions to American social history made by the Civilian Conservation Corps, its associations with the emphasis upon outdoor recreation that guided such construction, and its status as an excellent example of a complex of CCC recreational architecture in a remarkable state of preservation.”

Charlton Spillway/Dam: “The Charlton Spillway/Dam was constructed circa 1938 by members of the 741st Company of the Arkansas CCC District stationed at the Crystal Springs Camp that was located close nearby.  It was constructed as part of a small, public recreational complex within the Ouachita National Forest (ONF) as a result of the CCC’s emphasis upon recreational construction that began in earnest circa 1935. The extant historic structures within this complex include only this spillway/dam and a bathhouse (nominated separately), both of which allowed the area to function purely as a swimming and picnicking facility, as it continues to do today.”

Charlton Bathhouse: “The Charlton Bathhouse was constructed circa 1938 by members of the 741st Company of the Arkansas CCC District stationed at the Crystal Springs Camp that was located close nearby.  It was constructed as part of a small, public recreational complex within the Ouachita National Forest (ONF) as a result of the CCC’s emphasis upon recreational construction that began in earnest circa 1935.”