Start Year: 1936

Bradbury Mountain State Park is a public recreation area in the town of Pownal, Cumberland County, Maine, managed by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The state park covers 730 acres. The park was created in the 1940s as one of Maine's original five state parks after the land was acquired from the Federal government in 1939. This Park land was acquired by the Government under the Soil Conservation Land Utilization Program. Purchased from the owners in 1936 to 1938, it was developed by WPA labor in 1939. It is leased to the Maine State Park Commission and administrated by...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park was established in 1921 with purchases of some of the last remaining Old Growth stands of Coast Redwoods by the Save the Redwoods League. It has since been expanded several times and now includes over 51,000 acres, of which 17,000 are old growth redwood stands.   California did not establish a state parks system until 1928, and little improvement work had been done at Humboldt Redwoods before the New Deal.  When the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) arrived at Dyerville camp in 1933, the young men got to work right away developing the state park.  CCC company 1607 built...

The Morse Bridge is a 285-foot steel through arch bridge over the Androscoggin River on ME 108 Bridge Street in Rumford. Although constructed by the city and state in 1935, a year later in March 1936, was moved off its foundation by the results of a 500 year flood. A 1936 State Highway Commission Annual Report lists 26 bridges that were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. A sizable concrete retaining wall and riverbed cover flanks the bridge on the downtown island along River...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the amphitheater at Mutual Dell camp in 1936.  It is a modest sized outdoor theater with a concrete and stone stage and wooden plank seating for about 200 people. It was constructed by CCC enrollees working out of Camp F-43 in Pleasant Grove UT. Mutual Dell is a girls camp run by the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Church. The amphitheater is still actively used for camp programs.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements around Mt. Tamalpais – a favorite hiking spot for San Franciscans all the way back to the Gold Rush era (1850s). A major feature of this work was a new fire lookout tower on the east peak of the mountain, which is in the Marin Municipal Water District area.  Built of native stone and wood,  the tower still stands.   As the plaque notes, the tower was renamed in 1937 in honor of the chief warden of Tamalpais Forest Fire District, who led the fight against a major fire in 1929 and died July 13,...

In 1936, young people employed by the National Youth Administration provided the labor for construction of an amphitheater on the Reed College campus in southeast Portland. The private college supplied the materials and land with the understanding that the theater would be used by civic organizations as well as for college functions. Created in 1935, the National Youth Administration (NYA) provided part-time employment for young people (16-25) who either needed financial assistance in order to stay in school or were out-of-school, unemployed and in need. During its first four years, the NYA was managed as a program within the Works Progress...

2 bridges along the Otter Chain Ponds, the first was a 66 foot steel and concrete stringer bridge and the 2nd was a 210 foot Warren through truss bridge. Both were replaced in 2013. A 1936 State Highway Commission report notes that the reconstruction of 26 bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The March 1936 flood was one of the most destructive, resulting in the loss or damage of an estimated 150 bridges in Maine, believed to be the hardest hit of the New England states...

The West Buxton bridge is a 607 foot Metal Continuous Rivet-Connected Polygonal Warren Through Truss with fixed and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam) that carries the West Buxton Road (Moderation Street) over the Saco River. This was one of 26 bridges that were badly damaged or destroyed by a 500 year flood in March 1936. A 1936 report by the state highway commission notes that the reconstruction of these bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This bridge is one of only three...

The Ticonic bridge is a 575 Foot concrete and steel I beam structure that carries route 201 over the Kennebec River and connects Waterville and Winslow. The bridge was one of 26 bridges that were badly damaged or destroyed by a 500 year flood in March 1936. A large piece of ice hit one of the stone piers causing two of the bridge spans to crash into the river. A state highway commission report notes that the reconstruction of these bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S....

The Lord Bridge is a 92 foot steel and concrete stringer bridge that carries the Loggin Rd. over Marsh Stream. It was one of 26 bridges badly damaged or destroyed by a 500 year flood in March 1936. A state highway commission report notes that the reconstruction of these bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The design is standard for Maine State bridges of the era and was resurfaced recently in 2019. The concrete posts show signs of wear.