Survival: Extant

In December 1936, the Department of Parks announced the completion of a new playground in Highbridge Park "equipped with wading pool, swings, see-saws, slides and jungle gym for younger children and a large play area with horizontal bars and ladders, basket ball, hand ball, paddle tennis and horseshoe courts for older Children and adults." Although the press release does not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were carried out with New Deal funds and/or labor, and that after April 1935,...

CCC Camp F-407 was stationed near Clayton in the Challis National Forest. Camp F-407 left structures at Clayton, Loon Creek, and Cape Horn. From the Forest Service: "The site for the Clayton Ranger Station was acquired as an administrative site in 1913. The original station consisted of a three room dwelling, barn, and woodshed built in 1914. During 1933 and 1934, the present buildings were constructed by the CCC."

The Boise National Forest CCC Camp (F-78) was located near Atlanta, and left permanent structures there and in Garden Valley. From the National Forest Service: "In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Boise National Forest to protect timber and watershed resources in southwestern Idaho. The Forest Service added lookouts, campgrounds, and roads, assisted by hundreds of young men enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression, Deadwood Lookout and Atlanta Ranger Station were built by the CCC—now available for overnight rental." Also from the Forest Service: "Atlanta Cabin is located in the old mining town of Atlanta, Idaho, at an...

NYC Parks describes the origins of this small park: "In August 1936, the City of New York acquired this property by condemnation for the sum of $87,938.40. That year, Parks assumed jurisdiction over the property, removing sections of both Ocean and Locust Avenues that traversed the property in order to create a full park area. In June 1937, the playground officially opened to the public." The press release announcing the opening stated that "the new playground has swings, see-saws, slides, sand tables, playhouses, handball, horseshoe pitching and shuffleboard courts. There is also a wading pool, a softball diamond and an oval...

This small playground in East Harlem was named after "New York City’s first African American Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Affairs." NYC Parks explains that the City acquired this land in 1936. In June 1937, Parks announced the completion of a new playground on the site: "In Manhattan, at Fifth Avenue between West 130th and West 131st Streets, the new playground is equipped with swings, see-saws, slides, jungle gym, sand tables, playhouses, a rectangular wading pool, handball and shuffleboard courts. There is also a large open play area for group games. Around the perimeter of the playground is a landscape area with...

The WPA was involved in building this fish hatchery in Sandpoint.

According to the National Archives, WPA crews built this road along the remote North Fork of the Boise River between Arrowrock Dam and the town of Atlanta.

The history of Rumsey Playfield, the site of the City's popular SummerStage festival and other performances, is closely tied to the WPA. In 1864, a building was constructed on this site first as the Ladies Refreshment Saloon and soon became an expensive restaurant known as the "Casino." The building was torn down by the WPA after a long legal fight between the restaurant owners and Robert Moses. On May 7th, 1937, the Department of Parks announced the completion of the new Mary Harriman Rumsey Playground and explained the legal conflict that had preceded it: "The Park Department announces that the Mary...

WPA crews contributed to building the Little Wood River Reservoir near Carey. From the Bureau of Reclamation: "Reclamation conducted the earliest irrigation survey of the Little Wood River area in 1904. Reclamation officials concluded from the surveys, that the cost of storing water would be excessive. Several proposals and sites received consideration later, but financial problems prevented construction until 1936. Construction of the Little Wood River Dam started under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936. Confronted by winter weather, lack of funds, and floods, the WPA stopped construction in 1939. Construction of the dam finished in 1941, under contract,...

The CCC and WPA were involved in the creation of a fish hatchery at American Falls in 1934. From the Idaho Museum of Natural History: "The Hatchery was built circa 1934 in a cooperative effort by the State of Idaho and the Civilian Conservation Corps, a federal program; and is maintained by the State of Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Three full time employees live year round at the hatchery providing 24 hour on call services to prevent fatal catastrophes. Both state and private sources provide funding via fishing license revenues and donations. This module provides information about the...