Utah Sites

Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) Company 3340 worked out of camp F-38 at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake County Utah, from the summer of 1935 through 1942.  Camp F-38 was under the direction of the US Forest Service. The hundreds of CCC enrollees assigned to camp F-38 made many improvements to recreational facilities along the Wasatch Front east of Salt Lake City, including work in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon and Mill Creek Canyon. They built trails, roads, bridges, campgrounds, shelters, ski facilities, amphitheaters and more, and even carried out a couple rescue operations, as well. A panel near...

In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up Camp F-40 at the Provo Fairgrounds (now the Provo Airport).  It was a permanent camp with wooden buildings that operated until 1941.  It housed CCC Company 958, which moved there from Camp F-30 in Hobble Creek Canyon -- first in the winters of 1934 and 1935, then full time from 1936 on. The letter F meant that CCC projects at this camp were carried out under the direction of the US Forest Service, in what was then the Wasatch National Forest (now Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest). The name "Rock Canyon" may be a...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established Camp F-5 in Timpanogos Cave National Monument in the summer of 1933. Company 940 was sent there from training at Fort Douglas, with its 200-man contingent including both young enrollees and a large complement of "experienced men" from Salt Lake City. During summer 1933 and through the winter of 1933-34 (Baldridge, p. 164), the CCC made many improvements to the national monument. Baldridge (p. 33) states that:  "..much was accomplished, as the men built roads, bridge, and trails; poisoned rodents; construct picnic tables for many campsites; and constructed Forest Service facilities, including the South Fork Ranger...

In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up one of the first camps in Utah in Salt Creek Canyon a few miles east of Nephi, near what is now the intersection of highway 132  and FR015 (the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway).  The camp number was F-9, meaning it worked under the US Forest Service. Working out of Camp F-9, various CCC companies carried out extensive improvements around the southern flank of Mt. Nebo.. The first, in 1933, was building the central section of Mt. Nebo Loop Road (that was company 958, which subsequently operated out of Camps F-30 and F-40...

Utah had two Civilian Conservation Corps-Indian Division (CCC-ID) camps, both on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in the eastern part of the state. The Ute Tribal Council helped select the projects, which were typical of arid region works by CCC teams: erosion control, catch-dams for watering livestock, roads and fire trails, and telephone lines.

CCC crews (Camp G-31) conducted work in the vicinity of Vernal, including building this small reservoir, or "CCC Tank."

Cedar Breaks National Monument was created by President Franklin Roosevelt on August 22, 1933, with just over 6,000 acres carved out of Dixie National Forest in southwest Utah. This was Roosevelt's first national monument declaration and it set a precedent that FDR would follow again and again: transferring monuments and parks from the US Forest Service to the National Parks Service – which grew substantially under the New Deal. In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sent men from Zion Canyon to set up a 'stub camp' (closed in winter) at Cedar Breaks, where they started working on improvements to the...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Cedar City High School in Cedar City, Iron County School District. Docket # 1033-R (Utah).

The Brigham City Cemetery grounds were improved by the WPA. "Major Cemetery improvements started after World War I when the existing roads were mapped out sprinkler systems installed, grave markers lined up and landscaping improved. Much of this work was accomplished by the Works Progress Administration, a federal assistance program established during the Great Depression. Since that time the Cemetery has been under perpetual care maintenance by the City."

National Youth Administration crews conducted various improvements to the Minersville cemetery.

The New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed sidewalks along Center Street in Provo in 1939.

The Central School in Vernal was built in 1940-41 with the help of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) (by then part of the Federal Works Administration), according to  a plaque in the entrance lobby.  An older Central School was torn down to make way for this building. The design of the long, two-story building is brick Moderne, with strong horizontal lines and lovely curved section to the left of the entrance.  There is a L-shaped wing on the south side.  The windows and their openings have been radically altered (probably to deal with summer heat). The building now has "Central Education Center"...

It is likely that the PWA conducted repairs on the 1894 City and County Building in Salt Lake following an earthquake in 1934, considering that the building appears in the PWA archives. More information is needed to confirm. From the National Register of Historic Places: "There are four entrances, the west side being the main one. In design it corresponds to the east entrance, as the south and north approaches correspond to each other in a simpler design. Above each of them there used to be a statue; the east and west were crowned by a statue of Commerce, on the...

The present Moab City Center, effectively the City Hall, was originally built to house the Moab elementary school and the Grand County high school.  It was built with a federal grant and cost $135,000.  It was first proposed in May 1933, according to local newspaper reports, and dedicated in December 1934. Firmage (1996, p. 275) claims that it was built with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds, but this appears to be a classic confusion between the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the WPA – which did not yet exist in 1933-34. PWA funded the neighboring Carbon County Courthouse, so it is likely that...

The former Marsac School in Park City, Utah was constructed in 1935-36 with funding from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The large structure was built to consolidate schools from around the town.  It now serves as the t0wn's city hall. The building was bought 1983  by the city from the school district, which had built a new school complex outside the old town.  It was renovated once, then completely redone again c. 2008, according to the plaques on the south front. Only the state historical plaque mentions the New Deal contribution. The architects were Carl Scott and George Welch of Salt Lake City, and the building is...

The historic Alpine City Hall was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal project with Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. It included meeting rooms, an assembly room, public library, jail and fire station. The architecture is a melange of New England Colonial and Renaissance Revival styles, with a bell tower and entry flanked by capped stone pilasters and urns and topped off with a sunburst under the archway.    The Utah State Historic marker, placed in 1992, declares: "...this building represents the significant impact of New Deal programs in providing both jobs and public facilities. It is one of over 240 buildings constructed...

The WPA built this city hall, still in use, in Fairview. From the National Register of Historic Places: "The Fairview City Hall, built in 1936, is a one-story stone building with a basically square plan, a raised basement, and a flat roof. There have been no major alterations made to the building. This building represents an excellent example of the stark, abstract classicism associated with the PWA Moderne architectural style in Utah. The principal facade is symmetrically divided into three bays. The central bay is narrower and contains the front door, while the flanking bays have slightly wider windows on both...

"One such building was the Minersville City Hall funded in Beaver County by FERA. It was built in 1935 to house the town's post office, library, municipal offices, and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers camp. To save costs, stone for the hall was brought from a demolished building of the old Murdock Academy, which had been standing empty since 1922. Civilian Conservation Corps crews dismantled and hauled the stone to Minersville."

The WPA helped build this municipal building for the town of Salina. From A History of Sevier County: "A municipal building was constructed in Salina in 1936-37 with the assistance of the WPA, which paid 50 percent of the building's cost."

The historic former Pleasant Grove City Hall at 35 S. Main St. was constructed as a New Deal project between 1938 and 1940. Living New Deal believes this to have been a Public Works Administration (PWA) project, PWA Docket No. UT W1079. The building is now privately owned.

The Helper Civic Auditorium was built with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding in 1937.  It is an outstanding example of New Deal public architecture and still the finest building to grace Helper, a small coal mining town in central Utah (there is a giant sculpture of a coal miner next to the building to remind everyone of the town's origins). A National Register of Historic Places plaque at the site says this: “Built in 1937, the Helper Civic Auditorium was designed by Salt Lake City architects Carl W. Scott and George W. Welch. The building is an excellent example of the Art...

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built barracks near Tony Grove in Logan Canyon, Utah. The structures were initially in built to house CCC workers and later used as Utah State University's (USU) Forestry Field Station Camp. A special use permit was issued for the use of the camp by the USU in the spring of 1936 by the Forest Service. The facility includes two cabins. The first structure served as the “administration building” with a kitchen and wood-pipe stove, bathrooms, and beds. The second structure served as a classroom and it included bunk beds. As of January...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) helped fund a Community Building in Richmond, Utah in 1936-1937. The building cost $45,000, of which $18,000 was furnished by a PWA grant and the rest provide by the City of Richmond.  It is a single-story brick building which has had many lives.  As the Richmond Encyclopedia website recounts: "The building's purpose in its early years was to be used by the citizens of Richmond as a community building and theater. Once you entered the building, after visiting the ticket booth to your left, you were welcomed to a furnished building. Directly ahead was a ballroom with a...

The Midvale Community Center was built as the town's City Hall in 1939. Construction was supported by a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $31,500 and a city bond of $38,500.  The Midvale City Hall was one of over 240 buildings constructed in the state under the New Deal, and one of 20 in Salt Lake County, according to the State Historical Office plaque. It is a two-story brick building with parapeted gable roof in the Art Moderne style, designed by prominent Utah architects Clark W. Scott and George W. Welch. Characteristic of the Modern style is the streamlined appearance achieved by...

Flowell, Utah's historic community house was constructed as part of a New Deal project undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The exact location and present status of the community house are presently unknown to Living New Deal. "30 Families Raise $5,159 For New Hall FLOWELL, Utah March 23-(AP)--The 30 families living here, seven miles west of Fillmore, have made a bigger cash sacrifice per family to obtain a WPA project than any other community in Utah. Darrell J. Greenwell, state administrator, said the residents raised $172 per family to provide matching funds to obtain a $20,830 community house erected by the WPA....

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the dam, near Mormon Gap on Highway 21.

The former Heber City library was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the latter years of the Great Depression. Construction occurred between August 1938 and May 1939. The PWA supplied a grant of $13,275 toward the project, whose total cost was $27,529.  It was PWA Project No. UT W1142. The building served as the community's library until construction of the new Wasatch County Library during the 2000s. The New Deal facility now houses the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. National Register of Historic Places nomination for for Midvale Library notes that the architects Ashton & Evans designed Heber...

Deer Valley Resort near Park City UT is one of Utah's major ski areas, along with Park City, Alta and Snowbird.  It is ranked among the top ski resorts in the country, thanks to the quality of powder snow in the Wasatch Mountains. Skiing began at Deer Valley with the Park City Winter Carnivals of the 1930s and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built some of the first ski trails and other facilities during the winter of 1936-1937.   No clear trace of the WPA's work remains, given the massive enlargement of Deer Valley ski area and condominium complex in recent years.

A new Mechanical Arts building was constructed for Delta High School, in Delta, Utah in 1935-36 with funding from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA).   It was part of a larger project for the Millard County School District that included a gymnasium for Hinckley High School in Hinckley and a gymnasium at Millard High School in Fillmore.  Total cost for the three buildings was $130,000.  The architects of all three were Carl W. Scott and George W. Welch. The contractors were Talboe and Litchfield. Delta High School was torn down and replaced by a new school complex in the early 2000s....

In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed living quarters, roads, fences and a well at the Desert Experimental Range Station in Pine Valley UT. The station was established in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover, who set aside an 87-square-mile area of high desert in the Great Basin.  The CCC improvements made the range station functional. The Desert Experimental Range focuses on cold desert rangeland research. In 1976, it was designated a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the only cold desert reserve in the Western Hemisphere.  It is administered by the US Forest Service. 

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted work at Dinosaur National Monument at the site that is now a part of the Quarry Exhibit Hall near Jensen, Utah.  Relief workers expanded the quarry face where abundant dinosaur fossils had been discovered in 1909 by Earl Douglass, a paleontologist collecting for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. President Woodrow Wilson declared the original acre fossil site to be a National Monument in 1915 and President Franklin Roosevelt expanded the monument to its present size in 1938.  The monument contains over 800 paleontological sites. We are uncertain of the exact dates of the WPA work. UEN.org: "The...

This fireproof structure replaced makeshift quarters previously occupied and that had been subjected to much criticism. Here the impounded animals could be kept in comfort until humanly destroyed or claimed (from Jessen). The local Civil Works Administration contributed $2206.10 against a total project estimate of $4627.30. The building has since been demolished.

In 1936, Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews helped restore this pioneer-era cabin, dating to 1866.  The log and earth-covered cabin had been built by the Bennett and Drown families, who moved on to frame houses as time passed. The cabin was originally located near the old town cemetery,  just south of the town center of Midvale UT and hard by an ASARCO smelter (now gone). The Drown Cabin was restored again in 1999 and moved to a new site near the intersection of Center Street and 700W in Midvale.  It was still there in 2011 but we did not find it on a...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp 23 miles north of Monticello  in San Juan County, in the southeast corner of Utah. CCC teams worked around Dry Valley, Indian Creek, Blanding, Monticello and La Sal, building fences and corrals; flood control and erosion works, including reseeding, revegetation and cultivation; telephone lines; and  campgrounds.  The CCC men also built the road through the Abajo Mountains from Monticello to Blanding.  Nothing remains of the camp except ruins of the camp gate, building foundations, the access road and an old Pontiac -- all of which are well documented by Mary Cokenour on her blog site...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a new Duchesne High School in 1936, near an earlier structure built in 1907 that the school had outgrown. It was expanded in 1965 and then demolished in 1980, to be replaced by the present structure.

The former municipality of East Layton, Utah was founded with the express purpose of obtaining federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds for a water system construction project. East Layton has since merged with Layton. "The local water supply was unreliable, a common problem in Utah's desert climate. Wells and streams often ran dry in late summer, and water would have to be hauled to homes by hand. Lifelong resident David Green envisioned a municipal water system supplied from Crooked Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains to the east. By the 1930s many of Green's neighbors were interested, but Utah's banks were lending...

The historic El Monte Clubhouse in Ogden, Utah was constructed as part of a New Deal project by Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). These agencies precede the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to which the building is sometimes attributed. "The project was started under the civil works administration and which is being finished by the ERA. The CWA and ERA organizations have appropriated $17,000 for the building against $5550 from the city." (Ogden Standard-Examiner)

The PWA funded the construction of Morgan Elementary School in 1936. It was demolished in 1994 and a new elementary school was built.

The historic Emery County Courthouse building in Castle Dale, Utah was constructed as a New Deal project with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor also contributed to the project. The building continues to house governmental functions. "With the assurance of a PWA grant providing 45 percent of the building's $60,000 cost, county voters approved bonding in August 1938. construction began later that year, and building was occupied in August 1939."

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the old Eureka Grade School in Eureka, Utah. The school was probably completed in 1939. The main two-story building and accompanying single story structure were designed by the architecture firm of Scott and Welch. The contractor of record was Tolboe & Tolboe. The style is brick Moderne, with a curved front on the smaller of the two buildings. The old grade school has been supplanted by a new Eureka Elementary School next door.  The main building of the old school is still being used for Adult School classes in 2023. The smaller building...