85 Years Ago Today; The Civilian Conservation Corps is established

[Dennis Donovan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps



The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men. Originally for young men ages 18–25, it was eventually expanded to ages 17–28. Robert Fechner was the first director of the agency, succeeded by James McEntee following Fechner's death. The CCC was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that provided unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States. Maximum enrollment at any one time was 300,000. Through the course of its nine years in operation, 3 million young men participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing, and food, together with a wage of $30 (about $570 in 2017) per month ($25 of which had to be sent home to their families).

The American public made the CCC the most popular of all the New Deal programs. Sources written at the time claimed an individual's enrollment in the CCC led to improved physical condition, heightened morale, and increased employability. The CCC also led to a greater public awareness and appreciation of the outdoors and the nation's natural resources, and the continued need for a carefully planned, comprehensive national program for the protection and development of natural resources.

Enrollees of the CCC planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America; constructed trails, lodges, and related facilities in more than 800 parks nationwide; and upgraded most state parks, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways in remote areas.

The CCC operated separate programs for veterans and Native Asians. Approximately 15,000 Native Asians participated in the program, helping them weather the Great Depression.

Despite its popular support, the CCC was not a permanent agency. It depended on emergency and temporary Congressional legislation and funding to operate. By 1942, with World War II and the draft in operation, the need for work relief declined, and Congress voted to close the program.

This was back when the US Government worked for the PEOPLE, not corporations. Thank You, President Roosevelt!

[underpants]

1. With the infrastructure needs, even just on government properties, we have the CCC

wouldn't be a bad idea right now.

[TNNurse]

3. But how would Trump and is cronies make money from that????

[underpants]

6. Exactly.

Plus, hate to say this but, the issues they'd have to deal with in the available young population (drugs - opioids especially) could be prohibitive.

[uponit7771]

8. +1

[JDC]

2. My grandfather was in the CCC.

Worked all over the country.

[SouthernIrish]

4. My Grandaddy did too

He was from Pa. and worked in sw Va.. He built trails, lookouts etc. in the mountains. I still have his id and leather id holder.

[mitch96]

15. My Uncle, too was a CCC graduate

He said it was some of the best times he ever had as a young man. Sent almost all his money home..

m

[cyclonefence]

5. One of the jewels of the CCC

is the WV state park system. The CCC built trails and wonderful cabins throughout the woods, still popular today with people who want to spend time in the forest. In fact, if you're looking for a quiet, beautiful vacation spot, check out https://wvstateparks.com/#/gallery/recent.

[appalachiablue]

18. Good post, thanks. State Parks Rock!

[FraDon]

7. evidence abounds today of their successes

[url=https://flic.kr/p/8j6G4y][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/8j6G4y]Sand Bar State Park – Stone Bath House (1935) - isosceles trapezoid chimney[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/donshall/]Don Shall[/url], on Flickr

[tonyt53]

9. My Dad was in the CCC as was one of his brothers.

[Throck]

10. Several uncles were CCC.

[usaf-vet]

11. Living in Northern Wisconsin the evidence of the CCC is still alive, well and used.

It must have been a wonderful program considering the quality of the structures they built.

[leftyladyfrommo]

12. My dad. He built roads in N. Idaho mtns.

Those roads and projects were still there when I was little.

[GulfCoast66]

13. The best parks and cabins in th Florida park system were CCC built

We had one of the best park systems in the US until the end of the Chile’s administration.

Since JEB was elected it has been degraded.

Scott wanted to allow his cronies to timber, graze and build golf courses on them. Thankfully the public outcry nixed that.

Hopefully we will take the state Senate and Governor next fall and stop the bleeding.

[RandomAccess]

14. Thanks for posting this. My dad was in the CCC and

was somewhere in California (from Illinois) -- up in the mountains somewhere. I have a bunch of photos he took at the time. I don't think they were building anything, but more doing forestry type work.

[appalachiablue]

16. CCC Part 2 would be very useful today, nationally in all 50 states.

Excellent program to improve the lives of people, communities and the natural environment.

K & R Thanks for the post.

[Bengus81]

17. Planted most of the "shoulder belts" that are still there today--also called hedge rows.

Basically a big part in stopping the dust bowl along with proper farming methods.