Restoring lands and people

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park - Whitley County, Kentucky

The CCC was established in April 1933 and continued serving until 1942 when the US was entangled in World War II.  Although not without its critics the CCC was a success in its efforts to restore cleared forest lands and the polluted lakes and rivers that were downstream from the damaged lands.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s mother had a brother named Frederic.  Young Franklin and Frederic got along well and one of their favorite pursuits was to visit a large eastern cottonwood tree in the hamlet of Balmville, New York.  The tree was formerly thought to be a Balm of Gilead tree and the hamlet took its name from the tree.  Estimates put the tree’s beginning to before 1699. Franklin became adept in the understanding of water resources, trees, forests, fish and wildlife. 

Much later in the stark economic conditions of 1933 President Roosevelt brought the needs of unemployed workers and the needs of the nation for healthy forests and pastures together to the successful creation that became the CCC.  In public life he looked about him and saw blessings. People were drawn to him by a spark that he exhibited that was contagious.  His personal way of seeing the blessings inside mixed and difficult situations was probably essential to getting the CCC started.  

Overcoming difficulties, the CCC was started.  It gave unemployed people work to do.  Many young people had been in situations of impoverishment and malnourishment.  The CCC provided nourishing food and more for its enrollees.  The CCC provided essential education of reading and writing for enrollees that needed this basic schooling.  More advanced schooling was available for those enrollees that could handle the coursework.  

The CCC built campgrounds, drinking fountains, fire pits, community kitchens, picnic shelters, tables, restrooms, bathhouses, swimming pools and lakes, beach areas, paths, and footbridges. The enrollees built organizational camps, mess halls, barracks, concession buildings, showers, and playing fields.  Additionally they built trail shelters, trails, ski lodges, and warming huts.  In some places they built ranger stations, ranger's residences, crew residences, bunkhouses, offices, pump houses, garages, barns, blacksmith shops, machine shops, lookout towers and houses, and guard stations.

In wooded areas the buildings were made of treated pine, fir or spruce logs.  In Alpine settings the buildings were made of a combination of stone and rough timber.  In grassland settings the construction was a ranch type construction.  In desert settings the construction was made in the pueblo style.  The style of CCC constructed buildings can be used to identify what buildings were made by the CCC workers.