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Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

By Mary Lipsey

In 1933, the United States elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised to ease the pains of the Great Depression. Within the first week of Roosevelt's administration, he challenged his staff to find a way to put 500,000 single, young men to work in nationwide conservation projects. On March 31, 1933, Congress passed legislation establishing the CCC. The first CCC camp in Virginia, Camp Roosevelt, opened April 17, 1933 in Edinburg, Virginia. Two camps operated in Fairfax County, one at Fort Hunt and a second at Fort Belvoir that included African Americans.

This "volunteer army" was subject to military physicals, routine and discipline. Each man was paid $30 a month, of which $25 was sent home to his parents. Many of the camps were tent cities until the CCC took on a more permanent status and barracks were built. Most CCC camps were temporary and would move when a project was completed. Overall, there would be 4,500 camps throughout the CCC's history with an average of 1,600 in operation each year. Camps were located in all 48 states and the territories.

The CCC men wore surplus military uniforms, ate C-rations, and rode military transport to work sites. However, there was no drilling, saluting, or weapons training. Many of the CCC men were underweight and the eight to twelve hour days of hard physical labor took its toll on them. A nickname for the CCC emerged, "Colossal College of Calluses". Camp commanders quickly abandoned the C-rations and started buying provisions from local farmers to improve the diets of the CCC men.

Soon young men from the welfare rolls enrolled at the two Fairfax County CCC camps. The Fort Hunt CCC camp worked on the landscaping of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a museum laboratory, and historic home restoration. This camp was considered a "model camp;" and, on June 8, 1939, King George VI of England and his wife visited the camp, making instant celebrities of any CCC man who spoke to or even shook the King's hand.

The African American CCC men, who were segregated at Fort Belvoir with white officers in command, engaged in fire prevention, reforestation and erosion control. They built a fire trail through dense woods in Springfield and fought a forest fire near Fort Belvoir helping to save several residents' homes.

After hours, the CCC camps offered educational courses and vocational training. One goal for the CCC men was to eliminate illiteracy among them. On weekends, there were religious services and sports activities.

Many Virginia state parks and the Skyline Drive were CCC projects. The work of the CCC men created 11 new state parks in Virginia. The unofficial motto of the CCC "We Can Take It" was proved repeatedly by the efforts of two and half million CCC men nationwide, and their legacy continues today.

THE LEGACY OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, APRIL 5, 1933 TO JUNE 30, 1942

Total Number of Men Enrolled: more than 2.5 million Average Age of Enrollees: 18 to 19 years old

Average Number of Camps Operating in the U.S. each year: 1,643

Total Number of Camps: 4,500 in U.S. and territories

--As a CCC camp finished its project, it moved on to another location.

--Camps were located in 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico

Miles of Road Built: 125,000

Miles of Telephone Lines Strung: 89,000

Miles of Foot Trails Built: 13,100

State Parks Developed: 800

Public Campground Developed: 52,000 Acres

Acres of Farmland Benefited From Erosion Control Projects: 40 million

Man-days Fighting Fires: over 6 million

Square Yards of Stream and Lake Bank Protection: 154 million

Range Revegetation: 814,000 acres

Mosquito Control: 248,000 acres

Number of Fish Stocked: 972 Million

Historic Restoration: 3,980 structures

Number of Trees Planted: over 2 billion

Number of Conservation-Related Work Days: 7,135,000

Value of Work Projects (in 1942 dollars) 2 billion dollars

Number of People who directly benefited from enrollee's pay checks: 12 to 15 million

--Enrollees were paid $30 a month of which $25 was sent to parents.

Federal Departments Administering the CCC Program: Agriculture, Interior, Labor, War

Total Cost of Program: 3 billion dollars

A NOTE ON SOURCES

Several diverse sources were consulted in researching information for this essay, including books, maps, and newspaper and government archives. The following online sources were especially helpful:

Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni website - www.cccalumni.org

James F. Justin Civilian Conservation Corps Museum - http://members.aol.com/famjustin/ccchis.html

National Park Service and the CCC online book - www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/ccc/

The book, CCC History: The Tree Army A Pictorial History of the Civilian Conservation Corps 1933 to 1942 by Stan Cohen, 1980, was especially helpful in preparing the summary information on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps.