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Happy days in C.C.C. A look back at of the Civilian Conservation Corp

Started by Jeff, May 24, 2006, 02:51:27 PM

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Jeff

"I propose to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in simple work... more important, however, than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work."

Franklin D. Roosevelt March 9, 1933


A while back I was lucky enough to acquire what I consider to be an important part of history. I am lucky to have it and will try to preserve it the best that I can until its time for someone else to assume the duties. In posting this I hope it serves to inspire folks to learn more about the "C.C.C  boys"  and the work they did. The photos included in this little booklet must have many stories that perhaps we can help decipher here. Who are these people that have their names listed? In one of the photos for example, I wonder why the flag is flying at half staff?  So much to know. Why am I in possession of this book and not the family of Russell Earl Boody?  Did he not have family?  Was the book lost in a move?  I don't know, but when I pick it up and look through the hand tied leather bound pages, I wonder about these things and wish I could step into these pages for a few days and meet these boys of the C.C.C.

"HAPPY DAYS" in C.C.C.  Photo Gallery





I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. :)


Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

moosehunter

 Thats way cool Jeff.
The CCC did much work around here. All of our state parks have an enormous amount of stone work. One stairway up the side of the gorge next to a water fall has over 300 steps, all hand laid stone. I am always awe-struck at seeing the work those men did.
Mike
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Jeff

We are lucky to have a C.C.C. stone building here at Wilson State Park. Some of the Forestry Forum members that have stayed there will know it as the big building above the beach.  We also have the C.C.C. museum just north of us on Higgins lake where the first Forestry forum get together was held.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=2801.0;all

This was the year before our official pigroast. In fact some of us had our picture taken in front of the memorial statue.




Here is a pretty good link about the CCC.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Corley5

There's the remains of a CCC Camp near the ghost town of Springvale about 5 miles from here.  Cement sidewalks, slabs and the drives through the camp tell the story.  Some concrete steps into buildings are still in place but the buildings are long gone.  At the Springvale site there are old galvanized wash tubs and trash cans that had holes chopped in them with an axe and were thrown over the hill behind the camp when it was abandoned.  A neighbor lady told about watching baseball games from the hillside overlooking the field south of the camp.  She passed away in 1999 at 100 years of age.  The lean to addition on her barn is roofed with corrugated aluminum roofing from there.  The new owners are letting it blow off  :(  The DNR used to have a sign there but I think it's gone now.   
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Den Socling

Jeff,

That is a lucky find. I wouldn't want the responsibility of preserving it. Do you have a local museum that you could 'loan' it to for preservation?

Den

But I should add that digitizing and posting did a lot toward preservation.

Jeff

Den, I keep it out of the light unless I am looking at it. I don't want to be out my $14 investment.

I got this from a dealer that saw no value in it. they did not know how they aquired it, they just had it. I suppose it could have been in an attic and liquidated in an estate sale, or who knows. I just can't imagine if it had been my grandfather's ever losing track of it.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Corley5

It wouldn't mean a thing to too many people  :(  I was at an auction last fall that had a bunch of old family photos, portraits etc and a collector ended up with them.  ::)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Ron Scott

The book We Can Do It!, A History of the CCC in Michigan 1933-1942 by Charles A Symon, copyright 1983 is worth reading for some CCC History in Michigan.
~Ron

thurlow

One of my uncles.......long gone.........worked for the CCC; the crew he was on consisted of a dump truck (we called 'em gravel trucks) with driver and 5 or 6 men with shovels.  They would load the truck.......rock, sand or dirt.......with the shovels.  The driver would go dump it and come back and they'd do it all again.......all day long.
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

JimBuis

My Dad was in the CCC for a time.  When I asked him about it, he was able to tell me surprisingly little.  It seems that all he could remember was a whole lot of work EVERY day all day long.  There are some beautiful state parks in Illinois due to their work.

Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

Jeff

http://www.forestlaketimes.com/2002/july/17elsie718.html

I wonder if this is what became of Russell Boody.

Here is an excerpt from what I found:

Just a small town

It is easy for older residents to remember when Forest lake was the size that it was in the 1940s. Everybody knew everybody.

The Forest Lake Times played a very important role as it kept the public informed, in a personal way, about the people involved in the war.

We read the notices of the next group of fellows reporting for the draft call, whether it was only two – Lloyd Anderson and Leonard Skoglund – or a large group – Stan Simmons, Merton Houle, Clifford Berggren, Louis Carroll, Melvin Marier, August Kreiner, Jere Noreen and Vernon Johnson.

Servicemen letters

Servicemen wrote letters that were published for all the villagers to share. We read with amusement Private Warren Patterson's description of life in the army at Camp Claiborn, LA. They lived in tents and during the rainy season it was a sea of sticky red clay, so they pronounced the camp name as Clay-born.

Soon the published letters were written from different parts of the world. Steve Hendrickson wrote from New Caledonia. Verne Marier wrote from somewhere in Ireland, where life was pretty good at the moment, while his brother Warren's dateline was somewhere in Canada. He told of getting a pay raise, but there was no place to spend it at shows or places of amusement. The food consisted of powdered eggs and canned food.

Cpl. Bob Kunshier, stationed in North Africa, sent a newspaper to the Times, all in Arabic.

The notices in the Times changed as the war continued. We read with sadness that Lt. Ronald Hilken and Wallace Swanson were missing in action. Several of our young men, including Hilken and Swanson would be war casualties, R. Derby, Russell Boody, Tony Heisler, Lionel Lord, Harland Christianson, Donald Sandgren, Clyde Lindahl and Owen Meade. Many men would suffer serious injuries and some would be prisoners of war.


Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

The more I read about the CCC the more I am amazed at what they accomplished, mostly working with hand tools like shovels picks axes and hand saws.

Partial list of completed projects.

Bridges (foot/horse/vehicle)
Number
57,424
Buildings:


Dwellings
Number
13,513
Barns
Number
1,795
Lookout Houses/Towers
Number
10,231
Trail Shelters
Number
2,798
Other Structures (bathhouses, garages)
Number
72,449



Fences
Rods
35,836,823
Levees, Dikes, Jetties, etc.
Cu. Yards
24,292,280
Power Lines
Miles
1,948
Telephone Lines
Miles
360,449
Water Systems (ditches)
Linear feet
13,604,208
Airplane Landing Fields (emergency)
Number
168
Truck Trails (forest roads)
Miles
707,226
Trails (foot and horse/stock)
Miles
142,102
Stream and Lake Bank Protection
Sq. yards
167,090,938
Treatment of Gullies (seeding/sodding)
Sq. yards
500,831,674
Treatment of Gullies (tree planting)
Sq. yards
590,692,929
Clearing and Cleaning (channels & levees)
Sq. yards
527,141,219
Tree Planting/Seeding
Acres
2,643,801
Forest Stand Improvement
Acres
4,110,758
Tree Seed Collection (conifer cones)
Bushels
875,970
Tree Seed Collection (hardwoods)
Pounds
13,634,415
Fighting Forest Fires
Man-days
6,459,403
Fire Presuppression
Man-days
5,777,914
Tree and Plant Disease Control
Acres
8,673,768
Tree Insect Pest Control
Acres
13,278,674
Planting Trees & Shrubs
Number
49,868,151
Camp Ground Development
Acres
101,777
Picnic Ground Development
Acres
13,830
Range Revegetation
Acres
835,410
Lake and Pond Development
Man-days
943,984
Stocking Fish
Number
972,203,910
Fighting Coal Fires
Man-days
201,739
Marking Boundaries
Miles
38,748
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Corley5

Many lakes were surveyed for depth contours by them also.  We've bought maps from the MUCC for lakes around the cabin in Da U.P. that were done in the winter during the 30's by drilling holes in the ice and using weighted lines.  That couldn't of been fun
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Gary_C

I believe you found what happened to your Russell Boody. I took the camp information from one of the pictures and found the following:

Company 719            CCC

State Camp             S-51

Camp Charles     Sullivan Lake

Opened: 6/12/1933

Location: 12 mi. west of Brinson (Brimson) near Duluth, MN in St. Louis county

You can purchase microfilm of the camp newspapers:  Sullivanite

Russell Boody was most likely from Forest Lake, MN and worked in that camp in northern MN.

That is really neat.   8)


 
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Patty

That is really neat Jeff. I love learning about our history and the struggles our ancestors endured.  :P In Iowa there are several CCC parks; one very pretty one, is just north of us by a few miles. It is still very popular and used by many folks even today. Those young men would be proud to see what became of their work after all these years.

Thanks for posting this.
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Coon

  I have a video here that our fellow Ernie Edwards sent to me to borrow.  He borrowed it from a freind who okayed him sending it to me.  The video was about building birchbark canoes but after that there was another 60 minute video called Camp Forgotten  which was about the CCC and all of it's accomplishments throughout the years that it ran.  The video was made in the early 1980's and much of the footage was in black and white from back in the days.  It is quite amazing how the government took hold during the depression to create work for thousands that couldn't even scarcely survive the harsh reality of no food, no money, and no place to live. 

  One major fact comes to mind when I think of the CCC. ----  We need that here today in Saskatchewan.  Many, many people are leaving this province to find work.  Many of our local businesses are shutting the doors in the next few months because they can't make ends meet anymore.  Nearly 50% of our businesses in town are closing.  It's a sad sad site but what else can you do????
  Many acres of wildlife habitat needs work done to it whether it be clean up or reclamation work,  but it needs done.  The government doesn't seem to want to do it or have it done so......  I guess the people had better just step up and get it done......  We need something just like the CCC here right now.

Brad.
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

thecfarm

When I was in high school I worked for the YCC,The Y stands for Youth.This was a govt job for high school kids,I worked in Acadia Nat Park for 2 summers.We did everything by hand.We was not allowed to use any power tools or equipment.We built small walk-bike bridges,all hand sawed.We made and maintained many trails.We moved many,many rocks with a big pry bar.Lots of dirt by wheel barrow.But we did have fun.Nothing like what the CCC did,but I still go back and see the trails we made.This was a program in Maine in the late 70's.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Ron Scott

Yes, after the CCC's there were other government sponsored work youth programs for the young people. We had the Job Corps program during the  late 1960's- early 1970's.  It was both a residential and a non-residential program with a number of Camps built across the US.

Many Camps were run by the US Forest Service and a lot of good work in forest land and resource management was done by the youth working on Natiional Forest system lands.

After the Job Corps which was "squelched" by the Nixon administartion, we had the YCC (Youth Conservation Corps). 
~Ron

Ron Scott

The May 28 - June 3, 2006 Midwest Edition of American profile which is a magazine section to local newspapers has an excellent article titled
A Young Man's Opportunity,  Honoring the boys of the Civilian Conservation Corps who rebuilt America and became men.

See www.cccalumni.org or www.ccclegacy.org for more.
~Ron

RichlandSawyer

In south dakota job corp was for "juvenile deliquents" it was run like a boot camp. My uncle not knowing this thought it would be a great way to learn job skills. After he got to the camp he found out what it really was. It was used as a halfway house for kids from juvenile detention. Problem was once you go in you cant get out. My grandparents had to travel to Pierre and have the governor go to the camp to get him out.
Every log i open up, a board falls out!!!

maple flats

Jeff, I presume you checked the pic. backs to see if there was any info on any. This is a great find but the maker of the album must be like me, I have pics but presious few are properly labeled so the info can survive generations. I am well intentioned but never make the time. Seems like a good winter project but then I am busy in the woods. We just might stumble onto someone who knows some of the people and then it might snowball. Good luck.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Jeff

I'm hoping we can find out more. Actually, I know there is at least the photosgraphy studio on the back of a couple photos, most are stuck by more then the mounting corners, but I should try to see if I can look at some of them.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

DanG

Every now and then, Linda will bring me a Foxfire book from their little library in the retirement home where she works.  She brought Foxfire #10 home last weekend, and it has a great write-up about the CCC in Georgia.  I'll see if I can gleen some interesting facts from it to add here. :)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Jeff

After being asked about this diary in another thread, I found that the electronic record here on the forum had been missing since the server crash of September 2007.  I've been able to restore the gallery it was in for the most part, although it has some sort of error on it yet, the photos are all viewable.  For those that have not saw this before, Enjoy!
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

easymoney

in the little comunity where  i grew up in there is a road over a hill that has been called the cc road ever since i can remember. the road was built by the ccc crews. the road is still maintained by the county.

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