CCC Projects of the 1930s

You more than likely had ancestors who found life difficult especially during America’s Great Depression-era of the 1930s. Even if they did have work, their pay may have been cut and some good and products were hard to get. The good times of the 1920s were over.

With an unemployment rate of 25%, the new US President Roosevelt needed to help get America going again. His idea was to get many younger people working and yet do something for the nation. So his idea was to create an army to improve the environment with soil conservationists, forest rangers, and tree planters.

So in March 1933 a Federal Unemployment Relief Act to recruit healthy unmarried young men. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers were paid $30 a month with $25 was sent directly to their families because the men worked away from home. The workers lived in racially segregated camps under military-style rules and had food to eat.

By 1935 there were 2,600 camps across the nation with about half a million men enrolled. Much was accomplished such as 3. 5 billion tree saplings planted. Many national and state parks ere improved by adding paved roads, cutting trails and building campsites. New national parks included the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Many new fire lookout towers were constructive to help in spotting any fires. With that were telephone lines added to better communication in the forests.

The most innovative and effective tools of the CCC was the terracing of hilly land to create level fields with less water runoff. Terracing was no small undertaking, requiring engineers, surveyors and heavy machinery. Over the life of the CCC, more than 30,000 miles of terraces were built and thousands of young CCC workers gained technical skills that served them well in future careers.

Another addition was the many new ski trails constructed along with rope tows and ski lifts. A great new recreation addition to America.

You do need to check if you had an ancestor that was part of the CCC in the 1930s. Some projects did continue into the early 1940s. If you did, what a contribution they achieved for America.

Photos: CCC patch; CCC workers and CCC Logo

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

1930s Writers Project

New Deal – 1930s

Photos from the 1930s-1940s