CCC Boys Remove Stumps: Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland (1936/1939) by From the USFWS NCTC Digital LibraryU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum
Congress established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The CCC gave thousands of jobs to unemployed young men during the Great Depression, helping develop nearly one hundred and forty wildlife refuges.
Civilian Conservation Corps workers remove unwanted stumps and trees from Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland (circa 1936-1939)
CCC License Plate (1933/1942) by USFWS photo by Ryan HagertyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum
The CCC was charged with developing, and in some cases restoring, natural and cultural resources across the United States. It was hard, manual labor, evidenced by the wear and tear on this CCC license plate.
CCC Stump Splitting: Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland (1936/1939) by From the USFWS NCTC Digital LibraryU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum
Participating in the CCC was not unlike military service (in fact, U.S. Army officers ran the camps), with strict command structures and daily regimens. Furthermore, young men who served in the CCC walked away with valuable career skills, like forestry, carpentry, and construction.
CCC Prairie Dog Eradication Crew: Datil, New Mexico (1933-09-14) by From the USFWS National Digital LibraryU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum
Chopping trees was not the only type of job; these workers were part of a "Prairie Dog Eradication Crew." Their bags were typically filled with small explosives to flush the prairie dogs out into the open. Needless to say, conservation practices have come a long way since then!
The Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota was one of the sites the CCC helped develop. This illustration by former Director of the U.S. Biological Survey Jay N. “Ding” Darling shows the CCC at work helping migratory birds by building dams and replanting native vegetation.
Sites like Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware would not exist in the modern day without the hard work of the CCC. On the left is a photo of a CCC regiment erecting a new building at the refuge. The right shows that very same structure standing today, captured by Refuge Manager Oscar Reed. Bombay Hook is notable for hosting one of the few African American CCC camps created during the New Deal. Like most of the 1930s America, virtually all CCC camps were racially segregated.
At Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, CCC workers put together the first animal pens to study nearby wildlife. Nearly one hundred years later, animal pens are still being used (albeit with some modern improvements!).
CCC Workers Toil in the Mud: Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware (1935-12) by From the USFWS NCTC Digital LibraryU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum
The legacy of the CCC continues to this day. The conservation of the environment would not have the strong foundations it currently does without their hard work. Next time you're at a National Wildlife Refuge, national park, or monument, see if you can spot the work of the CCC!
Exhibit created by Sarah Michael
Special thanks to the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and the Patuxent Research Refuge for research questions and photographs.
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