Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 441 Canaan Valley & Environs 2015 Southeastern Naturalist 14(Special Issue 7):441–446 The Civilian Conservation Corps in Tucker County, West Virginia, 1933–1942 Larry Sypolt* Abstract - In 1933, during the first 90 days of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s term, Congress passed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Parts of Tucker County, WV, are located in the Monongahela National Forest, where the US Forest Service operated 3 CCC camps between 1933 and 1942 in the towns of Parsons, Dry Fork, and Lead Mine. In this paper, I present a history of the CCC in the Canaan Valley region and discuss some of the its achievements. Harr (1992) and McKim (1970) were invaluable references that informed this work and full citations are available in the Literature Cited section. I also consulted many other sources in the course of my research, including specific CCC camp newsletters, local newspaper accounts, museum collections, and published historical accounts of the CCC programs (see Literature Cited). History The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established on 27 March 1933 by the passage of Senate Bill 598, the Emergency Conservation Work Act. The bill cleared both the House and Senate, and was on President Franklin Roosevelt’s desk for signature on 31 March 1933. The President signed the bill and the first camp was opened near Luray, VA, on 17 April 1933. The bill authorized 275,000 male enrollees to be located in 1300 camps throughout the count ry. Robert Fechner was appointed to serve as the CCC’s national director on 5 April 1933 by Executive Order 1601. He immediately established an advisory council composed of representatives of the departments of War, Interior, Agriculture, and Labor. These 4 agencies served as administrators of the Emergency Conservation Work program, which officially changed its name to the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Department of Labor was responsible for recruiting and selecting the young men who worked in the CCC. The War Department constructed the camps, conditioned the enrollees, and transported them to their camps. The War Department also administered the camps because of its past experience in meeting the needs of and managing large groups of men. The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture selected the sites for the camps and planned and supervised the work projects with the cooperation of local, state, and federal forests and parks. *Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology, West Virginia University, PO Box 6305, Morgantown, WV 26506. *Author deceased, address correspondence to Ronald Preston - rpreston@comcast.net. Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 442 The nation was divided into 9 CCC areas that corresponded to the boundaries of previously established Army corps areas. West Virginia was part of the Fifth Corps area, which also included Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Each state was divided into districts and sectors for administrative purposes. The CCC camps in Tucker County were in the Fifth Corps area, Charleston District, Elkins Sector. There was a commanding officer at each level from the corps area to the individual camp. The CCC employed men between the ages of 17 and 25, but the age restrictions were relaxed during times when there was a shortage of recruits. After they were selected, the new enrollees attended a conditioning camp for 2 weeks, where they underwent physical examinations and trained to become physically fit for CCC work. The conditioning camps were established at army posts close to the state where the men were recruited. Before leaving the camps, the men were formed into units of company strength—200 men—plus an administrative cadre that included commanding, junior, and medical officers. Some military enlisted personnel were assigned to each unit to help with camp construction, provisions, and logistical support. The CCC companies then proceeded to their designated locations and set up camps. The original camp sites were comprised of surplus army tents until permanent barracks, dining halls, tool sheds, administration buildings, and other quarters were constructed. Adminstration Each camp received a designation reflecting the organization that governed the work done at that camp. If the projects were to be done in a national forest, the camp was labeled with the prefix “F” and a number showing its location. Each company also received a company number of 3–4 digits. The third number from the right indicated the corps area of the company’s origin. Company 518 was located in Parsons, and because its work details were governed by the US Forest Service, its designation was F-3. Company 1524 was located in Lead Mine and had the designation of F-10. Company 524 was located in Hinton, and because the Corps of Engineers was responsible for clearing the reservoir for Bluestone Dam, its designation was “C of E-1.” A company organized in one corps area did not necessarily stay there. Companies with enrollees from West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky were sent to work in the western US. Six companies from the 5th Corps area were deployed to Yellowstone National Park, while others worked in California, Idaho, Nevada, and other states. There were 2 reasons for moving work crews to other geographical locations. First, they sent the men where they were most needed. Some geographic locations lacked populations large enough to provide sufficient numbers of recruits. In these cases, recruits from other areas were brought in to complete major projects. Several crews went west to work on irrigation projects for the Bureau of Reclamation or to work on major dam projects, such as Boulder Dam at Lake Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 443 Mead, NV. The second reason that eastern crews deployed to western sites was to try to keep them in camp. Early in the program, many men got homesick and left camp to go home or get married. If they were far from home and had no means of getting back, the men were more likely to stay in the camps. In the 1930s, the mobile society we know today did not exist. Many people had little money and did not venture far from home. It was not unheard of for people to travel no more than 10 miles (16 km) from home in a lifetime. Some people had little interaction with people outside their family or local community. People commonly worked at home or on the farm because the economy was bad and jobs were scarce. Many of America’s youth quit school to try to find employment to help support their families. CCC enrollees were paid $30 per month, but they had to agree to send home $25 of each check. The other $5 was theirs to spend as they wished. If an enrollee rose to the rank of assistant leader or leader, he received an extra monthly allotment which he was allowed to keep. Mission The greatest development in West Virginia’s and the nation’s forest resources took place during the years 1933–1942. Numerous forest tracts were acquired by state governements, designated as state forests, and developed during this time. Plus, a great deal of work was performed in the national forests. Thus, most CCC camps were located on these federal and state lands. The fire-control program was established and it progressed rapidly through the construction of fire towers, observation cabins, telephone lines, and access roads. In addition to improving resources and infrastructure, the CCC helped young men to develop character by assigning them responsibilities and giving them outdoor opportu nities. Many of the CCC’s projects in the Monongahela National Forest involved forest-management activities, including inventories, timber-stand improvement, surveys, and reforestation projects. Some of the CCC’s most important projects in national forests were the timber surveys that helped US Forest Service personnel develop plans for the future management of timber resources . Local Corps CCC Company 519 was located near Davis, WV, and named Camp Dry Fork (F-1), with Ernest Smith serving as camp superintendent. It was established on 20 May 1933 as a temporary tent camp, was moved on 18 November 1933 into permanent winter barracks at Petersburg, WV, and remained there until the fall of 1941. After moving to Petersburg, the camp name changed to Camp North Fork, and was given the designation of F-11. Company 1524 was located at Lead Mine, WV, and called Camp Lead Mine (F-10). The camp was established as a Forest Service camp on 18 June 1933 along Horseshoe Run at the present-day site of Camp Horseshoe. Enrollees built the dam and reservoir, pavilion, pump house, and suspension bridge. Most of Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 444 the original enrollees were from Ohio. Company 1524 remained at Lead Mine through 15 May 1934, was transferred to the state park system, and moved to Mathias, WV, where it was located at Camp Hardy in Lost River State Park. Company 518 was organized at Fort Knox, KY, on 3 May 1933. The army officers in charge of the company were Captain John P. West, Commanding Officer, 1st Lieutenants Robert L. McClenaghan and Theodore R.C. King, and 2nd Lieutenant Wilbur O. Thomas. Company 518 left Fort Knox by train on 19 May 1933 and arrived in Parsons on 20 May 1933. The camp site, built in an old apple orchard close to the Parsons tree nursery, was occupied by a group of locally enrolled men. Enrollees from Company 518 also completed work projects at the Horseshoe Run Recreation Area. Company 518, located at Parsons, WV, and named Camp Parsons, was the oldest CCC camp in the Fifth Corps area and was the first camp in the Monongahela National Forest. It was operated by the US Forest Service and was located close to today’s Fernow Experimental Forest. Camp Parsons was unique in sharing a site with a non-CCC operation. In addition to typical activities, such as fire fighting, creating fire breaks, and undertaking construction projects, enrollees built roads. The residents of Camp Parsons built several miles of roads and trails along Elklick Run. They dumped crushed rock, graded it, and covered it with layers of shale, each layer finer than the first. This technique resulted in a smooth, solid road surface. On Monday, 22 May 1933, Company 518’s enrollees were turned over to the camp superintendent who was a US Forest Service employee. Under the direction of construction superintendent L.A. Willis, work started immediately on constructing the mess hall, bath house, and latrines. Construction of the barracks started later in the summer and finished in September 1933. All of the company buildings were completed by April 1934. On 24 May 1934, S.W. Carpenter reported as the educational advisor of the camp. The CCC offered educational opportunities to the enrollees, and participation in classes was encouraged. Educational staff was provided to each camp to teach basic courses in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and tradesmen offered vocational training in skills such as surveying, welding, and auto mechanics. The National Youth Administration also participated in the camp’s educational activities. By the time their service ended, some enrollees had learned how to read and write, while others had learned a trade or skill that facilitated gainful employment after leaving the Corps. The first side-camp was established on Canaan Mountain on 4 June 1934, with 75 enrollees and 1 officer. A side-camp was a temporary camp that was established to work on a particular project deemed too far for daily travel to and from the base camp; they were always tent camps because they were temporary. In November, the side-camp was disbanded, and the men were sent to Glady Fork Camp, increasing the size of that camp to 100 men. The Cheat District garage for US Forest Service vehicles was located at Camp Parsons until it was transferred to Neola, WV, in July 1936. Having the garage Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 445 at Camp Parsons provided enrollees with valuable experience of working on US Forest Service equipment and vehicles. The tree nursery was sited in an ideal location along the Black Fork of the Cheat River, about a mile (1.6 km) from Parsons. Established in 1928, it was the largest government-run nursery in the eastern US. When established, it had a capacity of 1 million tree seedlings, and with the additional CCC work force, the anticipated seed-bed capacity for 1933 was 7.5 million trees. There were 125,000 ac (50.6 ha) of burned land in the Monongahela National Forest and tree planting was the quickest means of restoring a good timber crop. The principal species grown at the nursery was Picea rubens Sarg. (Red Spruce), a native of the area. Most of the Red Spruce grown at the nursery was planted in the Monongahela National Forest. Other coniferous species grown there included Pinus resinosa Aiton (Red Pine), which was sent to the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, as well as Pinus strobus L. (White Pine), Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (White Spruce), Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere (Eastern Hemlock), Larix decidua Mill (European Larch), and Larix kaempferi (Lamb) Carr. (Japanese Larch). Hardwoods, such as Quercus rubra L. (Red Oak), Fraxinus americana L. (White Ash), Robinia pseudoacacia L. (Black Locust), Prunus serotina Ehrh. (Black Cherry), and Liriodendron tulipfera L. (Yellow Poplar) were sent to forests throughout the country. Three recreational areas were also developed by Company 518—Stuart Park, located near Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, close to Elkins; Bear Haven Recreation Area, on Bickle Knob, one of the highest points in the state; and Horseshoe Forest Camp, on Horseshoe Run, 9 miles (14.4 km) north of Parsons. Camping, bathing, picnic, and trailer facilities are still available at these locations. CCC enrollees constructed the first complete recreational sites in the Monongahela National Forest. The projects ranged from building heavy timber picnic tables for visitors, to building complete forest camps. Herbert T. Stoddard of Cohasset, MA, was employed as the recreation staff-assistant to the forest supervisor in 1935. He was an excellent landscape architect and was responsible for designing all of the recreation areas developed by the CCC program. CCC crews rebuilt 3 wooden bridges on the Shavers Fork truck trail and built a 65-foot (19.8-m) wooden bridge at the Horseshoe Forest Camp. At the latter site, the CCC also constructed a 120-ft (36.6-m)-long picnic shelter. By 1938, enrollees had built or maintained 8.6 miles (13.8 km) of Stuart Memorial Drive. They also maintained 86 miles (138 km) of truck trails and 70 miles (112 km) of foot trails. In response to the recreational demand at Horseshoe Forest Camp, where nearly 20,000 swimmers, picnickers, and campers used the area during the 1936 summer season, plans were drawn to expand the camp during the following winter. The natural swimming hole in Horseshoe Run was deepened and widened. A 120-foot (36.6-m) suspension bridge was constructed to improve the trail system. Facilities for trailer and tent camping were installed by the time the camp was opened to the public in July 1937. Southeastern Naturalist L. Sypolt 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 446 In 1938, the Monongahela National Forest published its first recreation information pamphlet, “Time to Relax at the Forest Camps”, which introduced the newly developed forest camps and the various facilities available to the public. The pamphlet informed prospective users that each forest camp was equipped with picnic tables and shelters, fireplaces for cooking, drinking water, and sanitary facilities. Tent camping and swimming could also be enjoyed during June, July, and August. The CCC constructed 9 fire towers in the Monongahela Forest. For example, the Bickle Knob Tower was constructed by the enrollees in 1933. Camp Parsons had a monthly newspaper called The Hollow Stump. It circulated from May 1935 until the name was changed to Parsons CCC Times in July 1936. Camp Parsons was in operation until 1941. As America’s youth found gainful employment, it became harder and harder to recruit enrollees for the camps. The whole program was disbanded in July 1942, after the start o f World War II. Now, over 80 years later, the pavilions, buildings, bridges, fire towers, trails, and other structures built by CCC enrollees continue to serve the public. It was an unusual era in history where the unemployed of the Depression helped save and preserve America’s natural resources for many generations. Literature Cited Civilian Conservation Corps camp newsletters. 1935. The Hollow Stump 1(4). Camp Parsons, Parsons, WV. Harr, Milton. 1992. The CCC Camps in West Virginia 1933–1942. Self-published, 1583 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV. 59 pp. McKim, C.R. 1970. 50-Year History of the Monongahela National Forest. Unpublished manuscript. Monongahela National Forest Office, Elkins, WV. Merrill, Perry H. 1981. Roosevelt’s Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps 1933–1942. Self-published, Montpelier, VT. Otis, A.T., W.D. Honey, T.C. Hogg, and K.K. Lakin. 1986. The Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps: 1933–1942. USDA Forest Service (FS-395). Headquarters Office, Monongahela National Forest, Elkins, WV. Parsons CCC Times. 1936. Parsons garage to be moved to Neola soon. 2(2), Parsons, WV. West Virginia CCC Museum collections. Bridgeport, WV.