Herding Cats Genealogy
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • BLOG TOPICS

Leave a legacy...write down
the history of your family.

Picture
Picture
Picture

The Civilian Conservation Corps

3/9/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
CCC crew members in Cook County take a break from tree planting for a photo/image courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society
​Looking through old family photos, it was interesting to see how the landscape of our farm had changed.  The big cottonwoods that line our north grove were relatively young saplings in the 1930s and 1940s.  Our south grove expanded in the 1980s when there was an opportunity to have baby trees planted as part of a conservation effort in the county.  A recent search online brought up the Civilian Conservation Corps.
 
Was your ancestor part of that organization?  Or did they use them to enhance their homestead and provide protection from erosion in the farm fields?  Let’s look at what this was all about and see if there is any tie to family history.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program in the 1930s.  Its primary purpose was to provide employment with so many young and able-bodies men out of work during the Great Depression.  It also served by helping to conserve land that was over logged or windblown from the dirty thirties.
 
According to the Digital Library site, The Civilian Conservation Corp was “Known as “Roosevelt’s Tree Army”, the program improved national and state parks, prevented erosion, controlled flooding and assisted in natural disaster recovery.” 
 
You can learn more about this effort by exploring the DPLA  Civil Conservation Corps exhibition online. Citation Information
Neatrour, Anna. Roosevelt’s Tree Army: Civilian Conservation Corps. Digital Public Library of America. September 2015. https://dp.la/exhibitions/civilian-conservation-corps.
 
If you think that your ancestor worked for the Civil Conservation Corps, you can request information at the National Archives, St. Louis, Missouri:
Requesting Civilian Conservation Corps Records  This page details the process and links to information on the fees and forms to use when submitting a request. 
 
More information from National Archives on the WPA and CCC programs and process and prices.
 Theodore Roosevelt National Park  - North Dakota and CCC
 
​There are family stories that an ancestor worked for the WPA (Work Progress Administration) to help build roads in the area near his home.  He was a farmer, so I imagine that a team and a wagon were useful tools for hauling gravel and sand in those days.  I have not sent for WPA records myself but here is a link to learn more about how you can send for them. Again, be aware that there is a fee.
 
As you write your family story, think about how organizations like the WPA or CCC might have had an impact on their community or provided much needed income during the thirties. 
 
“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.”
--Joyce Kilmer
1 Comment
Family Stories Project link
3/12/2019 09:58:22 pm

It's interesting to see a 1930-1940's photo nowadays! Looks like it was very well kept

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    With a lifelong passion for genealogy and history, the author enjoys the opportunity to share genealogy tidbits, inspiring others to research and write their family story.

    Archives

    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Herding Cats GENEALOgY ©2018-2025
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • BLOG TOPICS