Director’s College – Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camps in the Adirondacks: Their History & Lore
- Jan
- 21
Wednesday, February 22
7:00 PM
Main Library
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942, as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. It targeted young men and veterans in relief families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression, providing unskilled manual labor related to environmental conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands. Volunteers planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways. In nine years, 2.5 million young men participated in restoring morale and public appreciation of the outdoors.
These young men worked in 21 Connecticut CCC camps while some traveled to Western states to do conservation projects. These interviews and hundreds of marvelous photos of camp life capture the vitality of the young men who worked so hard to improve our forests, which had been ravaged by fires, lumbering, and storms. We must not forget their labors in the woodlands and state parks that continue to be enjoyed by millions today.
Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: Their History, Memories and Legacy by Martin Podskoch of East Hampton, Conn. is the definitive book that records the CCC experience for the men who passed through its cleansing days of hard work, Army discipline, and camaraderie to help support their families during the Great Depression. Join Marty for a presentation based on his book.