Civilian Conservation Corps Celebrates Milestone
To commemorate the accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia honored Mike Eaton, a member of the CCC camp located on what is now refuge property in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach. The event not only marked the 75th anniversary of the CCC, but also the 70th anniversary of the refuge.
The original camp barracks that served as CCC living quarters are still standing on an adjacent farm.
The CCC had two major missions: to provide jobs to unemployed men during the Great Depression; and to help preserve the nation’s natural resources. Millions of trees were planted and thousands of miles of trail were built. Many of the CCC camps also helped build the infrastructure of many national wildlife refuges.
Eaton served with the CCC from 1937-1939. He recalled being one of the few men who could read and write, and helping build the dune line from Virginia Beach southward to the North Carolina state line. Part of that dune line still exists along the refuge’s oceanfront, providing protection from ocean overwash into brackish Back Bay.
Eaton also played a key role in the establishment of Back Bay Refuge by assisting the first refuge manager, Harry Bailey. When the refuge was established by presidential proclamation in 1938, Bailey was a “one man show” with no staff. So, Eaton provided administrative support.
The CCC ended in the early 1940s, but the organization’s conservation legacy endures. The CCC became an inspiration for such later organizations as the Student Conservation Association, Young Adult Conservation Corps, Youth Conservation Corps, Vista, and AmeriCorps.
For more stories from Historical Happenings, the cultural resources newsletter of the National Wildlife Refuge System, go to http://www.fws.gov/historicPreservation
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