Civilian Conservation Corps

Fond Memories from a Time of National Hardship

by Jim Cox, reprinted from September 1978 Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine 1934 picture of a C.C.C. camp.

Depression, drought, unemployment and low farm and oil prices were but a few of the things bothering Texans in the early 1930s. The state's economy was suffering the same symptoms felt across the nation following the great stock market crash in 1929.

It was during this time, ironically, that the fledgling Texas State Park System got a major facelift and became a significant factor in the state's public recreational milieu. This was made possible by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.), the first New Deal recovery program started after his inauguration on March 4, 1933. This new program established work camps throughout the nation where unemployed young men toiled on conservation projects such as flood control, reforestation and construction on public lands. The 15 camps established across Texas concentrated on improvements in state parks - and they came none too soon.

C.C.C. camps such as this one at Meridian State Park made a priceless contribution to the Texas State Park System. Texas had 2,620 men at work in the parks out of 18,000 nationally.

Texas' parklands hardly deserved the term "park system" when the C.C.C. was organized in 1933. Although the Legislature previously had purchased a few historical sites, the state park system did not exist until 1923, when Governor Pat M. Neff urged the 38th Legislature to create the State Parks Board. The first official act of the board was to accept a small tract of land along the banks of the Leon River - later named Mother Neff State Park. Despite this obvious step in the right direction, the state park system still amounted to very little since it could only accept gifts of land and had no funding of its own to acquire parks.

But in 1933 several things happened on the federal level that were to benefit the state's park system. And not the least of these was the assignment of C.C.C. units to help develop and improve the heretofore undeveloped park areas. By the end of 1933, the federal government had spent more than $1 million on the Texas State Park System. This was a staggering amount for a major depression year. During this national recovery period, young men from throughout the state and other parts of the nation came to find not only employment but also self-respect, physical health and maturity. There is no statistical method which could assess the enormous impact of C.C.C. work in the state parks. Judged in the light of today's labor and materials costs, the C.C.C. projects could be valued in millions of dollars. Indeed, some of the projects included craftsmanship which is not available nowadays - at least within present-day budget limitations.

Photo of a C.C.C. crew constructing a dam at Meridian.

But more than cold financial statistics, the C.C.C. in Texas produced enduring memories in the hearts of thousands of Texans who still remember times of joy, hard work, achievement and even tragedy.

The C.C.C. literally covered the state, as district camps went from one project site to the next, building and improving everywhere they stopped. Their work ran the gamut from road, dam and swimming pool construction to fine handcrafting of furniture and cabinets. If one park could be singled out as an example of the C.C.C.'s impact, perhaps Bastrop State Park near Bastrop would be the best. The history of Company 1805 states that upon the 200-man group's arrival at the park site on October 21, 1933, "there was nothing very attractive about the place. Very little was visible except about 4,000 acres of cut-over pines, oak, and black sand hills."

The text went on to say that "Since that time, the park has been converted into one of the beauty spots of Texas." Persons who have visited the park may well agree with this assessment, as the architecture, the heavy cedar furniture, metalwork, landscaping and other work done by the corps all contributed to the beauty and utility of the park.

A large refectory building with massive beamed ceilings is still in use as an activity center and frequently is the site of family reunions, club meetings and weddings. It contains dozens of tables and chairs which have endured without repair since the C.C.C. days, and the banquet hall area is accentuated by a relief sculpture in a solid slab of pink-hued native ironstone mounted over the massive mantle.

Also enduring at Bastrop are dozens of cabins, picnic units and other structures - in fact virtually all the existing structures in the park. In addition, corpsmen at Bastrop's shops hand-fabricated much of the furniture, metalwork and other equipment eventually used in other state parks. Nearby Lockhart State Park showed development of a slightly different kind, but still typical of the functional facilities made possible by the corps. A swimming pool was built alongside scenic Plum Creek, utilizing the fresh spring water. A dam and bridge also made the wooded creek area a thing of beauty.

There are other examples of unique design and craftsmanship in parks all across the state - but perhaps the most interesting legacy of the C.C.C. is the enduring effect it had on the people who made up the crews.

Former C.C.C.'ers are almost to a man effusive in praise of the organization. "In my opinion it was the greatest organization ever created by government," summed up Jim S. Fritts, of Austin, who toiled at Longhorn Cavern State Park. Joe R. Martinez of Point Comfort, who worked with crews at Palmetto and Balmorhea State Parks, said, "I think we should have some type of program like this for our young men nowadays."

Photo of a C.C.C. crew constructing the dam at Fort Parker.

Of course, it wasn't all fun and camaraderie. "I think I personally planted a million pine trees," recalled Bill T. King of Gilmer of his stint at Tyler State Park. But he also recalled that the $30 a month he earned at the job supported his mother and brother through some difficult times. Werner Schlabach, now of Flora, Illinois, remembers how tough it was hauling caliche, rock and dirt and building the large blocks for construction of the Lake Corpus Christi State Park concession building. Most of the visitors at the park told us it would never last through the first hurricane," Schlabach said. "You can imagine how I felt when I went back to visit the park in 1976 - the building was still there!" Schlabach added, "Even though I didn't get paid much money, I felt l was being repaid with joy when I saw that building. Robert Porter of Ingleside also worked with the crew who built the concession building which is still in use today at the park.

Many C.C.C.'ers recall humorous incidents during their tours of duty. Richardson attorney Joe James remembers the sight of several dozen C.C.C. boys perched in mesquite trees to trim the limbs at Lake Corpus Christi State Park. "We looked like a herd of grazing monkeys," he observed wryly. "Most of us worked hard."

Another story which made the rounds of West Texas C.C.C. camps was when one of the assistant cooks at the Big Bend area camp reprimanded a gentlemen who, upon touring the outdoor kitchen, had lifted the lid of one of the pans on the stove, causing some cinders to drop therein. In no uncertain terms, the man was instructed to stay clear of the cooking operation. The cook was mortified later to learn that he had been addressing the touring former Texas Governor Pat M. Neff.

The C.C.C. doubtless was an organization with faults, but that it had a beneficial effect on thousands of young men and gave a tremendous boost to Texas' park system can hardly be debated. The enduring monuments constructed by the C.C.C. in parks throughout the state will provide continuing memories for those who were a part of the C.C.C. and will endure to serve future generations of park users. **

Editor's Note: Legislation to create an American Conservation Corps, similar to the C.C.C. concept, is now in a U.S. Senate subcommittee. The bipartisan-supported legislation to reduce unemployment while conserving natural resources was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 301-87 on March 1. At publication time there was no prediction as to when the bill would reach the Senate floor.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Fond Memories from a Time of National Hardship

TPWD Parks and Historic Sites Developed or Improved by the C.C.C.: