In the 1930s the Department of Interior made a series of films on the nation's growing park system, from trails blazed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Yosemite, California, all the way up to Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Now you can see what your local parks looked like during the Great Depression, a time when many old parks were upgraded and many new parks were created.
About this course
- Videos:
- 16
- Duration:
- 4 hours
Visit Our Nation's Parks
Lectures in this course (16)
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A Nation-Wide System of Parks - 1939
16:13This Department of Interior film examines the origins of the Civilian Conservation Corps and profiles various accomplishments of the group in helping to build our nation's parks. Transcript (PDF): http://archives.gov/social-media/transcripts/tr...
2,273 views
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Land of the Giants - 1935
23:38On California's State parks. Part 1 shows forests, streams, waterfalls, brush, and mountains in Redwood, Humboldt, Calaveras, and Tamalpais State Parks. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) men clear undergrowth, cut and process lumber, dig culverts,...
43,056 views
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Rebuilding Indian Country - 1933
35:26Chippewa Indians make fishnets. Indians work on roads with tractors, picks, and shovels, stand in line at a field kitchen, engage in native handicrafts, and spear salmon on the Columbia River. Pima Indians farm. Shows an Indian Emergency Conservat...
4,113 views
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The TVA at Work - 1935
13:29A closer look at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and how it works to control water flow in the Tennessee Valley in this Department of Interior video. Part 1 shows rain storms and flooded streams, the flooded Tennessee River valley, Norri...
9,815 views
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Down Mobile Way - 1935
10:25A profile of the active shores of Mobile, Alabama circa 1935, this film highlights local parks, the work of the CCC, and the bustling commerce of the South. Scenes of azaleas in bloom, old homes, ships at docks, and bales of cotton, barrels o...
4,396 views
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Heart of the Confederacy - 1937
10:15How did Alabama weather the Great Depression? Find out in this vintage Department of the Interior footage of CCC workers at the Montgomery capitol building and elsewhere. SUMMARY Shows Alabama's State Capitol in Montgomery, the brass star in the ...
3,344 views
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West Virginia Recreation Resources - 1935
13:54See West Virginia and its state parks as they were in 1935, from the Green Brier Hotel at White Sulphur Springs to CCC men working on the Lost River Park. Also featured are Cacapon and Watoga state parks and the town of Berkley. This film fo...
1,602 views
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Reclamation and the Arid West (1936)
4:56In this old Department of the Interior film, watch builders harness the power of the Colorado as they construct Boulder Dam, better known as Hoover Dam. Transcript (PDF): http://archives.gov/social-media/transcripts/transcript-reclamation-arid...
909 views
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Tennessee Valley, 1936
36:44President Roosevelt's Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) brings electricity to the masses as it works to build dams and transport coal in horse drawn carriages throughout the Tennessee region. Norris Dam and Muscle Shoals and Wheeler are all featur...
16,629 views
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Great Smoky Mountains (1936)
10:25The Department of Interior takes a look at its effort in the Great Smoky Mountains in this vintage film. SUMMARY Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) men ride in trucks, work with pick and shovel, operate bulldozers, graders and pneumatic drills...
9,243 views
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Boulder Dam - 1937
35:00This Department of Interior film captures Boulder Dam — better known as Hoover Dam — in the midst of its construction. See how the Colorado River flowed before, and after, the construction of what was then the world's tallest dam. SUMMARY Part ...
14,184 views
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Alabama Highlands (1937)
10:38A closer look at the Civilian Conservation Corps' work in Alabama from the Department of Interior. This film shows Birmingham and views of Alabama's mountains, homes, factories, mines, railways, and its State Parks, including Oak Mountain Stat...
5,458 views
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White Sands - 1938
9:06This Department of the Interior film, part of an ongoing series by the National Archives, shows White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, as it appeared in the 1930s. SUMMARY This film shows White Sands National Monument, the drifting desert sa...
3,820 views
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Cradle of the Father of Waters - 1938
10:21Where does the Mississippi River start? In the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota according to this vintage Department of Interior film from the National Archives. See your local state parks under construction in the 1930s, including Itaska Lake State Pa...
1,120 views
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The Wapiti of Jackson Hole - 1939
10:52From vintage footage of the National Archives, this Department of Interior film looks at the elk, grouse and moose of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (ARC ID 11729, local identifier 48.98) Transcript (PDF): http://archives.gov/social-media/transcripts/...
842 views
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Land of Ten Thousand Lakes
7:50The Department of Interior focuses on the land of ten thousand lakes in this 1930s film. SUMMARY: This film shows the lakes and forests of Minnesota. Tourists sail boats on a lake, cook on an outdoor grill, picnic at outdoor tables, and swim and f...
976 views