Kansas Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Surveys

Bevitt, C.; Bevitt, Wendi

From the introduction: "The purpose of this survey was to determine the locations of Civilian Conservation Corps camps created throughout Kansas between 1933 and 1942 and product an inventory of these sites in order to document what remains of these rare resources. By creating this inventory it is hoped that knowledge of the origin of these sites not only promotes awareness of local history but creates an attitude of preservation within local communities to conserve this history for future generations. The Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) initiated this survey to be started June 2018. Tod and Wendi Bevitt of Buried Past Consulting, LLC conducted the survey, documentation and report writing. Research and primary field work for this project, including site visits, photographs, and interviews occurred in June through August 2018. All properties were uploaded to the Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (KHRI) database, maintained by KSHS. Only one property, the Farlington Camp at Crawford County State Lake, was already in the database and was updated. Additional attention was given to camps that had intact structures or extant ruins providing physical evidence of the former camp. Research relied heavily on previous work conducted by C. Tod Bevitt over the last 10 years. The basis for that research began by utilizing the camp locations provided on the CCC Legacy website, a site created to promote the heritage of the CCC. Research into camp locations and histories previously included site visits to the state historical society, local county archives, university archives, and on-line resources. Research for the current project began by sending correspondence to county archives or libraries in the areas where a camp may have once been located but the specific location was not known. Additional emphasis was given to previously unknown camp locations in order to obtain additional information not gained from past work. Site visits for this project were expanded to county archives not previously investigated, accessing files at the National Archives and Records Administration in Kansas City, as well utilizing more resources at as the state historical society with hopes of gleaning specific information in camp locations and organization." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Kansas State Historical Society, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00034).

Kansas Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Surveys

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