CCC Camps: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mesa Verde National Park

Regions 6, 7, & 8 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Between 1933 and 1942, three Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps were constructed in Mesa Verde National Park. These include Camp NP-2-C (1933-1934), Camp NP-5-C and its associated utility area (1934-1942), and Camp NP-6-C (1934-1936). Though different in condition and contemporary use, Camp NP-5-C and its associated utility area and Camp NP-6-C retain historic integrity. As nothing remains of Camp NP-2-C, it has integrity only as an archeological site. Camp NP-2-C (also called DNP-5-C) was the first camp to be constructed in Mesa Verde in May 1933 and was occupied through 1934. The camp was located in a grassy field at the head of Prater Canyon, located on the south side of the entrance road, just west of the present-day tunnel. The camp was intended for temporary use and was eventually razed. Today, the site retains integrity as an archeological site dating to the 1933-1934 period. The period of significance for Camp NP-5-C extends from 1934 to 1942. The construction of Camp NP-5C began in September 1934. When the camp was completed, it formed a “U” shape and consisted of eleven buildings and structures: five barracks, an Administration building, Mess Hall, Recreation Hall, a garage, a storage facility, and a latrine. The site had a vehicular loop road, a concrete loop sidewalk in the interior commons area connecting the buildings, and a series of stone-lined gravel pathways therein leading to a latrine at the center of the site. During construction, great care was taken to clear as little vegetation as possible and protect the remaining vegetation from negative impacts. The period of significance for Camp NP-6-C extends from 1934 to 1938. Construction of Camp NP-6-C began in October 1934 and consisted of ten buildings and structures: five barracks, a Recreation Hall, a Mess Hall, an Administration building, a garage, and a latrine. Similar to the configuration at Camp NP-5C, there were internal circulation paths and gravel pathways at Camp NP-6-C leading from each building to a latrine in the center of the camp. The CCC crew relocated from NP-6-C to the then vacant Camp NP-5-C in 1938 and NP-6-C was slowly razed thereafter. The area has since not been used and thus a number of small scale features from the original camp remain. The building footprints are still discernible through clearings in the landscape, remnants of foundations, and stone walls. Fire and drought have affected the vegetation of the area. Most of the trees in the area have been burned, though some grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs remain.

CCC Camps: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mesa Verde National Park

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