The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Hanson, James

The Civilian Conservation Corps was the first New Deal relief program, operating for ten years in every part of the United States. It employed slightly less than three million youths on various conservation projects, and spent three billion dollars in the course. of its operations. The northern Rocky Mountain states, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, form a common geographic region characterized by sparse population, heavily timbered areas, and extensive grasslands. There were nearly three hundred Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the northern Rockies doing all types of conservation work which was of great benefit to the region. The camps employed thousands of local citizens in various capacities, and each year more than two thousand local boys participated in the CCC. The CCC spent about 90 million dollars in the region, so it was an important economic factor in these states during the depression. Most of the CCC work in the northern Rockies involved forest improvement and maintenance and fire suppression. The enrollees also did extensive work improving the grasslands through reseeding, rodent eradication, water development, and fencing. The CCC was of great assistance in developing national and state parks in the region. Other work projects unique to the West included land reclamation and development, wildlife management, and the control of fires in coal scams. The states of the northern Rockies did not have population enough to man the camps in the region, so the CCC brought most of its enrollees to the area from other states. About twenty thousand CCC men from outside the region worked in the northern Rockies each year. The CCC provided educational opportunities for the boys. It furnished them housing, food, clothing, and medical care. At the same time, a large portion of the boys' wages was allotted to their families, so enrollment in the CCC was of great significance in the financial support of many persons, within and without the Corps. The boys acquired useful job skills and, generally, grew physically and mentally while enrolled. The major problems encountered in CCC operations in the northern Rocky Mountain states were caused by extremely bad winter weather, isolation and the resulting lack of recreation, and poor food. Nation- ally, economic recovery was evident in the late 1930's, and it became increasingly difficult for the CCC to obtain good enrollees. Desertions and mass dishonorable discharges became commonplace in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, paralleling the national situation. Congress ended the CCC during World War II because its potential contribution to the war effort could not be adequately demonstrated. The Civilian Conservation Corps in the northern Rocky Mountain states was highly successful in that it contributed to general economic recovery and employed a significant percentage of America's idle youth. At the same time, the enrollees made important improvements in the environment. The people of the northern Rockies were generally pleased with the CCC. The Corps was perhaps one of the most popular of the New Deal programs, and it was well received in the northern Rockies. In most respects, the CCC functioned in the northern Rockies as it did nationally. Its legacy to the region cannot be completely evaluated. Much of the CCC work was left unfinished or has not been maintained. Its beneficial effects on the enrollees are difficult to measure. The public and the federal government, however, have judged the CCC a success. Resource conservation and the development of the potential of young citizens are still major functions of government and important concerns of the American people.