A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
		The CCC was created by the Emergency Conservation Work Act at the beginning of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term in 1933. The CCC was an employment measure authorized to provide work in reforestation, road construction, the prevention of soil erosion, and park and flood control projects. The object was to employ 250,000 young men. At the close of the program in 1942, nearly 3 million had participated. At its peak there were over 500 CCC camps in national, state and local parks. Workers cleared trails, built buildings and shelters, fought forest fires, planted trees and made other improvements to parks in all the states. The young men were given food and a place to live and received a salary of $1 a day, most of which was required to be sent home. One camp's slogan was: "Join the CCC and see the world, a shovelful at a time." The CCC was still alive and well and still following many of those original blueprints when we worked there in the late 1990's. Of course, women were allowed, and the pay was...well,  a little better. But the work projects remained similar in spirit. We lived in the barracks along side other 18-24 year old Ohioans. A partnership with Hocking College allowed corpsmembers to go to college and gain a degree or attend classes. We came from all walks of life and some could say we were a bunch of misfits, but at the camp we were all family. Some of the most fun times and best friends were made at the camp. Many of us learned work ethic, were given priceless opportunities,  and given a future from the skills we learned at the camp. Sadly, the camp is closed now, the facilities are used by the Eckerd Girls Challenge Camp, a residential camp for troubled girls.