Alcester in Union County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Civilian Conservation Corps Camp
Photographed By Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 17, 2017
1. Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Marker
Camp SCS-3 (DPE-211 in 1934): located in city park of NE Alcester. Companies: 2746--8/3-10/1/34 & 6/27/35-8/14/41; 4725V--8/15/41 - 5/27/42.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal work - relief program during the Great Depression. From 1933 to 1942, the CCC provided work for 31,097 jobless men in South Dakota--about 22,000 enrollees (single men aged 17-25), about 1,700 veterans, 4,554 American Indians and 2,834 supervisors. The U.S. Army provided 200-men camps, food, clothing, medical care and pay, and educational, recreational and religious programs. The Office of Indian Affairs provided similar services for units on Indian reservations.
Work was done on private land under the Soil Erosion Service and Soil Conservation Service. Enrollees in Company 2746 and WWI veterans in Company 4725V demonstrated soil and water conservation through terraces, pasture furrows, gully controls and contour farming to reduce run-off and erosion. They planted shelterbelts and used strip farming and rough tillage to reduce wind erosion, and built stock dams to conserve water and improve grazing utilization. In 1937, the men planted 7,050 trees in Union County State Park and established a tree nursery at Vermillion. Tours showing results aided in the organization of conservation districts in Clay, Union, Bon Homme and
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Erected 1990 by CCC Alumni, The South Dakota State Historical Society, the State Department of Transportation and the Soil Conservation Service. (Marker Number 518.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Charity & Public Work. In addition, it is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 43° 1.514′ N, 96° 37.681′ W. Marker is in Alcester, South Dakota, in Union County. Marker is at the intersection of 479th Avenue (State Highway 11) and 301st St, on the right when traveling north on 479th Avenue. Marker is located in the Alcester City Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Alcester SD 57001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Alcester, South Dakota Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Archie M. Gubbrud (within shouting distance of this marker); Hawarden Freedom Rock Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.3 miles away in Iowa); Hawarden, Iowa Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.3 miles away in Iowa); Grace Hill Civil War Veterans Monument (approx. 8 miles away in Iowa); Sioux County Founded Here
Photographed By Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 17, 2017
2. Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 189 times since then and 11 times this year. Last updated on January 12, 2022. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 16, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
