Near Estes Park in Larimer County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

The Woodpecker Army

— Rocky Mountain National Park —

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 25, 2020

1. The Woodpecker army Marker

Inscription. Little Horseshoe Park was the site of the first Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp west of the Mississippi River. In May 1933, CCC workers set up a base in the meadow below to house about 200 men.

This camp’s laborers became known as the Woodpecker Army because they rode to work in old, red, sightseeing buses. Once at their “work-spots,” they will remove beetle-infested trees, landscape grounds and roadsides, build trails and fences, or fight fires.

Congress terminated the CCC in 1942, and the camps closed. But for almost a decade, decade, “Roosevelt’s Green Guard,” employed Depression-era workers, restored their pride, and improved park facilities.

Photo captions:
NP1-C—this camps official name was composed of 24 tens for living quarters, four larger hospital tents, and a field kitchen (far right).

Some “woodpeckers” — as the local CCC laborers were nicknamed—in Little Horseshoe Park in 1933 (right). President Franklin Delano Roosevelt establish the CCC in 1933 as one of the many federal job training programs during the depression years of the 1930s.

Erected by National

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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1933.

Location. 40° 23.371′ N, 105° 36.704′ W. Marker is near Estes Park, Colorado, in Larimer County. It is on Fall River Road (U.S. 34) 0.2 miles north of Trail Ridge Road (U.S. 36), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Estes Park CO 80517, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Rocky Mountain’s “Parks” (approx. one mile away); Animals in Flux (approx.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, October 8, 2016

2. The Woodpecker Army Marker

1.1 miles away); Ancient Paths, Ancient Peoples (approx. 2.4 miles away); Changing Times Bring Changing Uses (approx. 2½ miles away); Horseshoe Park (approx. 2.8 miles away); Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building (approx. 3.1 miles away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. 3.1 miles away); Beaver Meadows Visitor Center (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Estes Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 450 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 7, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 2. submitted on July 23, 2024, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.