United States Civilian Conservation Corps

United States Civilian Conservation Corps. Leonard Harrison State Park. Born at our nation’s lowest point, the CCC rebuilt a land and its people. We all owe thanks to the thousands of men who helped build Pennsylvania’s parks and reforest its hills., Beginning late in 1929, the Great Depression was a desperate time for the economy of the United States. The stock market crashed and unemployment reached record high levels. , Elected in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt acted quickly to start relief. Thirty-seven days after inauguration, the first enrollee signed into the Civilian Conservation Corps. , Many young men came to the camps hungry and poorly clothed. They were issued uniforms and given three meals a day. Most young men gained about forty pounds while in the CCC. The men earned $30 a month, most of which was sent home to their families., The U.S. Army ran the camps, but foresters directed the work. The CCC fought forest fires, planted trees, built roads and buildings and created many state parks. The CCC transformed Pennsylvania and the United States. Hard work, Pride, Spirit, Education, Recreation, Sports, Comradery, Heritage., (Inscription next to the image in the upper left) , “I propose to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in simple work…more important, however, than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work.” , Franklin D. Roosevelt March 9, 1933.