A Vital Asset to the Region

A Vital Asset to the Region. Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1475, Camp S-67, Tracy City. , Dams, Lakes, Trails, Towers, Walls, Wires, Roads… , It was not uncommon for CCC companies to pick up and move, they were mandated to relocate wherever their work required, and by 1935, Company 1475's principal assignment was in the southern part of Grundy County, precipitating the move from its original camp, P-62 in Palmer, to S-67 in Grundy Forest., The main reason for the move was the reclamation of the old Lone Rock Coke Ovens coal processing facility, just south of Tracy City. The highlight of the project would be construction of a new dam and lake. After the 154-acre property was donated to the State of Tennessee by the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company, CCC Company 1475 reclaimed the land, built the dam that created the lake, planted new trees and foliage, and constructed recreational facilities., To build Grundy Lakes, the CCC Boys had to move more than 15,000 yards of dirt, creating the new 13-acre main lake. The project also included rehabilitation of two smaller lakes for use as a fish hatchery., This considerable effort transformed what had been a wasteland and an eyesore into new recreational opportunities for a community that had been devastated by the Great Depression. Today, Grundy Lakes is part of South Cumberland State Park., But that wasn't all Company 1475 did while encamped at Grundy Forest. Company personnel constructed the first section of what we now, know as the Fiery Gizzard Trail; built the first picnic shelter at the Grundy Forest Trailhead, fought numerous fires in the area, the most notable being the blaze that nearly destroyed the Tracy City business district., In January and February of 1937 Company 1475 was called to the Mississippi River, along with dozens of other CCC companies, to help control epic river flooding. It was rated by flood response leaders as one of the best organized companies in the endeavor., By the time the company disbanded in 1942, it had accomplished all of those projects, as well as having erected seven fire towers and watchmen's cabins, including one on this site. It had strung 200 miles of telephone line to connect those towers to forestry headquarters, built 50 miles of mountain roads, 16 miles of gravel roads and 10 miles of graded road to further protect the forests from uncontrolled fires and constructed several thousand feet of retention walls to control erosion., No wonder the leadership of Tracy City was dismayed to learn that, in June of 1938, CCC Company 1475 would be packing up and leaving Grundy Forest for a new camp, S-80, at the northern edge of Franklin State Forest, near Sewanee. , Photo caption (bottom right, top): Company 1475, loading up and ready to head out for another day of work. According to a 1937 inventory report, the company had a "fleet" of 23 trucks, 4 of which were listed as being in "good" condition; 10 being "fair," and 9 being in "poor" condition. , This photo appears to have been taken on the road to the camp's northern exit, just behind and to the left of where you stand while looking at the "Moment in Time" interpretive panel. The remains of that section of road are wide enough to have accommodated a staging area, a place to line up vehicles and load up the CCC Boys before heading out for a day of hard work., Photo caption, bottom right, middle top): The CCC Boys of Company 1475 also learned to be linemen, setting poles and running telephone lines to connect the fire towers they had erected to area forestry headquarters, creating a network of fire-spotters with instantaneous communication., Photo caption (bottom right, middle bottom): Company 1475 crews putting the finishing touches on the new dam at "Tracy Lakes," what we now know as Grundy Lakes. The dam impounded a 13-acre lake, and required over 15,000 yards of dirt., Photo caption (bottom right, bottom): In January of 1937, Company 1475 was dispatched to the Mississippi River, along with other CCC companies from across the region, to help control severe river flooding. Company 1475 was recognized as being one of the best-organized companies in the response., Image caption (Bottom left): Article from the February 14, 1935 edition of the Sequachee Valley News.