Watford City in McKenzie County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Building From Hard Times
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
1. Building From Hard Times Marker
The drought and depression of the 1930s hit the badlands region hard. Small landowners, no longer able to eke out a living, sold their lands to the government with the hope of finding a new start elsewhere. Throughout the country, men were out of work.
National relief programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.), Emergency Relief Administration (E.R.A.), and Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), were created to employ men and to accomplish conservation projects. Here in the badlands during the years 1934 to 1941, C.C.C. Companies 2767, 2771, and 2772 worked on projects on land now included in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the DeMores State Historic Site at Medora. Under the supervision of the Army and with the input of the National Park Service, the C.C.C. men built roads, trails, shelters, signs, picnic areas, and campgrounds, and accomplished conservation work. The E.R.A. and W.P.A. men worked on related projects.
Today, we may admire their accomplishments for the hard work and skills that they represent. More importantly, they remind us of the lessons to be learned from the Thirties: the need for wise conservation of the land and its resources.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker
this page online
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 47° 36.566′ N, 103° 22.675′ W. Marker was in Watford City, North Dakota, in McKenzie County. It was on Scenic Drive, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located at the River Bend Overlook in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Watford City ND 58854, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Patch. It was also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: The View that Launched a Park (a few steps from this marker); Bentonitic Clay (approx. one mile away); The Long X Trail: A Dusty Trail to Greener Pastures (approx. 1.1 miles away); Work in Progress / Better Together (approx. 1.3 miles away); North Dakota Badlands (approx. 1½ miles away); Cannonball Mystery
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
2. Building From Hard Times Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Man and Grass (was approx. 1½ miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Long X Cattle Trail (was approx. 1.6 miles away but has been permanently removed); Cannon Ball Concretions (was approx. 2.3 miles away but has been permanently removed); Edge of a Glacier (was approx. 2.6 miles away but has been permanently removed); Roosevelt and the Boat Thieves (was approx. 3 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. Pictures of CCC workers building a cabin and a road appear on the marker.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
3. Marker at the River Bend Overlook
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
4. Building From Hard Times Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 464 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on August 20, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 14, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
