The Civilian Conservation Corps: A Surviving Legacy

The Civilian Conservation Corps: A Surviving Legacy. . , The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. During the years of the Great Depression, when the stock market crash and ensuing business closures left many Americans desperately looking for work, the program employed young men, ages 17 to 28, on projects throughout the nation’s public parks and forests., About 3,800 of these men worked in California’s state parks, constructing roads, trails, campgrounds, visitor centers and other facilities. A distinctive “rustic” appearance distinguishes the work of the CCC in California’s state parks, a style that has been adapted over the years and continues to be used today., They used local, natural materials and hand-craftsmanship to create buildings and other structures that blended into the surrounding landscape. Many of the buildings, structures, and landscape features built by the CCC in the 1930’s still stand today as a legacy to the challenging and strenuous work performed by these young men.