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Guide to the Civilian Conservation Corps
MSS-2010-07-29
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Title: Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, 1933-1997
Dates: 1933-1997
Bulk Dates: 1933-1942
Collection number: MSS-2010-07-29
Creator:
San Jose State College
Collection Size:
2 boxes,
2.5 linear feet
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) Collection, 1933-1997 (bulk 1933-1942) documents the work relief program estabilished
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) during the New Deal Era. The CCC employed young men between the ages of 18 to
24 to provide manual labor related to conservation of National Parks and resourse management. The Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) was created in 1933 as one of the first programs headed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to alleviate youth
unemployment during the Great Depression. Members of the CCC became known as FDR's "Tree Army", were recruited by the Department
of Labor to revitalize the nation's forests and parks by planting trees, setting up state parks, and building roads that connected
parks. The young men were able to stay employed during the Great Depression by contributing to a large-scale conservation
program which involved every U.S. State. This collection focuses in particular on the Almaden Camp in San Jose, CA. also called
the Mount Madonna Camp. The records consist of photographs, newspaper articles, original newspapers, memorabilia, oral history
cassette tapes, memorial calendars, and alumni association publications. The collection is arranged into two series: Series
I. Civilian Conservation Corps Memorabilia, 1933-1997; and Series II. Original Civilian Conservation Corps Newspapers, 1934-1935
Physical location: Vault 1, Range 22B
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection is open for research. Photocopying of original Newspapers is prohibited.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
The Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, MSS-2010-07-29, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Collection processed by Lisa Zakharova. Finding aid EAD encoded by Lisa Zakharova. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was created in 1933 as one of the first programs headed by President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (FDR) to alleviate youth unemployment during the Great Depression. Young men, ages 18 to 24 provided unskilled manual
labor supporting reforestation and building the National Parks System. The Department of Labor recruited the men into the
program and set up the outdoor camps they would be living at. Upon joining, they were provided clothing by the U.S. Army which
also managed the camps. Over three million young men joined the CCC in the nine years it was active. They were paid one dollar
per day and were offered free room and board. The majority of the projects the young men worked on involved planting forests,
setting up state parks, and building roads that made accessing the parks easier. They built more than 1000 national, state,
county and city parks and planted over three billion trees across the nation. To this day, the CCC remains the only government
conservation program that worked to save our country's environment on a national scale. There were CCC camps located in every
state in the U.S., and this program provided important work relief for these young men and their families.
The CCC was disbanded by President Roosevelt in 1942 when the nation's resources focused on the war effort and the economic
state of the nation significantly improved. Originally, the program was designed to create jobs for unemployed young men during
the depression. The onset of World War II meant an abundance of jobs all over the country, which rendered the original purpose
of the CCC irrelevant. The CCC left behind a legacy that would be felt for years to come through the improvement of the country's
forests and environment, as well as the hard work the young men performed through their enlistment with the CCC. Since then,
several states, including California, have created their own Conservation Corps programs. Similar to the Civilian Conservation
Corps, the California Conservation Corps allows young men and women to work for a year for the National Park System. The
Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni Association continues working for historical recognition and education of the mass achievements
of CCC workers and their families.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) Collection, 1933-1997 (bulk 1933-1942) documents the work relief program estabilished
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) during the New Deal Era. The CCC employed young men between the ages of 18 to
24 to provide manual labor related to conservation of National Parks and resourse management. The Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) was created in 1933 as one of the first programs headed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to alleviate youth
unemployment during the Great Depression. Members of the CCC became known as FDR's "Tree Army", were recruited by the Department
of Labor to revitalize the nation's forests and parks by planting trees, setting up state parks, and building roads that connected
parks. The young men were able to stay employed during the Great Depression by contributing to a large-scale conservation
program which involved every U.S. State. This collection focuses in particular on the Almaden Camp in San Jose, CA. also called
the Mount Madonna Camp. The records consist of photographs, newspaper articles, original newspapers, memorabilia, oral history
cassette tapes, memorial calendars, and alumni association publications.
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Civilian Conservation Corps Memorabilia, 1933-1997; and Series II.
Original Civilian Conservation Corps Newspapers, 1934-1935.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
San Jose State University -- History
Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)--California
Great Depression and the New Deal
Great Depression-- Vocation
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945-- New Deal
Tree Planting-- Young Men
The Charles B. Burdick War Poster Collection 1914-1979, MSS-2005-10-01
the John C. Gordon Photographic Collection