Guide to the Civilian Conservation Corps Collection
MSS-2010-07-29
Lisa Zakharova and David Fournier
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
© 2010
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
special.collections@sjsu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, 1933-1997
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2010.07.29
Physical Description:
3 boxes
(3.5 Linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1933-1997
Date (bulk): Bulk 1933-1942
Abstract: The materials in this collection consist of photographs, newspaper articles, original newspapers, memorabilia, oral history
cassette tapes, memorial calendars, and alumni association publications related to California camps and one Oregon camp.
Access
Collection is open for research. Photocopying of original Newspapers is prohibited due to their fragile nature.
Publication Rights
Copyright is not 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.
Preferred Citation
Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, MSS-2010-07-29, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Lisa Zakharova and David Fournier. Finding aid EAD encoded by Lisa Zakharova. Reviewed by Danelle
Moon. Accruals added and Finding Aid updated by Antonia Victoria Rock in May 2023.
Organizational History
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. Members of the CCC became known as FDR's "Tree Army" and worked to revitalize
the nation's forests and parks by planting trees, setting up state parks, and building roads that connected parks. 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.
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 established
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) during the New Deal Era in the state of California. It focuses in particular
on the Almaden Camp in San Jose also called the Mount Madonna Camp, and is located in English Camp at the Almaden Quicksilver
County Park. The records consist of photographs, newspaper articles, original newspapers, memorabilia, oral history cassette
tapes, memorial calendars, and alumni association publications.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. California Camps; Series II. National Camps; Series III. Affiliated
Organizations.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) -- California
Depressions -- 1929
California Camps
1933-1992
Arrangement
This series is organized alphabeticaly based on the camp name.
Scope and Contents
The following camps have ephemera such as photos, documents, and/or programs:
Mt Madonna (Co 793) in Almaden, CA P-234
Camp Los Prietos (Co 805?) in Santa Barbara, CA
Middle Creek Camp (Co 997) in upper Lake, CA
Camp Callahan (Co. 1904) in Callahan, CA
Camp Salt Creek (Co 1904) in Santa Barbara, CA
Unknown camp, circa 1934
Camp Callahan (Co. 1904) in Callahan, CA
box 1, folder 2
Philip Velasco, Gilroy CA, enrolled 4/14/34
Camp Salt Creek (Co 3363) in Santa Barbara, CA
box 1, folder 4
Camp Salt Creek Photographs
Camp Middle Creek (Co 997) in upper Lake, CA
Camp Mt. Madonna (Co. 793)
box 1, Folder 8
Overview of the CCC at Mt Madonna
box 1, Folder 9
A Personal history of hard times and adventure in the early 1930's
box 1, folder 12
Friedolin Kessler Interview
1/15/1993 and 1/18/1993
Unidentified camps, circa 1934
1934
box 1, Folder 16
CCC Exhibit at SJSU
October 21,1992
National Camps
1934-1935
Arrangement
Newspapers in this series are arranged alphabetically by title amd then by date.
Scope and Contents
Three Official Civilian Conservation Corps Newspapers are present in the collection:
The Courier, the monthly newspaper representing the March Field District from the Sequoias to the Mexican Line. Issues present: Vol.
I No. 1-2, Vol. I No. 5, Vol. I No. 7-8, Vol. II No. 1-4, Vol. II No. 10, Vol. III No.2.
Happy Days, the authorized weekly CCC Newspaper. Issues present: Vol. II No. 24-25, Vol. II No. 27-28, Vol. II No. 30, Vol. II No. 33,
Vol. II No. 35, Vol. II No. 37-38, Vol II. No 40, Vol II No. 42-46
C.C.C Review- A weekly newspaper devoted to the interests of the CCC camps in the Fort George Wright, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho Districts.Issue
present: Volume 5
Official Civilian Conservation Corps Newspapers II
1934-1935
Scope and Contents note
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.
Three Official Civilian Conservation Corps Newspapers are present in the collection:
The Courier, the monthly newspaper representing the March Field District from the Sequoias to the Mexican Line. Issues present: Vol.
I No. 1-2, Vol. I No. 5, Vol. I No. 7-8, Vol. II No. 1-4, Vol. II No. 10, Vol. III No.2.
Happy Days, the authorized weekly CCC Newspaper. Issues present: Vol. II No. 24-25, Vol. II No. 27-28, Vol. II No. 30, Vol. II No. 33,
Vol. II No. 35, Vol. II No. 37-38, Vol II. No 40, Vol II No. 42-46
C.C.C Review- A weekly newspaper devoted to the interests of the CCC camps in the Fort George Wright, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho Districts.Issue
present: Volume 5
Box 2, Folder 1
C.C.C Review
October 3, 1935
Physical Description: 1.0 folders
Box 2, Folder 2
The Courier
Nov 17th 1934
Box 2, Folder 6
The Courier
Mar 15th 1935
Box 2, Folder 8
The Courier
Apr 18th, 1935
Box 2, Folder 10
The Courier
May 18th, 1935
Box 2, Folder 11
The Courier
Sep 17th, 1935
box 2, Folder 12
The Courier
Oct 30th, 1935
Box 2, folder 29
The Courier
Circa. November 1935
box 2, Folder 13
Happy Days
Oct 27th, 1934
box 2, Folder 15
Happy Days
Nov 10th, 1934
box 2, Folder 16
Happy Days
Nov 17th, 1935
box 2, Folder 17
Happy Days
Nov 24th, 1934
Box 2, folder 19
Happy Days
Dec 29th, 1934
box 2, folder 20
Happy Days
Jan 12th, 1935
box 2, Folder 21
Happy Days
Jan 26th, 1935
box 2, Folder 23
Happy Days
Feb 16th, 1935
Box 2, Folder 26
Happy Days
Mar 16th, 1935
Box 2, Folder 27
Happy Days
Mar 23rd, 1935
Box 2, Folder 28
Happy Days
Mar 30th, 1935
Affiliated Organizations
1992-1998
Arrangement
This series is organized alphabetically by the name of the organization.
Scope and Contents
This series consists of flyers, newspaper clippings, and letters associated with the Civilian Conservation Corps. These organizations
commemorate and carry on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps: The California Conservation Corps, Civilian Conservation
Corps Alumni, The Conservation Corps State Museum, and The Conservation Corps Institute of California.
Box 1, folder 20
California Conservation Corps
box 1, Folder 21
Conservation Corps Institute of California.