Collection Guide
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Civilian Conservation Corps Collection
MSS.2010.07.29
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Table of contents
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.
Collection is open for research. Photocopying of original Newspapers is prohibited due to their fragile nature.
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.
Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, MSS-2010-07-29, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
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.
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.
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