You probably haven't heard of the Civilian Conservation Corps before, but they've done a lot of work for the interior of America. Commissioned by President Roosevelt during the depression round about '33 to '42, it was intended to put some relief on unemployed men during hard times. Limited to young men around 18 years of age to their mid 20's, the CCC was organized military style. Enrolled boys were usually uneducated and even malnourished going in. It was a tremendous offer for these men, even African Americans were welcome; while segregated from the whites and native Americans they were given equal pay and benefits. The CCC was a step in the right direction, a program dedicated to conserving the greater outdoors through construction and teaching job skills at the same time. It was an economic relief program that we could probably learn from during our current situation.
The CCC planted nearly 3 billion trees, pioneered new methods of forest fire prevention and supression, constructed forest roads and cabins for tourists to enjoy the outdoors, and reintroduced wildlife to areas where they had been depleted. These are just a few of their efforts.
Sadly the Corps did not last. It was never a permanent part of the New Deal and came to an abrupt halt in 1942 due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor causing most of the Corpsmen to be drafted. War efforts turned the focus from improving America's economy, interior and standard of living to supporting soldiers, Marines and sailors. While the war did improve America's situation in the end, we did lose something unique in the CCC. There are organizations today attempting to ressurect the success of the Corps; these groups are much smaller and receive less federal support.
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