1929
Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31st President of the United States in March, on a wave of popularity. In October of that year, the Stock Market crashed and started the economic crisis of the 1930s.
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1930
A severe drought in America’s heartland caused widespread crop failure and had long-lasting effects for the entire country.
1931
By the end of 1931, over 2200 banks had failed causing panic among the population. The Stock Market had not yet rebounded, the drought continued, and the country was desperate.
1932
During Hoover’s presidency, unemployment rose from 4% to 25%. A frustrated and angry country elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt to his first term as president.
1933
FDR took office in March and immediately began implementing his "New Deal" with unprecedented speed. FDR’s "First 100 Days" concentrated on immediate relief. From March to June, Congress passed 15 major bills including the creation of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. In fewer than eight months, almost 1500 CCC camps were established across the country.
March 4th, 1933
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the United States of America's thirty-second president.
March 9th, 1933
FDR and his Cabinet met to discuss the Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) program.
March 21st, 1933
ECW legislation to create the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was sent to Congress. Organized labor objected and FDR's administration began revisions and negotiations.
March 29st, 1933
Revised ECW legislation went back to Congress.
April 7th, 1933
Enrollment for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began. The CCC was a public work relief program designed to give work to unemployed, unmarried men ages 18 to 25. The men were sent to camps around the U.S. to perform conservation work.
April 17th, 1933
The first CCC camp, Camp Roosevelt, officially opened near Edinburg, VA.
May 15th, 1933
The first CCC camp in what was to become a National Park opened at Shenandoah.
Fall, 1933
The number of CCC camps nationwide reached 1,468.
1935
The enrollment in the Civilian Conservation Corps reached its peak at 505,000. The average enrollee was 18 years old, from a farming or industrial worker family with 5 siblings, had an 8th grade education, came from a home without running water, and was on the "relief rolls."
1936
FDR dedicated Shenandoah National Park in a ceremony at Big Meadows on July 3, 1936. Between 1933 and 1942, more than 6,500 young men planted hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs in the park, most grown in the park nurseries.
1939
The economic crisis in the United States had begun to improve as Europe entered World War II with Germany invading Poland. With the increased employment in the private sector, it became more difficult to maintain enrollment numbers in the CCC.
1941
Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and the U.S. entered World War II. The Park Service terminated many CCC camps due to declining enrollment; new camps were established in areas with national defense projects.
1942
Congress failed to continue funding for the Civilian Conservation Corps in April causing the remaining camps to close by mid-July. The CCC was never officially terminated, but with the war effort and the improved economy, the need had passed. The lasting legacy of the CCC lies not only in the tangible evidence of the many parks and the environmental impact across the U.S., but also in the continuation of service-based programs for future generations like the Student Conservation Association, the Youth Conservation Corps, and AmeriCorps.
1957
The Student Conservation Program (SCP) was established on the inspiration of a senior thesis by a Vassar College student. The name officially changed to the Student Conservation Association (SCA) in 1964. Their mission was modeled after that of the CCC. Since 1957, SCA’s 50,000+ members around the world have provided service valued at over a half billion dollars.
1971
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) was established and remains one of the most popular summer youth work programs in federally managed lands. YCC programs today are conducted for 8-10 weeks during the summer with participants between 15-18 years old.
1993
AmeriCorps was created under President Bill Clinton. AmeriCorps incorporated two existing national service programs: VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) established in 1964, and the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) begun in 1992. It is a federal program in which more than 2 million members continue to work each year in jobs ranging from environmental clean-up to education.
