Between 1929 -1933, U.S. unemployment jumped from 3% to over 25% as the Roaring Twenties crashed into the Great Depression.  Among the young, the rate of joblessness was even higher.  Soon after taking office in March, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established his “Tree Army,” the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), to reduce unemployment, conserve natural resources, and provide skills to unskilled men.

From 1933 to 1942, 5% of U.S. men, over two million, served in the CCC, one of the most popular of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. Roosevelt sought to get young men off of America’s streets and improve their health and morale while boosting the nation’s economy. CCC “boys,” usually 18 - 25 years old, earned $30 per month with room and board. Of this $30, they were required to send between $22 - 25 to their families. Men with supervisory jobs made slightly more money.  

CCC enrollees worked on projects in every state and territory of the nation. They built dams and stocked streams with fish. They created outdoor recreation areas for public use. They cut new trails and built campgrounds, fought fires and built visitor facilities. All in all, men worked in 791 CCC camps in 94 national parks and 881 state or local areas. Many parks near Washington, including Prince William Forest, are CCC creations. More...