Approaching Jewel Cave's Historic Ranger Cabin

Restored Historic Ranger Cabin

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Custer, SD

Significance:

Part of Jewel Cave National Monument

Designation:

National Monument

Amenities

8 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Recycling, Restroom - Seasonal, Trash Dumpster

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Taking office in 1933, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) set out to solve the Great Depression crisis tormenting American families across the nation. In response, FDR enacted a series of sweeping social reforms geared at transforming the political and economic landscape of America. Today, we know this initiative by the name, the New Deal. The impact of FDR’s new policy agenda was felt here, at Jewel Cave National Monument, as well. With the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, approximately 275,000 Americans were employed by the presidential program. 

South Dakota and the Civilian Conservation Corps
In South Dakota, a small unit of 25 CCC workers from Wind Cave National Park, approximately 32.4 miles to the southeast of Jewel Cave National Monument, were deployed here to the Historic Cabin before you, starting in 1935. With a budget of $1,500, the unit established a spur camp and lived in small tents before the construction of a barracks and a mess hall, formerly located near the historic cave entrance. This CCC camp closed its operations in September of 1939.
During the CCC’s four-year tenure at Jewel Cave, they constructed not only the three-room cabin before you, but also a 3,000-gallon reservoir, stone staircases, an 800-feet surface trail, regional roadways, and a sewage network built in 1936 out of clay pipe and reinforced concrete. In addition to the CCC’s construction efforts, they moved the Michaud brothers’ original log building.

Following the CCC’s work at Jewel Cave National Monument, the CCC unit stationed at Jewel Cave was relocated to the newly minted Badlands National Monument in 1939, redesignated as Badlands National Park in 1978 under the Carter Administration. By the end of 1941, the CCC had employed over 26,500 men throughout South Dakota and paid out over 6,200,000 dollars in wages. These employment figures decreased due to the outbreak of World War II. Eventually, due to the ballooning war costs, Congress disbanded the CCC on June 30, 1942. However, while FDR’s CCC is disbanded, the historic cabin serves as a critical reminder of America’s craftsmanship.

• The Civilian Conservation Corps Building the Historic Ranger Cabin

  
  

  President Franklin D. Roosevelt set out to solve the Great Depression crisis tormenting American families across the nation. The impact of FDR’s new policy agenda was felt here, at Jewel Cave National Monument.

  Date created:

  09/15/2025

  Audio Transcript

  On January 20, 1937, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asserted, from the East Portico of the United States Capitol, in his Second Inauguration Address, that “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” With this spirit in mind, FDR set out to solve the Great Depression crisis tormenting American families across the nation. In response, FDR enacted a series of sweeping social reforms geared at transforming the political and economic landscape of America. Today, we know this initiative by the name, the New Deal.

  The impact of FDR’s new policy agenda was felt here, at Jewel Cave National Monument, as well. With the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, approximately 275,000 Americans were employed by the presidential program. In South Dakota, a small unit of 25 CCC workers from Wind Cave National Park, approximately 32.4 miles to the southeast of Jewel Cave National Monument, were deployed here to the Historic Cabin before you, starting in 1935. With a budget of $1,500, the unit established a spur camp and lived in small tents before the construction of a barracks and a mess hall, formerly located near the historic cave entrance. This CCC camp closed its operations in September of 1939.

  During the CCC’s four-year tenure at Jewel Cave, they constructed not only the three-room cabin before you, but also a 3,000-gallon reservoir, stone staircases, an 800-feet surface trail, regional roadways, and a sewage network built in 1936 out of clay pipe and reinforced concrete. In addition to the CCC’s construction efforts, they moved the Michaud brothers’ original log building.

  Following the CCC’s work at Jewel Cave National Monument, the CCC unit stationed at Jewel Cave was relocated to the newly minted Badlands National Monument in 1939, redesignated as Badlands National Park in 1978 under the Carter Administration. By the end of 1941, the CCC had employed over 26,500 men throughout South Dakota and paid out over 6,200,000 dollars in wages. These employment figures decreased due to the outbreak of World War II. Eventually, due to the ballooning war costs, Congress disbanded the CCC on June 30, 1942. However, while FDR’s CCC is disbanded, the historic cabin serves as a critical reminder of America’s craftsmanship.