Established March 31, 1933 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) first 100 days in order to first create jobs for the jobless youth and second to begin a program to conserve natural and historic resources.
I purpose to create a full-scale national program to be used in complex work, not interfering with normal employment and confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control, and similar projects. I call your attention to the fact that this type of work is of definite, practical value, not only through the preservation of great present financial loss but also as a means of creating future national wealth.
Message to Congress on Unemployment Relief. March 21,” The Presidential Papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933 (1938)
Congress using a voice vote, voted to enact the Emergency Conservation Work on the same day of this speech and FDR then issued Executive Order 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). After appointing Robert Fechner, a former labor union official as it’s first director this new program was to be a combine effort from the Department of Labor, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of War, and the Veterans Administration. Those primarily responsibilities are outlined here:
- The Department of Labor – was responsible for the selection of enrollees using the state and local relief agencies.
- The Department of Interior – was responsible for designing projects for the CCC laborers to accomplish. Within this department the General Land Office, The Office of Indian Affairs, The Bureau of Reclamation, and The National Park Service were to find projects for the CCC units to accomplish.
- The Department of Agriculture – was also responsible for designing projects through the Division of Grazing and soil conservation department.
- The Department of War – was responsible for organizing, conditioning, transportation, and supervision of the enrollees from induction to final discharge. Thus, the enrollees were to be trained and supervised similar to soldiers in the Army, but were not in the official military. This training and discipline that the enrollees obtained while a part of the CCC, would later play a key role in World War II.
Enrollees would volunteer to work for the CCC and would be paid a $30 a month wage, of which they were require to send $25 home to their relief families. An enrollee was chosen from those on relief rolls that were between the ages of 18-25, later this was increase to age 35, Veterans and Indians. Each camp was composed of one company with approximately 200 men, a commander (regular or reserve Army officer), a junior officer, camp doctor, and educational adviser, the technical service superintendent and “Local Experienced Men” known as L.E.M. as foreman for the jobs. The Camp Commander and Superintendent work together to maintain camp operations and work scheduling. Enrollees could be eligible to become “rated” men to help in administrative duties within the camp such as senior leader, mess steward, storekeeper, or cooks. These men would be picked by the Company Commander and were paid $45 and $36 a month, depending on the rating.
Projects conducted by the CCC in Oklahoma can be divided into six major categories, National Park camps, national forestry camps, state forest camps, state park camps, soil erosion camps and biological survey camps. Projects were coded to identify what type of project the camp companies were used for labor. For example, SCS-27 located at Wetumka Oct 1933 was used for Soil Conservation labor. Although most of the 215,352 enrollees from Oklahoma work in the state since Oklahoma was assigned to the 8th Corps area, some were assigned to units in other states, primarily Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. With a documented 85 camps through the state and most of those used for soil conservation, the most visible legacy of the CCC are most notable in 10 state parks. The CCC began this work starting in 1933 with 5,000 men in 26 camps within the state to develop Boiling Springs, Roman Nose, and Quartz Mountain in the Western part of the state, while Osage Hills, Beavers Bend and Greenleaf were located in the eastern part of the state. Later with the help of the Works Progress Administration the CCC helped construct Lake Murray, Lincoln Park in Oklahoma City that included the Zoo Amphitheater, Clayton Lake, and many other municipal and state parks. Most of the work construction within these parks were forestry, permanent buildings for recreation and picnic tables, as well as walking trails.
The CCC performed more than 150 types of work with most projects involving the protection, restoration, improvement, utilization, and maintenance of natural resources of federal or state lands and waters. The CCC reported the following general types of work performed by enrollees:
- Forest culture
- Forest protection
- Erosion control
- Flood control
- Irrigation and drainage
- Transportation improvements
- Structural improvements
- Range development
- Aid to wildlife
- Landscape and recreational development
During the early years of the CCC these projects were confined to forestry, park developments, and soil erosion control, but later they assisted in disaster relief, historical restoration, and national defense. Some of the projects reported by the Department of Agriculture included fighting fires, planting trees, thinning timber stands, forest recreation, insect and plant disease control, road building, soil erosion control, levee repairs, and installation of drainage title. The National Parks reported using enrollees to build shelters, picnic areas, swimming pools, recreational facilities, water and sewage systems, administrative structures, museums, historic restorations, and roads. Work reported by the Bureau of Reclamation involved repairing irrigation systems, building dams, clearing reservoir sites, excavating canals, and building water control structures. The Grazing Service reported building water holes, reseeded burned lands, built roads and fences, completing survey maps, and working insect and predatory animal control.
Starting in 1935 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was established and began to work in the same locations of the CCC, usually building permanent structures such as pavilions, bathhouses, cabins, and roads side by side with the CCC workers. Some of those sites that use both agencies to construct recreational facilities were The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, the CCC constructed every lake dam within the park while the WPA constructed the roads including the road up Mount Scott. Other state parks included Robber’s Cave State Park, Roman Nose State Park, and Quartz Mountain State Park, and many other state parks and municipal parks were constructed by both agencies.
Since the Department of War was responsible for the administration of and training at each of these camps a Commanding Officer, a Second in Command and normally the Camp Doctor were all military. Most of these officers were reserve officers call to duty for these camps. Their responsibilities include discipline but was not as strict as the military’s discipline, usually those that were un-discipline were just discharged and sent home.
The CCC’s soil conservation work included assisting farmers with erosion plans and crop rotation training. The following map shows the locations and types of CCC camps that was published in 1936 by the Oklahoma State Planning Board.
The amount of work the Enrollees performed during their stay was about 8-12 hours daily to included a military style of duties and regiment. This include a Reveille call at 6 am, physical training, mess duties, and Retreat Call at 10 pm. Off duty or down time activities included games such as softball, basketball, baseball, board games, etc., Company 1817 located near Wewoka, Oklahoma claim to have the “best baseball playing field outside the Yankee Stadium”. Enrollees were also offered educational benefits to include GED training and certification, libraries, and vocational training.
Of the 85 camps there were 5 separate all African-American CCC camps and a few camps made up of mixed companies with the ratio of mixed being 195 whites to 5 African-Americans. In these camps separate facilities were always maintained and most of those in the mixed camps were cooks, or janitors. Although several race related incidents happened at some of the mixed camps, for the most part the need for work and family pay over shadowed the those current issues of race relations. Mostly the segregated camps were located near already established race accepted places such as Ft. Sill, Boley or Keystone area.
Whenever a camp was located near a town, local communities would benefit with economic and social benefits. Visitors were welcomed to tour the camps and local civic groups would usually invited camp officers to luncheons and meetings in an effort to keep the local citizens informed about the CCC’s work. Skilled workers near the camp were usually employed to help train and supervise the enrollees in the many tasks that had to be preformed.
The CCC was an independent Government agency until July 1, 1939, when it was made a unit of the Federal Security Agency established under the Reorganization Act of that year.
CCC Camps and Units
| Project Number | Company # | Date Organized | Railroad | Post Office | Location | Park Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NP-1 | 808 | 5/16/1933 | Sulphur | Sulphur | Camp Branch 1mi NW | Chickasaw National Recreation Area |
| F-1 | 810 | 5/24/1933 | Heavener | Stapp | Camp Prater 2 mi East | |
| F-2 | 812 | 5/27/1933 | Cache | Ft. Sill | Wichita Mountains | Wichita Wildlife Refuge |
| SP-11 | 834 | 11/28/1934 | Ardmore | Ardmore | Lake Murray 11 mi South | Lake Murray State Park |
| SP-6 | 842 | 10/17/1933 | Davis | Davis | Platt National Park (Chickasaw National Recreation Area) | |
| SP-13 | 849 | 11/3/1934 | Ardmore | Ardmore | Lake Murray 12 mi SE | Lake Murray State Park |
| F-5, BF-2 | 859 | 10/7/1934 | Cache | Cache | Panther Creek 9 mi SE | Wichita Wildlife Refuge |
| SP-10 | 863 | 5/1/1934 | Perry | Perry | ||
| SCS-2 SCS-11 | 867 | 7/24/1934 | Stillwater Guthrie | Stillwater Guthrie | Soil Conservation | |
| SP-15 | 868 | 6/27/1933 | Ponca City | Ponca City | Lake Ponca 3 mi NE | Ponca Lake |
| F-4 BF-1 | 870 | 11/20/1933 | Cache | Cache | Elm Island 12 mi SW | Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge |
| SP-8 | 872 | 11/17/1933 | Tecumseh | Tecumseh | ||
| SP-4 | 873 | 10/17/1933 | ||||
| P-66 | 875 | 11/20/1933 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City | Lincoln Park 7 mi SW | Lincoln Park |
| P-51 | 876 | 6/2/1933 | Broken Bow | Battiest | Beavers Bend State Park | |
| SCS-21, SP-5 | 884 | 6/14/1933, 1/7/1935 | Rush Springs, Ada | Rush Springs, Ada | 1 mi SW | |
| SCS-24 | 885 | 6/14/1933 | Chandler | Chandler | Camp Gibbs 1 mi NE | |
| PE-56 SCS-22 | 887 | 6/18/1933 9/18/1933 | Keystone Broken Bow | Keystone Broken Bow | We-Kan-Tak-It 6 min SE | |
| SP-2 SP-24 | 895 | 10/3/1933 11/6/1933 | Oklahoma City Pawhuska | Oklahoma City Pawhuska | Lincoln Park 6 mi SW Osage Park 14 mi SW | Zoo Park Osage Hills State Park |
| P-52 | 899 | 6/11/1933 | Pine Valley | Pine Valley | ||
| SCS-1 | 1801 | 7/24/1934 | Stillwater | Stillwater | ||
| S-62 P-64 | 1802 | 6/12/1933 4/18/`934 | McAlester Cove, Arkansas | McAlester Smithville, OK | 16 mi NE | |
| P-53 | 1803 | 6/12/1933 | Broken Bow | Eagleton | ||
| SP-1 | 1806 | 6/19/1933 | Davis | Davis | ||
| S-54 | 1808 | 6/20/1933 | Broken Bow | Idabel | Mt. Fork 33 mi N | |
| SCS-25 | 1810 | 9/9/1933 | Binger | Binger | Camp Haskell 1 min E | |
| SP-9 SP-26 | 1813 | 4/16/1934 2/20/1937 | Ardmore Ardmore | Ardmore Ardmore | Lake Murray 11 mi SE | Lake Murray State Park |
| F-3 F-4 | 1815 | 6/19/1933 10/22/1934 | Talihina Heavner | Talihina Pine Valley | Pine Valley 3 mi SW | |
| SCS-23 SCS-27 | 1817 1817 - C | 6/16/1933 10/21/1933 | Wewoka Wetumka | Wewoka Wetumka | Camp Temple A. Carter 1 mi NW Little Harlem 1 mi SW | |
| S-55 SP-12 SP-15 | 1825 1825 - V 1825 - VC | 7/12/1933 10/30/1934 10/8/1937 | Wilburton Tulsa Ponca City | Wilburton Tulsa Ponca City | Mohawk Park 7 mi NE Ponca Lake 4 mi NW | Mohawk City Park Ponca City Lake |
| E-58 | 1827 | 6/14/1933 | Warner | Warner | ||
| SCS-3 SCS-8 | 1853 | 7/28/1933 10/23/1935 | Stillwater Geary | Stillwater Geary | 2 mi E Camp Karn 1 mi S | |
| SCS-1 | 1861 - V | 7/24/1934 | Stillwater | Stillwater | 2 mi NW | |
| SP-23 MA-1 | 2806 | 8/20/1935 10/8/1938 | Pryon Henryetta | Spavinaw Henryetta | Spavinaw Lake 25 mi NE Metropolitan | |
| SCS-15 SCS-16 | 2807 | 8/19/1935 4/5/1938 | Stigley Wagoner | Stigley Wagoner | Camp Nichols 1 mi N Camp Searcy 2 mi NW | |
| SCS-26 | 2808 | 8/16/1935 | Checotah | Checotah | Rosendahl 1 mi W | |
| SP-14 | 2809 | 7/22/1935 | Okmulgee | Okmulgee | Lake Okmulgee 1 mi W | |
| SP-16 | 2810 | 8/19/1935 | Lonewolf | Lugert | Lake Altus 2 mi E | |
| SCS-18 SCS-33 | 2811 | 8/12/1935 8/21/1939 | Garber Buffalo | Garber Buffalo | Camp Seagull 1 mi NW 1 mi W | |
| SCS-4 | 2812 | 8/16/1935 | Blackwell | Blackwell | Holopeter 1 mi SE | |
| SCS-6 | 2813 | 8/15/1935 | Sentinel | Sentinel | Winningham 1 mi SE | |
| SCS-17 | 2814 | 8/13/1935 | Purcell | Purcell | Will Rogers 1 mi E | |
| SP-20 | 2815 | 8/15/1935 | Broken Bow | Broken Bow | Beaver Bend 1 mi W | |
| SCS-9 PS-1 | 2816 | 8/12/1935 11/14/1941 | Duncan Sentinel | Duncan Sentinel | Camp Weston 1 mi SE Camp Winningham 1 mi W | |
| SCS-18 | 2817 | 8/17/1935 | Nowata | Nowata | Virdigris 1 mi S | |
| SP-21 | 2819 | 8/20/1935 | Watonga | Watonga | Roman Nose 1 mi SE | Roman Nose State Park |
| SCS-13 | 2821 | 8/17/1935 | Idabel | Idabel | Fairgrounds 1 mi W | |
| SP-17 | 2822 | 8/3/1935 | Woodward | Woodward | Boiling Springs SP 6 mi NE | Boiling Springs State Park |
| SCS-14 | 2823 | 8/19/1935 | Morris | Morris | 1 mi S | |
| P-65 P-68 | 2824 | 8/15/1935 10/16/1939 | Wright City Cove, Ark | Wright City Smithville, OK | 1 mi S 1 mi NE | |
| SCS-19 | 2825 | 8/19/1935 | Pryor | Pryor | Camp Wilkerson 1 mi S | |
| SCS-5 | 2826 | 8/13/1935 | Clinton | Clinton | Camp Church 1 mi NE | |
| Army-1 | 2827 - C | 7/1/1935 | Ft. Sill | Ft. Sill | .5 mi E | |
| SCS-29 | 2829 - C | 9/25/1935 | Konawa | Konawa | Beezley 1 mi SE | |
| SCS-30 Army -3 | 2830 - C | 9/26/1935 11/26/1941 | Boley Ft. Sill | Boley Ft. Sill | Inspiration Hill 1 mi NW 2 mi SW | |
| SCS-10 | 3813 - V | 5/15/1935 | Wynnewood | Wynnewood | Wiley Post 1 mi NE | |
| SP-19 SP-11 | 3814 - V | 7/23/1935 7/30/1941 | Wilburton Ardmore | Wilburton Ardmore | 7 mi N 10 mi SE | |
| SCS-20 | 3815 - V | 7/29/1935 | Yukon | Yukon | Camp Progress 1 mi SW | |
| SCS-7 | 3816 - V | 8/12/1935 | Hobart | Hobart | Kiowa Construction Camp 1 mi SE | |
| SCS-7 | 3886 | 7/1/1938 | Hobart | Hobart | Kiowa Construction Camp 1 mi SE | |
| SCS-32 | 3886 | 5/29/1939 | Gould | Gould | Camp Nowata | |
| Army -1 | 4823 - C | 10/21/1941 | Ft. Sill | Ft. Sill | 2 mi SE |
Table Legend:
- SCS- Soil Conservation
- SP – State Park
- F – Forestry Service
- NP – National Park
- BF – Federal Game Refuge (Biological Survey)
- P – Private Forest
- PE – Private Land Erosion
- S – State Forest
- Army – Military Reservation
- C – Colored
- V – Veteran
Resources
- The Tree Army: A Pictorial History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942 – Stan Cohen, 1993, ISBN:0933126115
- Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 48, Number 2, Summer 1970 Page: 224-234: Life in Oklahoma’s Civilian Conservation Corps, by Reid A. Holland.
- Schrems, Suzanne H. A Lasting New Deal Legacy: The Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Park Service, and the Development of the Oklahoma State Park System, article, Winter 1994; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2031743/: accessed January 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.
- CCC Camps Oklahoma
- Executive Order 6101
- Executive Order 6106-A—Relief of Unemployment Through the Performance of Useful Public Work
- Executive Order 6109—Relief of Unemployment Through the Performance of Useful Public Work
- Executive Order 6126—Administration of the Emergency Conservation Work
- H.R. 3905 Congressional Report No. 13
- Congressional Digest, June-July 1942.
- The Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps: 1933-42, By Alison T. Otis, William D. Honey, Thomas C. Hogg, and Kimberly K. Lakin
- Daily Oklahoman, 1934, p. 45. Access World News – Historical and Current, Accessed 1 Sept. 2025.
Research Material
- CCC Company 2819 Collection https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/manuscript/ccc.pdf
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