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A Legacy of Stewardship

Throughout 2008, DCR is honoring the 75th Anniversary of the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

New Deal Program

In 1933, during the Great Depression, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first New Deal initiatives was the establishmentof the Emergency Conservation Work Act (ECW), popularly known as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This federal program provided employment opportunities for young men, and to improve the forest and recreational resources of the country. 

The CCC program in Massachusetts, active from 1933 to 1942, focused mostly on the improvement and development of state park resources. During that period approximately 68 camps enrolled nearly 100,000 men.  The program not only touched the lives of the enrollees and their families but also left a lasting legacy of forest improvements and recreational resources throughout the state.

When the CCC was established in 1933, the Massachusetts State Parks system was in its infancy.  Most of the state forests were cut-over land acquired for less than $5 per acre.  Many were largely inaccessible due to lack of roads and there were almost no recreational facilities.  Seventy-five years later, the work of the CCC still forms the cornerstones of the system as we know it today.  Roads, trails, ponds, forest plantations and recreational facilities built by the CCC can be found in every region of the state.

The Legacy is Established

Sometimes called "Roosevelt's Tree Army," the Massachusetts CCC planted over 12,000,000 trees and improved existing forest stands by selective thinning and pruning, firefighting, and implementing pest and disease control measures. Further, the men built roads and bridges, cut trails and scenic vistas on over 170,000 acres of state land. The CCC laid out picnic and camp grounds, beaches and parking areas; constructed fireplaces, picnic shelters, log cabins, bathhouses, and created dams and ponds – all in a rustic style that has become characteristic of state and national parks today.

Were it not for the CCC, many of America’s natural and cultural resource treasures might have been lost.  DCR has a commitment to preserving the history and resources of the CCC and works with many partners in efforts to see that their legacy of civilian stewardship of Massachusetts State Parks continues today.