CCC: CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS (1933-1943):
THE NEW DEAL’S DEPRESSION-ERA ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT

Broward County Library's Bienes Museum of the Modern Book , The Dianne and Michael Bienes Special Collections and Rare Book Library, houses a large collection of New Deal literature and artifacts. The “New Deal” commonly refers to the programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration that spanned the years 1933-1945.

The Bienes Museum 's collections of the following New Deal agencies are especially comprehensive:

• Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers' Project (FWP) – approximately 2,500 titles
• Works Progress Administration (WPA), Museum Extension Project (MEP) – approximately 750 titles and artifacts
• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – approximately 200 titles and artifacts

The Bienes Museum 's CCC collection is the focus of this online exhibit. The physical collection includes books, pamphlets, posters, banners, clothing, memory books, newspapers and newsletters, certificates, games, matchbook covers, menus, patches, pillow cases, posters, and postcards.

The CCC was an agency created by Act of Congress in the spring of 1933 to furnish employment, vocational training and educational opportunities for unemployed youth, to enable young men enrolled in the CCC to provide aid for their dependent families, and to advance a nation-wide conservation program on forest, park, and farm lands. The CCC operated as an independent government agency from its establishment in April 1933 to July 1, 1939. On that date it became a unit of the Federal Security Agency. The CCC was governed by the Advisory Council of the Director of the CCC that was made up of the Secretaries of War, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans' Affairs.

Only young men were eligible and they had to meet the following requirements in order to serve in the CCC:

• U.S. citizen
• Between the ages of 17 and 23
• Unmarried
• Unemployed and in need of employment
• No criminal record
• Willing to make a financial allotment to dependents
• Be in good physical condition

In the case of war veterans, there were no age or marital restrictions.

The typical enrollee was approximately eighteen and a half years old; five feet eight inches tall, and weighed 142 pounds. He had finished eight grades of public school and after leaving school had little or no previous employment. The term of service was limited to six months and the salary paid to each enrollee was $30 a month -- $8 dollars in cash and $22 per month that was sent to the enrollee's dependents.

The work week was 40 hours, made up of 8 hours per day from Monday to Friday. The men woke up at 6:00 a.m., had breakfast at 6:30 a.m., and worked from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. From 4:00 p.m. to the retreat flag ceremony at 10:00 p.m., they were on their own. Training courses were offered in the following: auto mechanics, bridge construction, bulldozer operation, steam shovel operation, stone masonry, telephone line construction, carpentry, concrete construction, Diesel engine operation, office work, road and trail construction, road-grader operation, drafting, jackhammer operation, landscaping, large scale cooking, tractor operation, tree-nursery work, truck driving, and welding.

More than 150 major types of work were performed by the CCC. They were classified under the general headings of reforestation, forest protection and improvement, soil conservation, recreational developments, range rehabilitation, aid to wildlife, flood control, reclamation, and emergency rescue activities

In 1940, there were approximately 1,500 camps for juniors and war veterans and approximately 75 camps on Indian Reservations occupied by Native American enrollees. The camps were located in every state of the Union and, at the time, in the U.S. territories of Alaska , Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands . Approximately 3,000,000 young men and war veterans served in CCC camps. The CCCwas formally discontinued on June 30, 1943.

Click here to browse the Bienes Museum 's CCC collection online.