Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp near Castle Rock, CO - Colorado Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began on March 31, 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act.

At 3 p.m. on July 25, 1934 the first truckload of enrollees were dropped off at this camp in McMurdo Gulch near Castle Rock. This was company 1845. They lived in 30 tents before the camp buildings were finished in September 1935. The buildings consisted of five barracks, a recreation hall, a mess hall, a headquarters building and a washroom. The remains of some of these buildings can still be seen. The default picture seems to be the former foundations of a motor car shed.

Most enrollees were between 17 and 23 years of age and made $30 per month, sending $25 home, which was usually “back east.” Nicknamed, Roosevelt’s Tree Army, the men were responsible for planting 3 billion trees, protecting timber areas from fire, stabilizing irrigation systems and establishing areas of soil erosion control. They operated under the Army’s supervision. The program slowly dissolved as the economy recovered and the nation’s thoughts turned to war.

The camp name designated the type of work carried on at the camp,the project number, and the camp location. The "SCS" in Camp SCS-7-C, for instance, indicated that it was a Soil Conservation Service project with an identification number of "7". The "C" meant that the camp was located in Colorado.

Locally, they provided emergency clean-up work when the 1935 flood hit Kiowa county. A crew arrived a week after the flood to haul away debris; four months later, the corps established a permanent camp to address the disaster’s chief cause: soil erosion. Using the Carnahan ranch (five miles south of here) as a proving ground, the CCC taught area landowners to use check dams, diversion ditches, and contour furrows to keep topsoil and groundwater in place. Kiowans embraced the techniques as well as the roughly two hundred CCCers, who spent much time and money in town. By the time the CCC camp closed in 1941, it had helped Kiowa wash away the flood’s painful memory.

This camp (hopefully) is to be turned into a 2-acre park. There is off-road parking just south of the main coordinates where the fence ends - N39 24.015, W104 48.828 Structures on the west side of the road are on private property. Only take photos, do not cross the fence.

Group or Groups Responsible for Placement: In progress by Douglas County and the City of Castle Rock County or City: Douglas Date Dedicated: TBD Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]

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