From a sign at the location of the former Camp 40 SP 17 Gibsonville:
During the depths of the Great Depression, Franklin D Roosevelt devised a plan by which the government would create jobs for unemployed young men restoring our natural resources. On March 31, 1933, a bill establishing the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) was passed and the presidents goal was realized. New York State Parks took advantage of this new program to develop its facilities by creating four CCC camps at Letchworth State Park. Between 1933 and 1941, 3,000 men lived and worked at Letchworth State Park's Gibsonville, Great Bend, St. Helena. and Lower Falls camps. Visitors to Letchworth State Park can still find many reminders of the CCC's accomplishments.
In September 1933, men came to the Gibsonville camp from Camp Adirondack, New York, and camp Dix, New Jersey. The Gibsonville Camp closed in October 1937.
The young men of the Gibsonville Camp:
- Constructed shelters, fireplaces, rail fences, cabins, comfort stations, and the main park road from Mt. Morris to the Wolf Creek area.
- Seeded and planted shoulders and right of ways
- Conducted trail and woods cleanup
- Operated one of two quarries in the park
- Removed dead trees and brush
The Civilian Conservation Corp lasted from 1933 to 1942 and was disbanded when labor resources were needed for World War II. Throughout the CCC programs existence, an estimated 2.5 to 3 million young men passed through 1,300 CCC camps.
Additional information on the activities and history of the Gibsonville camp comes from letchworthparkhistory.com:
Started Sept 14, 1933 - closed in Oct 1937. Buildings were later used in WWII for workers at the local canning factory then torn down.
Source: (
visit link)
Gibsonville Camp SP-17 (in operation for 49 months)
- built camp
- constructed main park road from Mt. Morris to Wolf Creek including drainage structures
- operated one of Park quarries, producing gravel and stone tables
- constructed "C" cabin area
- built caretaker house for "C" cabins
- forest improvement work
- graded, seeded, and planted shoulders, right of ways and adjacent areas along park road.
source: (
visit link)
Today the area of the former Camp 40 SP 17 Gibsonville is a picnic area in the park. It was hosting an outdoor wedding the day that we visited. There are few ruins remaining from the former camp, most prominent being the large chimney which is likely the chimney from the Officers barracks (as shown in a photo on the sign).