Civilian Conservation Corps

Hoping all our mid-Atlantic area relatives are safe and sound, in stout homes away from flood-prone areas and wind-borne debris.  This post will be mainly something for you to read while you wait out Sandy's nastiness.  Here is an opportunity for me to write a little history lesson for you -- oh, don't scowl -- how many times must I say that history is fun and interesting and good for your soul.

Anyway, this is a timely subject.  The Civilian Conservation Corps, a 1930's organization, was just one of the New Deal ideas from the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a very smart man who obviously paid attention in History Class.  In an era of 30% (Thirty Percent!) unemployment, the plan was to put as many young men as possible to work on all sorts of conservation infrastructure projects.  Not only did Roosevelt see the disastrous result of decades of environmental neglect (like the midwest's dust bowl), but he understood the danger inherent in mobs of unemployed young men (sound familiar?).  So in an amazingly short amount of time that puts our current slug-like Congress to shame, the Civilian Conservation Corps was born, and almost immediately guys 17 to 23 years old had an opportunity to work and contribute not only to saving crucial national resources, but to the welfare of their very own families back home.  Each man earned a dollar a day, $30 a month.  True, $25 was sent directly to their parents at home, but the men received plenty of food, clothing, boots, medical care and, most important, self-esteem and confidence. 

There were CCC camps in every state in the union.  Boys signed up locally, but were sent wherever they were most needed at the time.  The work they accomplished was invaluable to our Depression-weary country.  Something like two billion trees were planted, roads and bridges repaired, national park areas established and upgraded, forest fire towers built, emergency assistance of all sorts provided -- hard work, no doubt, but for the 17 year old boy who fought through the homesickness and toughed it out when extreme weather and sore muscles seemed overwhelming, the benefits gained were incalculable.

With all this in mind, I was surprised and awfully proud to learn that two of our relatives served in the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Jack Alcott was 17 in 1939, so I imagine that's about the time this photo was taken of a CCC-uniformed Jack Alcott with his father, William Reynolds Alcott.

 

And Jack with his sisters, Thelma (Sis) and Ethel Alcott.

 



 

Leonard Alcott turned 17 in 1941, which is about the last year of the CCC's existence - from then on the War scooped up young men and kept them employed for a while.  Len does look younger than 17 in this picture, though.

Photographed with Sis, Ethel and Jack (and baby sister Claudia standing by the car).

I don't know many of the details of their service, unfortunately.  We think they may have been sent to Nevada, but we're not sure.  If anyone can provide any bits of information, please contact us and we'll update.  Stay safe, dear family.  --cds/ck