• Intro
• Teaching Unit
• Bibliography
• Additional Assessments

• Lesson One
• Lesson Two
• Lesson Three
• Lesson Four
• Lesson Five

Learning by Doing Extension Project 2008

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) History and the Great Depression

By: William Dallas

Annotated Bibliography

1. African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps. The New Deal Network, Depression and the 1930’s. (Internet) Available from http://newdeal.feri.org/aaccc/index.htm

   This is a very effective website for information on the history of African Americans in the CCC, with links to many other sources dealing with the same topic. It helped me to understand the racism suffered by African Americans in these camps.

2. Bruhy, Mark. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Origins and the Location of Administrative Offices. September 2006.

   Bruhy’s article is a brief history of the creation of the National Forests in northern Wisconsin. It was used for background information.

3. Civilian Conservation Corps Seventh Anniversary Souvenir Program, 1692nd Co. Camp Perkinstown (1940)

   This document was a treasure trove of information on the CCC camp at Perkinstown. It included all available information about the camp and its functions. It was written for distribution at a camp open house at which they received a camp commendation.

4. Cohen, Stan S. The Tree Army. A Pictorial History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942. Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1980.

   This book contains numerous large pictures from camps around the country as well as some camp cartoons and newspaper articles.

5. Elliott, Kennell M. History of the Nicolet National Forest 1928-1976. A cooperative publication of the USDA-Forest Service and the Forest History Association of Wisconsin, Inc. 1977.

   Elliott’s book is a brief history of the Nicolet National Forest. It was used for background information.

6. Hill, Frank Ernest The School In The Camps: The Educational Program of the Civilian Conservation Corps. New York: J.J. Little and Ives Company 1935.

   Hill was a Field Representative for the American Association for Adult Education and spent several months in 1934-35 researching these programs within the CCC camps. His book is a very interesting read that gives a very analytical account of the camps educational focus and their results.

7. Hoyt, Ray “We Can Take It” A Short Story of the C.C.C. New York: American Book Company, 1935.

   Hoyt’s book is based on his experiences living with the men, reading their letters, and describing the spirit of the CCC. This first hand account is the next best thing to being there.

8. Jackson, Donald Dale “They were poor, hungry, and they built to last.” Smithsonian; Dec. 94, Vol. 25 Issue 9, p66, 9p, 6c, 5bw

   This article provided an interesting summary of personal statistics of the average enrollee in the CCC. It helped to create a more accurate portrait of the CCC.

9. Lacy, Leslie Alexander. The Soil Soldiers : The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Great Depression. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Company, 1976.

   Alexander’s book helps to put a face on the CCC. By relying on first hand accounts and writings provided by enrollees, this book reads in a much more personal way and gets beyond the economics of the CCC and focuses on the personal experiences of those who were there.

10. McIntosh, Phyllis “The Corps of Conservation” National Parks ; Sep/Oct 2001 Vol. 75 issue 9/10

    McIntosh addresses the sexist nature of the CCC, and includes references to “She, She, She, Camps.” Used to help address the treatment of “minorities” in these government programs.

11. Oliver, Jr., Alfred C. and Harold M. Dudley This New America: The Spirit of the Civilian Conservation Corps. London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1937.

    This New America is another account that uses personal stories and anecdotes from the camps including letters, poems and newspaper articles to paint the story of life in the camps by using the words of the men who lived it.

12. Salmond, John A. The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942; a New Deal case study. Duke University Press, 1967.

    This case study was a very effective tool for selecting and analyzing the major topics dealing with the Civilian Conservation Corps from its inception to its dissolution. A very thorough description of the CCC, that I found very useful.

13. Schueller, Mary J. The Soldiers of Poverty. Hubertus, Graphic Edge Printing, 2006.

    The Soldiers of Povery, has great pictures, posters, cartoons and other documents relating to the CCC. A thorough glossary of CCC terms and a well documented Bibliography, including an extensive list of websites dealing with the CCC.

14. Shands, William E. The Lake States Forests – A Resources Renaissance. Report and Proceedings of the Great Lakes Governor’s Conference on Forestry. 1987.

    Shands article is a brief analysis of the early history of northern Wisconsin forests. It was used for background information.

15. Speakman, Joseph M. “Into the Woods: The First Year of the Civilian Conservation Corps” Prologue: Fall 2006, Vol. 38, No. 3

    Good article describing the educational importance of the CCC and what the camps did to continue the educational growth of the enrollees.

16. U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps 1933-1942, August 1986.

    This Government document provided the most in depth analysis of all nine regions of the CCC. Each region is specifically investigated and reported on with special attention given to the types of camps and projects that were being completed within each district.

17. Watkins, T.H. The Hungry Years: A Narrative History of the Great Depression in America. New York, Henry Holt, 1999.

    Watkin’s book was the best secondary source I used for this research. This narrative history helped me to place the CCC into the context of the Depression of the1930’s and within the parameters of Roosevelt’s New Deal.

18. Wilson, James A. Community, Civility, and Citizenship: Theatre and Indoctrination in the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. Theatre History Studies 23 77-94 2003

    Wilson’s article emphasizes the importance of theatre in the CCC and the creation of plays written and performed by the enrollees, a New Deal theatre program of sorts.