On March 15, 1933, just two days after becoming President, Franklin D. Roosevelt began work on plans to put young men to work on conservation projects around the country. This was the birth of the Civilian Conservation Corps—CCC—which put young men to work on a variety of conservation projects.
According to President Roosevelt:
“I have proposed to create a civilian conservation corps to be used in simple work, not interfering with the normal employment, and confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control and similar projects…the type of work is of definite, practical value, not only through the prevention of great financial loss, but also as a means of creating future national wealth.”
A number of CCC camps were located in Montana and the Heritage Museum in Libby has a good display regarding the CCC and the CCC experience.
The CCC’s officially began on April 7, 1933 and the Departments of War, Agriculture, Interior, and Labor cooperated in enlisting the young men. Originally, the CCC was authorized to enroll 250,000 men who were to be housed in 1,468 camps. The cost was to be about $500 million. The program ended with World War II.
Enrollment the CCC’s was open to single men between 17 and 28 years of age, whose families had been on relief for six months. The work was hard and the young men had to be in reasonable physical shape. Enrollment was for six months with an option to renew for an additional six months. Many served for 18 months and those who loved the CCC’s often found paid positions other than being regular enrollees.
The camps were under the direction of a military officer and everyone wore a uniform, mustered for inspection, and marched through the chow line. There was strict discipline and good training. The work week was 40 hours long and there were optional evening courses in many subjects.
According to the display:
They gave us clothes that wouldn’t fit,
A bunch of blankets and an old mess kit.
The beans were burnt and the meat was worse,
And the K.P.’s made the whole gang curse.
Indigestion was a common plea—
I thought I’d starve in the CCC.
Many of those who came to the Montana camps were from cities and they soon found themselves in remote rural areas with no resemblance to city life. Many were also Blacks who found themselves in areas of Montana where Black people had seldom been seen. The wife of Lt. Russell, who served in Glacier National Park, reported:
“I would go into the diner to buy the boys hamburgers because they would not serve them in Belton, Montana.”
Note: Belton is currently known as West Glacier.