FOREST ARMY: November 2010

My purpose here.....

My purpose here is two-fold: (1) To share information about the Civilian Conservation Corps and (2) To perhaps learn something about the world of blogging. If you find fault with the structure or layout of this blog, I hope you’ll just understand that it’s the result of a new guy trying to run an unfamiliar piece of equipment, all the while hoping he doesn’t lose a finger in the process. Which is to say, I hope you’ll stand quietly by and hope for the best. If you find fault with the content or the accuracy of things you find in this blog, I hope that you’ll bring them to my attention in a friendly, “thought you should know,” sort of way.

Although I said my purpose was two-fold, like an old work shirt, there may be many folds to this thing before all is said and done. I’d like to instill my passion for the history of the CCC in others, perhaps share some of the odd facts and figures that I’ve uncovered in more than a decade of study and post some photos that you may not have seen anywhere else. Additionally, I’d like to use this forum to let folks know what the CCC alumni are up to these days. I can’t promise you that there will be new content daily, or weekly or even monthly, but initially I hope to bring over a number of CCC-related articles that I’ve already written in order to provide some usefulness and entertainment at the outset. I have said on a number of occasions that there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the Civilian Conservation Corps and what it meant to the United States. I hope that some of that passion will be evident as you browse through – and hopefully enjoy – my blog.

CCC Legacy Chapter 44

Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy (Formerly the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumi and the Camp Roosevelt Legacy Foundation) has numerous local chapters across the United States. Phoenix is home to CCC Legacy Chapter 44 , which meets the third Saturday of every month (except July and August) at the Maryvale Medical Center Cafeteria. Chapter 44 also produces a quarterly newsletter the "Cactus Country Crier."

If you live in the Phoenix area or anticipate a visit and have an interest in the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps or if you just like to hang out with fellows who've seen a lot in their lives, we'd welcome you at our meetings. Post a comment here in this blog and I'll respond to you with an email directly.
Mike

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Spotlight Site: The CCC in Kansas

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Kansas is a relatively new CCC-related blog with (obviously) a focus on the work of the CCC in Kansas. To date there are twelve posted articles, each a work of merit, especially to anyone wanting information on the work of the CCC in Kansas.

I particularly like the posting about the artwork of Joseph A. Johnson and the article’s unanswered question, “what happened to Joseph Johnson?”

So much of the CCC story has been written and documented through the work of camps in the eastern and western U.S. with little notice given to the valuable work of the enrollees in America’s heartland. The Civilian Conservation Corps in Kansas includes a useful listing of CCC companies assigned to Kansas. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the focus seems to have been on soil erosion work.

Finally, the posting entitled “The Future of the CCC” is especially noteworthy because in it, an enrollee writes that perhaps one day, as old men, former enrollees will visit the public square and find erected there a statue of a CCC boy in honor of their accomplishments. And isn’t that exactly how it’s transpired? Amazing.