"I propose to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in simple work, not interfering with normal employment and confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control, and similar projects. I call your attention to the fact that this 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."

These words were used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a 1933 message to Congress.

The "Handbook of Texas Online" states, "Texans were optimistic about the future in January 1929. Over the past decade the state population had increased to 5,824,715, representing a gain of more than one million people, or almost 25 percent.

"But on ‘Black Tuesday’, October 29, 1929, all such optimism ended, as 16,000,000 shares of stock changed hands and the New York Times industrial average plunged nearly forty points, thus marking the worst day in Wall Street history to that point."

Texas "relied upon the land of their forefathers as well as cattle and oil - and fortunately the 1929 cotton crop had already been harvested and sold at a healthy price. Besides, New York and financial chaos were far away, and, if need be, Texans could always produce enough from their farms to keep from going hungry.

"As depression worsened across the United States in 1931 and 1932, Texas eventually had to recognize its existence, then attempt to combat its devastating effects. Businessmen in Fort Worth and San Antonio pledged to hire laborers on a part-time or weekly basis, but at the same time passed ordinances not to hire transients; hobo jungles, soon to be called ‘Hoovervilles’, alarmed Texans. In rural Texas economic conditions during 1931 and 1932 also deteriorated. But farmers, many of whom were sharecroppers and tenants, were already accustomed to some poverty and therefore did not always realize the degrees of hardship.

"Texans sought new solutions to their problems. President Hoover, whom they had ardently supported for over two years, was now a villain of huge proportions. With grim satisfaction they readily endorsed the debunking of their hero by calling - sometimes laughingly, sometimes savagely - armadillos ‘Hoover hogs’, tent and tar-paper hobo jungles ‘Hoovervilles’, and pants pockets turned inside out ‘Hoover flags’.

There was a "CCC camp" in Littlefield. It was located just east of present day Highway 385, at what was then known as the College Heights addition. In the vicinity of College Street (about 1 block south of the Sonic, on the east side of Hwy 385).

There were several Littlefield residents who first came to Littlefield via the CCC. I know personally of two: David Vaughn and John D. ("Treetop") Harmon. David and his wife, Claudine (Claudine still lives in their home south and a little west of Littlfield in the Oklahoma Flat community), had four children: Milton ("Rabbit", for those of you who know Littlefield football history), Ronnie (a well known teacher and personality in Littlefield), and Linda, who lives with her husband James Barnett on the "home place". I’m sorry I have no information about "Treetop"’s family, except that his wife, Polly, passed away not too long before we lost "Treetop".

Though I’m sure there were others, the only project I know of that the CCC worked on was cleaning up the small natural spring in the Bull Lake pasture, close to where the lake itself was. They lined the area with rocks, allowing the spring to empty into a relatively clean pool. Though my family ran cattle in the Bull Lake pasture for many years, I haven’t been to the area for some time. I know that the spring was at one time a popular gathering place for young people, who most likely didn’t do the delicate area any good, and I’m not even sure if the spring still exists.

"By 1930, many people who had enjoyed the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties found themselves in soup lines and tattered clothes. Sputtering Model T’s rumbled down dusty roads, carrying passengers and their few possessions toward dreams of a better tomorrow. The stock market crash that devastated the nation’s economy left many in dire straits. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president by a landslide in 1932 with his promise of a "new deal" for the American people. Within days of his inauguration, FDR called Congress into special session to work on emergency legislation. An alphabet soup of agencies and programs was created. Roosevelt kept his promise and the New Deal was born.

"One of these programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), designed to reduce unemployment while also conserving natural resources. The CCC changed the lives of several million people, along with Big Bend National Park. Nicknamed "Roosevelt’s Tree Army," the CCC was operated through the cooperative efforts of four departments. The Department of Labor oversaw the selection of enrollees, the Army ran the camps, and the Interior and Agriculture departments provided work projects.

"Initially, unmarried men between the ages of 18 and 25 and from families on relief could apply. They enlisted for six months, with an option to reenlist for up to two years. The ‘CCC boys’ worked for $30 a month, $25 of which was sent to their families. Eventually, ‘Local Experienced Men’ (LEMs) and World War I veterans could enroll. Although a few work camps were established for women, most CCC enrollees were men.

"........imagine what it must have been like in the 1930s, before air conditioned comfort and paved roads. Many CCC boys were away from their families for the first time. Because the camps were run by the Army, they had typical barracks and a mess hall.

"Nationwide, the CCC operated 4,500 camps. More than three million people enrolled between 1933 and 1942. The CCC advanced natural resource conservation by decades, and provided education, training, and experience for a generation of young men and women."

CCC camps were also located in Palo Duro Canyon. Crews there built El Coronado Lodge and six other cabins of native stone. They also added a water system, several bridges, and concrete river crossings, as well as various improvements in roadways and trails. About $2 million dollars was spent in Palo Duro Canyon overall by the federal government and the National Park Service on CCC construction.

The "Handbook of Texas" article continues, ".....the CCC left an architectural legacy in Texas, seen today in buildings in thirty-one state parks and several city and county parks."

I guess this bit of history proves that the United States can go through the worst of times - depression followed fairly closely by world war - and come out a stronger and better country. God Bless America!