Crawford State Park in Crawford County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The story of the Civilian Conservation Corps cannot be told without knowing the tale of the times from which it was created. The stock market crash of 1929, which led to the Great Depression coupled with the lack of soil conservation enabled the drought to turn the western states into a giant dust bowl. These were all circumstances that left our country in a time of need.
The 1932 presidential election was more a cry for help from a desperate people near panic than a "landslide" vote. The nation turned to Franklin D. Roosevelt to find an end to rampant unemployment and economic chaos that griped the country.
Accepting the presidential nomination on July 1, 1932, Roosevelt planned to fight soil erosion and declining timber resources by utilizing the unemployed from the large urban areas. The newly elected president wasted no time. He called the 73rd Congress into emergency session on March 9, 1933, to hear and authorize his program. He proposed to recruit thousands of unemployed young men, enroll them into a peacetime army, and send them into battle against the destruction of our natural resources.
Over three million men participated in the most popular program of the "New Deal." This program was called the Civilian Conservation Corps and coined the CCC.
[Inset photo caption reads] Black Sunday,
Marker series. This marker is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps marker series.
Location. 37° 38.653′ N, 94° 48.867′ W. Marker is in Crawford State Park, Kansas, in Crawford County. Touch for map. Marker is about 400 feet ESE of the park entrance, off 710th Avenue (Kansas Route 277), near West Lake Road. Marker is in this post office area: Farlington KS 66734, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. C.C.C. Volunteer (here, next to this marker); Hard Work (a few steps from this marker); Equipment (within shouting distance of this marker); A Brief History of the 788th Company [CCC] (within shouting distance of this marker); Work Done By Hand (within shouting distance of this marker); Hard Times (within shouting distance of this marker); The Camp of Co. 788 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (within shouting distance of this marker); Education (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crawford State Park.
Also see . . .
1. Crawford State Park, Kansas. (Submitted on December 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Civilian Conservation Corps in Oklahoma History & Culture. (Submitted on December 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Life in the Civilian Conservation Corps; A Lesson Plan. (Submitted on December 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Categories. • Charity & Public Work • Man-Made Features •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on December 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 277 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 4, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.