Good film about the Civilian Conservation Corp. PBS video.

[amerikat]

The story of the CCC from the American Experience series.

The film includes individual stories of CCC workers, FDR's personal
interest in the project and environmental successes.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1309577149

It's about an hour in length. I felt lifted after watching it.
I needed a break from all the feces throwing in the DU monkey house.

[dgibby]

1. Thanks!

I'm definitely going to watch that. The CCC built the state park near my hometown. All of the cabins, as well as the lodges, are still there and in good shape. The lake is beautiful. It's surrounded by mountains. I think it was one of the first CCC projects, IIRC.

[amerikat]

2. What park? I'd like to look up the history. Thanks

[happyslug]

9. Must be the CCC project to build parks within a day's drive of Urban Areas

Pennsylvania's Raccoon Creek State Park outside of Pittsburgh is an example of that program. It was later transferred to the State from the Federal Government, but it started out as a Federal Park.

More on Raccoon Creek State Park:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/Parks/raccooncreek.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon_Creek_State_Park

More on the Federal Project "Recreational Demonstration Area" with a list of other similar FEDERAL Projects throughout the Nation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_Demonstration_Area

Pittsburgh had two, Raccoon and Laurel Hill State Parks. Here is more on Laurel Hill State Park:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Hill_State_Park
Laurel Hill State Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_Demonstration_Area

[dgibby]

10. Douthat State Park in Virginia

It's near Clifton Forge, VA (my hometown). Here's some info:

http://www.stateparks.com/douthat.html

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/dou.shtml

http://www.allgetaways.com/view_destination.asp?destinationid=HGD109-037

http://www.allgetaways.com/view_destination.asp?destinationid=HGD109-037--scroll down on this one for pictures.

http://www.webshots.com/search?query=Douthat+State+Park%2C+Virginia: Eureka!
This is the motherload of photos!!! Enjoy!

[joshcryer]

3. Thanks for this. Did you see the National Parks doco PBS showed a few weeks back?

I believe you did, just being sure. :hi:

[amerikat]

5. I did! I have visited many of the parks. Many more I want to visit.

I think the thing that really blew me away was sitting on John Muir's
rock in Kings Canyon I believe. Where Muir and his friends met to
join together and save the great natural areas of this country.:hi:

[amerikat]

7. Ken Burns could do a documentary about the history of

Argyle socks and i would enjoy it.

Baseball was great as was the civil war and jazz and national parks.
.

[joshcryer]

8. Hehe! I will have to check those others out.

[Noseyaboutpollution]

4. Love the Devil's Lake CCC trails

I'd support CCC program.

[amerikat]

6. I googled Devil's Lake.

Looks like a great place. Never been to Wisconsin but i'll make a mental
note to check it out if I get out that way. So many great natural places
in our country. Thanks for sharing.

edit for spelling google as goggle.

[Noseyaboutpollution]

15. It's unique

Definitely a unique formation of rocks. You can't appreciate the hard work the CCC did until you walk the trails that some hardened men built.

Fun to jump in the fridgid lake after day climbing the hot rocks.

[phantom power]

11. My grampa worked in the CCC for a while.

I keep hoping that Obama will revive the idea.

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. Try a Google search

http://www.google.com/search?q=CCC+state+parks">CCC "state parks"

[HamdenRice]

13. My Dad was in it in Virginia. They had a Black CCC and White CCC & built 2 lakes

It's kind of sad in retrospect. The people were very, very poor because it was a tobacco growing area and the price of tobacco collapsed in one year. The family was offered $5 for the entire crop.

The CCC built two recreational lakes by damming a river -- one built by blacks for blacks, one built by whites for whites.

In retrospect, though, it's also amazing that FDR was able to force the state to submit a project that expended any money at all on the poor African American farmers of the area.

When I was growing up in NYC every summer we went south to my grandma's farm and always went to the "colored" lake. I never saw the "white" lake until I was an adult, even though they were nominally desegregated in the 60s. I guess the tradition just stuck.

Today, Prince Edward Lake and Lake Goodwin are part of a single park called "Twin Lakes State Park."

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=106

[happyslug]

14. The Official State Park cite mentions its history and that it ended in the 1960s:

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/twi.shtml