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In response to the economic chaos, unemployment, and depression felt by the nation in the early 1930s, President Roosevelt created many programs designed to put Americans back to work and to preserve the pride of the workers in their own ability to earn a living. One of the measures of the New Deal was an Emergency Conservation Work Act (ECW), better known as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
While Congress only required U.S. citizenship to work at the CCC camps, eligibility set by the ECW included sound physical fitness and men had to be unemployed, unmarried, and between the ages of 18 and 26, although the rules were eventually relaxed for war veterans. The men were paid 30 dollars a month, with mandatory 25 dollar allotment checks sent to families of the men. Enlistment was for six months, although many reenlisted after their allotted time was up.
In 1935 the Colorado CCC was divided into two districts with headquarters at Grand Junction for Western Slope camps and Fort Logan for camps east of the Continental Divide. The Colorado-Wyoming headquarters then moved from Fort Logan to Littleton. The CCC camp in Elbert County was established in 1935 and was known as SCS-9-C. The SCS indicated that it was a Soil Conservation Service project with an identification number of 9, and the C meant that the camp was in Colorado. Camp SCS-9-C was located on the Carnahan Ranch (halfway between Elbert and Kiowa just west of Elbert Road. After the devastating Kiowa Creek Flood in 1935, the surrounding areas suffered from serious wind and water erosion. As a result, the principal work projects focused on building contour furrows and check dams. Today, all that remains of the camp is the water tank and foundations of a couple of barracks.
By 1932, the CCC began incorporating education programs which made the young men more employable and helped structure the evening time. The educational classes at the Elbert camp included auto mechanics, plane surveying, soil conservation, first aid, forestry, leatherwork, music, mathematics, photography, agriculture, woodworking, and typing. In addition to work and school, the young men attended town dances in the Kiowa, Elizabeth, and Elbert communities, as well as the movies. Athletics were equally important, and the camp baseball team won the sub-district championship and was state runner-up in 1937.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the most successful New Deal programs of the Great Depression. It existed for fewer than ten years but left a legacy of roads, bridges, dams, and buildings throughout the U.S., as well as reforestation, soil conservation, water conservation, and enlarging the use of National Parks and Monuments and State Parks. Between 1933 and 1941, more than three million men served in the CCC. Elbert County was one of the many places which benefited from the hard work and the commitment of these young men to persevere in the face of adversity.
Resources: Colorado State Archives, U.S. History.net, Howstuffworks.com, and History of Civilian Conservation Corps — Colorado – Wyoming District, Summer 1938
