{"id":59,"date":"2019-07-21T23:53:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-21T23:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/?page_id=59"},"modified":"2019-09-23T19:45:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T19:45:49","slug":"overview","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/overview\/","title":{"rendered":"Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t<h1>Six Arkansas Camps You Can Visit Today<\/h1>\n\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/uploads.knightlab.com\/storymapjs\/a36631baf33c4439a06c76e2ff9f4058\/ccc-map\/index.html\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"800\"><\/iframe>\n\t<p>In 1933, the United States was under the grip of the worst economic depression in its history. With 500,000 unemployed young men, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933\u20131945) introduced a social program to alleviate suffering for the nation\u2019s people and her resources: the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established on April 5, 1933, and disbanded July 1, 1942.<\/p>\n<p>During these years, camps of young CCC men, under the supervision of the U.S. Labor and War Departments, banded together in all forty-eight states to improve and protect natural resources such as soil, forests, and national and state parks. In the process, young men improved themselves by acquiring education as well as vocational and professional skills that served them well after they left the CCC.<\/p>\n<p>Arguably, the greatest benefit for Arkansas during the CCC\u2019s tenure in the state was the development and enhancement of the following six state parks with CCC-built cabins still in use today: Buffalo River National Park (1938), Crowley\u2019s Ridge State Park (1933), Devil\u2019s Den State Park (1933), Lake Catherine State Park (1935), Mount Nebo State Park (1928), and Petit Jean State Park (1923).<\/p>\n<p>Buffalo River National Park, its site selected for the region\u2019s natural beauty, was established on the southern section of the Ozark Plateau. The State Parks Commission touted the park as a fishing headquarters. CCC projects consisted of establishing campsites, cabins, restrooms, picnic areas, and shelters.<\/p>\n<p>Crowley\u2019s Ridge State Park was built on the site of an 1821 U.S. federal government land grant to Benjamin Crowley, a veteran of the War of 1812. The park was developed on the western edge of the 450-550 foot ridge in Greene County, about halfway between the cities of Jonesboro and Paragould. The CCC crew built a three-thousand seat amphitheater, park roads, foot trails, bridges, cabins, a pavilion\/bathhouse, picnic sites, campgrounds, roads, and a 300-foot dam for the existing recreational lake.<\/p>\n<p>Devil\u2019s Den State Park, located in Arkansas\u2019s northwestern Washington County, acquired its name due to the constant roaring in Lee Creek Valley\u2019s main cave. CCC men built roads, a dam, a swimming area, large pavilion, hiking trails, picnic areas, a stone dam on Lee Creek, stone cabins, campgrounds, offices, and a restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>Lake Catherine State Park originated from the generosity of Harvey Couch, founder of the Arkansas Power and Light Company, when in August 1935 he donated 2,048 acres of Lake Catherine shoreline for a state park. The park is located in Hot Spring County, surrounded by the Ouachita Mountains. The CCC built picnic areas and fish-rearing ponds for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Known as the \u201cFishing Village,\u201d the park boasted boat docks and other facilities for fishermen.<\/p>\n<p>Mount Nebo State Park, located near Dardanelle, Yell County, benefitted from the vision of far-sighted Dardanelle businessmen in early 1933 when they made the push to bring a CCC camp to the existing state park. CCC projects included roads, foot trails, cottages, and underbrush removal. In addition, the CCC built recreational facilities such as amphitheaters, lakes, bridges, swimming pools, a lodge, and a dancing pavilion.<\/p>\n<p>Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas\u2019s first and arguably its most popular park, is located in Conway County. The park boasts Mather Lodge, one of the most significant CCC structures in the state. In addition, the CCC built a bathhouse and bathing beach, boat dock, parking lot, water and sewage systems, water treatment plants, park roads, and hiking and horseback-riding trails. In 1936, CCC Veterans Company 1781 won second place in the Arkansas district for the most nearly ideal camp.<\/p>\n<p>Today, these Arkansas state parks boast modern facilities and easy access. Yet, the conservation and workmanship of the 1930s CCC men are still evident and admired. For those interested in taking an Arkansas historical journey as well as a natural beauty journey, these parks will fulfill both agendas.<\/p>\n\t<hr \/>\n<h4>Learn More:<\/h4>\n\t<p>Edie, Jeanette. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cDevil\u2019s Den State Park.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/devils-den-state-park-1222\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/devils-den-state-park-1222\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>History, Arkansas District, CCC (UALR PAM 01643).[show_more more=+ less=- color=&#8221;#eccd50&#8243; font-size=&#8221;16&#8243;]\n<p>History.com. Civilian Conservation Corps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/great-depression\/civilian-conservation-corps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/great-depression\/civilian-conservation-corps<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Laster, Patricia Paulus. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC).\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/civilian-conservation-corps-2396\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/civilian-conservation-corps-2396\/<\/a> (accessed June 19, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>McCarty, Joey. \u201cCivilian Conservation Corps in Arkansas.\u201d MA thesis, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 1977.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers, Suzie. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cBuffalo National River.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/buffalo-national-river-7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/buffalo-national-river-7\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Smith, Sandra Taylor. The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arkansas, 1933-1942. Little Rock: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 1991.<\/p>\n<p>Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cCrowley\u2019s Ridge State Park.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/crowleys-ridge-state-park-1218\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/crowleys-ridge-state-park-1218\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cDevil\u2019s Den State Park.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/devils-den-state-park-1222\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/devils-den-state-park-1222\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cMount Nebo State Park.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/mount-nebo-state-park-1243\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/mount-nebo-state-park-1243\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. \u201cPetit Jean State Park.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/petit-jean-state-park-1247\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/encyclopediaofarkansas.net\/entries\/petit-jean-state-park-1247\/<\/a> (accessed June 26, 2019).<\/p>\n<p>Yount, Shelia. Arkansas Living Magazine. \u201cGateways to nature \u2013 The CCC\u2019s enduring legacy.\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/arkansaslivingmagazine.com\/article\/gateways-to-nature-the-cccs-enduring-legacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/arkansaslivingmagazine.com\/article\/gateways-to-nature-the-cccs-enduring-legacy\/<\/a> (accessed June 25, 2019).[\/show_more]\n\t<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>About the Author:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\t<p>Kaye Lundgren is an archival assistant at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture and\u00a0has been with the university since 2008. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Library Science\u00a0in 1980 from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ms. Lundgren furthered her studies by\u00a0pursuing a Master of Arts in Public History and graduated spring 2017. She wrote her thesis on\u00a0Jeannette Edris Rockefeller and the building of the Arkansas Art Center. In addition, she has processed\u00a0several manuscript collections during her tenure at the Center, including the Carl E. Bailey Personal and\u00a0Political papers, the Porter family papers, and the Winthrop Paul Rockefeller papers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\"><div class=\"entry-summary\">\n<p>Six Arkansas Camps You Can Visit Today In 1933, the United States was under the grip of the worst economic depression in its history. With 500,000 unemployed young men, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933\u20131945) introduced a social program to alleviate&hellip;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/overview\/\" class=\"more-link\"><br \/>\n\t\tContinue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Overview&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/overview\/\" class=\"more-link\">\n\t\tContinue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Overview&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-59","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1825,"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions\/1825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualrexhibits.org\/ccc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}