Birthplace of the CCC
Camp Roosevelt, NF-1
The Army with Shovels.
By 1933, the Great Depression had demoralized the nation. Millions of young men were unemployed and families were starving. On March 9, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Its purpose was twofold—conservation of our natural resources and salvage of our men.
The CCC-boys were part of the greatest single conservation movement in history. As they worked, they learned—and regained—the confidence of men doing a job.
The Roosevelt Administration mobilized this vast supply of willing manpower into what later became known as the “army with shovels.” The young men also became known as “Roosevelt’s boys,” as they still refer to themselves today.
You are standing at the center of the pioneer camp—the first of 1,643 CCC Camps established across the country. The foundations are the only visible reminders of this camp, but the memories and legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps remain standards of excellence for all time.
“We Can Take It!”
After endless detours and truck breakdowns, the first contingent of the Civilian Conservation Corps slogged through the mud into the George Washington National Forest on April 17, 1933. Their first task was to clear the ground so that they could set up tents. It was here, in Camp Roosevelt that the defiant slogan, “We can take it!” was born.
Camp Roosevelt’s Legacy.
The CCC accomplishments of Camp Roosevelt were many. The boys of NF-1 built and maintained the road through Fort Valley and the Crisman Hollow Road; constructed the popular Elizabeth Furnace, New Market Gap, and Little Fort Recreation Areas; and built Powell’s Fort Organization Camp. Woodstock Tower, with its view of the seven bends of the Shenandoah River, was a cooperative venture of the citizens of Woodstock and the CCC. They also planted trees and fought forest fires.
In 1966, this recreation area was dedicated was dedicated to the “boys of Roosevelt”—the men who helped shape the land conservation ethic we hold dear today.
Marker can be reached from Camp Roosevelt Road (County Route 675) 10 miles east of U.S. 11, on the left when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
