A new book by Barbara W. Sommer, "Hard Work and a Good Deal, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota," tells the story of the young men who enrolled and their lasting legacy.

It's a piece of our history that many today do not know. It saved families, taught skills to the unemployed, planted trees, started soil conservation projects, and left Minnesota a better place.

The CCC provided jobs to more than 77,000 Minnesotans who had no jobs and were poor. Their work left a lasting legacy, visible today in Minnesota's thriving forests, park amenities, and soil conservation practices.

They planted trees, fought forest fires, and erected 150 fire towers. In southern Minnesota they worked on soil conservation projects.

Oral historian Barbara Sommer conducted hundreds of interviews with "the boys" who looked back - often fondly - on their days in camp. For many it was their first introduction to the work force and to life away from home. At the camp they were clothed, fed, received medical care and there was a camp educator.

"In 1933, a quiet change began in Minnesota and elsewhere around the country. One government program - part of New Deal programs started by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - offered hope to young men and teenage boys. Hope was what these men and boys needed most of all in the dark days of the Depression. But the Civilian Conservation Corps also gave them a steady paycheck and meaningful work."

On April 6, 1933, 33 days after Roosevelt took office, the first enrollees were accepted into the CCC. The Department of Labor, working with state employment and relief agencies, oversaw enrollment. The War Department, through the U.S. Army, handled camp administration, transportation of enrollees, physical conditioning, camp construction, and day-to-day operations.

The Departments of Agriculture and Interior ran the conservation work programs. Within the first full year of operations, Minnesota's CCC met its goal of 61 camps: 24 state forest camps, 24 federal forest camps, 10 soil erosion camps, and three state park camps.

By August 1933, the state had 12,200 men at work. Enrollment guidelines stated that each enrollee had to be among the "needy unemployed," unmarried, between the ages of 18 and 25, a citizen of the United States and physically fit for manual labor.

Enrollees received a monthly paycheck of $30. Of that, $25 was sent to his family and the enrollee kept $5.

"The legacy lives in the warm stone used in the Lakeview Refectory at Gooseberry Falls State Park - and in countless other buildings constructed by the CCC across the state. Few in the CCC would have called their work 'revolutionary,' but they knew it was special."

One man said the $25 a month that went home made a difference to his mother and the five kids still at home. Another man learned a trade from the local men who lent their expertise in masonry to projects at Gooseberry Falls.

Enrollee Harvey Richart put it this way: "What the CCCs accomplished will never again be equaled. It made our lives for the rest of our time."

Another man, in a case of Minnesota understatement, said simply, "It was a good deal."

Allen Mapes said, "The men learned a trade of their choice, from cooks and bakers and mechanics, carpenters, bookkeepers ... a lot of boys come out (of CCC) with educations that they could go to a job and earn a living (for) the rest of their lives."

Sommer wrote, "Camp life was carefully structured and enrollees were expected to follow the rules. The day usually began with reveille, followed by roll call, a flag-raising ceremony, and breakfast. After breakfast on weekdays, enrollees reported for conservation work projects. They worked a seven-hour day. They had free time before and after dinner. Bed checks made sure everyone was accounted for.

"Saturday mornings were times for inspections, vehicle maintenance, and other camp cleanup work. When these tasks were complete, enrollees stayed in camp, went into town on a pass, or took one of the two trips home they were allowed during each enrollment period."

The CCC made a difference in the lives of the enrollees, Mike Vuksech recalled. "They went in pretty weak looking, and in six months they looked rugged and tan and strong and healthy."

The CCC also made a difference in the communities that were near the camps. LEMs - Local Experienced Men - cooks, carpenters, mechanics, foresters, and other skilled workers were brought to the camps to teach the young men. Besides giving work to young men, the CCC provided employment for townfolk.

Cass and Crow Wing

County Camps

One of the CCC camps was located on the south side of Pelican Lake in Crow Wing County. The camp opened in September 1935 and operated until August 1938. Its assigned work area was the Crow Wing State Forest. The newspapers of company 4751 were the Pine Island Press, the Pelican Press, and Jusumpin.

The Mille Lacs Lake Highway Wayside camp near Garrison opened in 1935 and closed in 1939, when the enrollees transferred to the St. Croix area. They built a concourse and overlook at Garrison, a shelter and picnic facilities, the Kenney Lake Overlook and three stone-faced highway bridges. Officials called it the "largest and most extensive of the highway CCC camps."

In Cass County, Land O Lakes Camp near Outing operated from 1935 to 1942. Walker opened as a national forest camp on Oct. 29, 1935. The camp near Schley opened in 1933 and closed in 1937.

The Longville Camp opened in October 1935 and enrollees worked in the Chippewa National Forest. The camp closed in 1937.

Leech Lake Camp in Walker opened in 1935 and was a state park camp. Enrollees are believed to have built a stone overlook on the south shore of Leech Lake near Whipholt.

The Foot Hills Camp opened in 1933 and the camp's work area was Foot Hills State Forest and Badoura State Forest and Nursery.

Burns Lake Camp near Cass Lake opened in 1933 and operated until 1937. The assigned work area was in the Chippewa National Forest.

The Bena Camp was organized at Fort Snelling and operated at Bena from 1933 to 1942. It was one of two federal forest camps.

- "Hard Work and a Good Deal; The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota" by Barbara W. Sommer, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008.