The Civilian Conservation Corps: The Original Build Back Better Plan

June 23, 2022

The next time you are at one of America’s national parks, take a look at the trails, footbridges, scenic lookouts, picnic shelters, and other amenities. Chances are pretty high that the features you take for granted were built in the 1930s as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s successful work relief program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, which could be best described as a Depression-era version of Build Back Better. 

Members of the CCC showing off their handiwork. (publicnewsservice)

The CCC was established in 1933 and lasted for only nine years. But a tremendous amount of work was completed in that timeframe and, more importantly, millions of young, able-bodied men had an opportunity to earn a decent wage. In these colorized photos from the 1930s, we will get an inside glimpse at the CCC. 

Out of Work and Down on Their Luck

Civilian Conservation Corps workers from Packers Meadow Camp work on the Beaver Ridge truck trail. Selway National Forest, September 1933 | Location: Selway National Forest, USA. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

When the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression took hold of the United States, millions of people lost their jobs and their only sources of income. Homelessness and starvation were on the rise. President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced his New Deal Program, a series of initiatives designed to offer support for people who were greatly impacted by the Great Depression, such as the unemployed, the elderly, young people, and farmers. One of the ten New Deal programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps.