photo #9283848

During the worst of the Great Depression, a whole lot of young Appalachian men found work, food, and pride in the Civilian Conservation Corps. 🏞️ Starting in 1933, these boys, a lot of them barely more than teenagers, went off to work camps up in the mountains. They planted trees by the millions, fought fires, cut trails, and built stone walls, cabins, and roads that folks still use in our state parks to this day. They earned around thirty dollars a month, and most of that got sent straight home to keep their families fed. 💪 It gave a hungry generation a way to hold their heads up and hand something back to their people. Next time you walk a mountain trail or picnic in an old park shelter, there is a good chance some Depression era boy built it with his own two hands. Did you have a father, grandfather, or great grandfather who served in the CCC? #HollerLife #AppalachianHistory #CivilianConservationCorps #MountainHeritage #TheGreatDepression