This area was once known as the Greenwoods, where until the late 1700s large pine and hemlock trees grew along the Farmington River. From 1800 to 1942 it was agricultural land, and starting in 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps used portions of it for athletic fields. When CCC Camp White closed in 1942, pines began growing again in the area. Built in 1969, the Austin Hawes Campground was named for Austin Hawes, who served intermittently as Connecticut State Forester for 27 years between 1904 and 1943 and helped guide the development of Connecticut State Forests and the management of woodlands throughout the state. Civilian Conservation Corps Camp White, in operation from 1934 to 1942, stood at the site of the current Youth Group Camping Area in American Legion, and its stone chimney still stands today. Located upriver from the campground on the west side of the road, the camp housed 250 men during the Great Depression, and they planted trees, helped control forest fires, and built roads, trails, and the Stone Museum in Peoples State Forest. Downriver from the campground, on the riverbank below the Forestry Office and the Senior Center, Youngsdale Mill operated from 1834 to 1880, producing wood shingles, lumber, chair parts, clothespins, and other wood products.