The Civilian Conservation Corps, organized by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression, provided useful employment for nearly three million young men ages 17 to 26 while enhancing and preserving the nation’s natural resources. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge hosted three CCC companies, Camp 812 at Buffalo Springs, Camp 859 at Panther Creek, and Camp 870 at Elm Island. Under the management of U.S. Army personnel, these camps built dams, roads, buildings, fences, trails, and many recreational facilities still in use on the refuge. Corpsmen were paid $30 per month, with $25 sent home to their families to help relieve Depression-era burdens, and they received housing, food, medical and dental care, and educational training. The program improved the lives of those who worked on the refuge’s many conservation and recreational projects, and their accomplishments in preserving this irreplaceable natural resource remain permanent symbols of the dedication and productivity of the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps.