The West River C.C.C. Camp was part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and targeted unemployed men ages 18–25 whose families were on relief. Nationally, over 2.5 million men were hired and paid $30 a month, of which $25 went directly to their families. Men from this and other C.C.C. camps built roads, trails, and campgrounds, fought fires, planted trees, and established much of the infrastructure of the early National Forest and other public lands. Remnants of the camp remain within the Green Mountain National Forest.