The drought and depression of the 1930’s hit the badlands region hard, and small landowners who could no longer eke out a living sold their lands to the government in hopes of finding a new start elsewhere. Across the country, national relief programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.), Emergency Relief Administration (E.R.A.), and Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) were created to employ men and carry out conservation projects. In the badlands from 1934 to 1941, C.C.C. Companies 2767, 2771, and 2772 worked on projects on land now included in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the DeMores State Historic Site at Medora. Under Army supervision and with input from the National Park Service, C.C.C. men built roads, trails, shelters, signs, picnic areas, and campgrounds, and carried out conservation work, while E.R.A. and W.P.A. men worked on related projects. Their accomplishments stand as reminders of both hard work and skill and of the lesson from the Thirties: the need for wise conservation of the land and its resources.