During the Civilian Conservation Corps years from 1933 to 1942, a federal works project aimed to relieve unemployment and conserve natural resources during the Great Depression. Over a two-year period, the men of St. Helena Camp 76, SP 37 cut 15 miles of new trails with log and timber bridges, built the Gardeau Overlook, and created the St. Helena Picnic area with a shelter, stone tables, chestnut picnic tables, fireplaces, and a large parking lot. They also laid water and sewer lines, built stone walls, and constructed several miles of park roads including culverts and headwalls. CCC work crews varied in size but were always led by a civilian foreman or assistant foreman, and Local Experienced Men, or L.E.M.s, brought skills in carpentry, forestry, masonry, and other essential tasks while teaching valuable skills and work habits to the CCC boys in their crews.