Countless are the Accomplishments of Roosevelt's Trusty "Tree Army"

The Civilian Conservation Corps, established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, was one of many New Deal programs created toward economic recovery from the Great Depression. Its goal was to create conservation jobs for thousands of young men struggling with unemployment. Employed in national forests and in national and state parks, they did landscaping, road work, building and trail construction, erosion control, and masonry. Known nationwide as Roosevelt's "Tree Army," the program carried out the most effective large-scale environmental program in the nation's history. On the Island of Hawai'i, the men of the largest CCC program were stationed here from 1934 to 1942, working and living in the park while establishing much of its early infrastructure, including roads, trails, and buildings. Their masonry and construction work remains visible throughout the park, including an octagonal stone shelter at the top of Mauna Loa Road and directional compasses at the top of Pu'u Huluhulu Trail and at the end of Hilina Pali Road, along with trail construction and forest restoration in the Kipukapulu and Kilauea Iki areas. They also learned skills they would use for a lifetime, including masonry, construction, electrical work, plumbing, and landscaping, and were proud and grateful to provide $25 a month to their families at home who were struggling with the effects of the Great Depression.

Mauna Loa Estates, Hawaii · United States