Dividends for the Future

In March 1933, newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the key elements of the New Deal, proposing civilian work in forestry, soil erosion prevention, flood control, and similar projects as practical efforts that would prevent present financial loss and create future national wealth. America was then in a deepening crisis after the 1929 stock market collapse, with thousands of businesses failing and millions unemployed, and the New Deal introduced federally funded programs to put the nation back to work and rebuild the economy. Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps employed more than three million young men restoring natural resources and building park and recreation areas. In Virginia, the corps built the first six state parks—Hungry Mother, Douthat, Fairy Stone, Westmoreland, Staunton River, and Seashore—and also built the Swift Creek Recreation Demonstration Area, later deeded to the state and made Pocahontas State Park. Many original park structures remain, including stonework, hand-forged hardware, and log and stone picnic shelters that show the craftsmanship and attention to detail associated with Civilian Conservation Corps construction.

Virginia · United States