The Civilian Conservation Corps in South Dakota

Historical markers across South Dakota indicate the location of Civilian Conservation Corps camps, telling the stories of the CCC and the work done at the camps. But one need only look at our state’s landscapes to know this would be a much different place without the work of the men of the CCC.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Begun in 1933, the CCC was originally designed to preserve natural resources, provide jobs for single men ages 18-25 and to help their families financially during the Great Depression. Most of the men who worked for the CCC received pay of $30 a month in addition to room and board, with $25 a month sent home to support their families. Later, the allotment going home was reduced and camps were established for World War I veterans.

More than 30,000 men served in the South Dakota corps between 1933 and 1942, according to the website of the CCC Museum of South Dakota, located in Hill City.

The majority of the 50 CCC camps and smaller side camps in South Dakota were in the Black Hills.

Enrollees in the Black Hills thinned forests; planted trees; developed trails; removed flammable debris; built bridges, dams, roads and fire towers; put up telephone lines; landscaped and fought forest fires. According to the CCC museum’s website, fighting fires consumed much of the men’s time because summers were so dry. A fire detail of at least 25 men remained in each camp, prepared to immediately respond when a fire was reported.

The largest and most difficult project undertaken in the Black Hills National Forest by CCC crews was building the stone fire lookout tower at Black Elk Peak.

CCC worker with a "Ben Hur Chariot" at work in the 1930s

All the building materials had to be transported up the mountain.

Approximately 7,500 rocks were hand-picked from French Creek and the surrounding countryside and transported by truck to the foot of the nearly 4-mile trail leading to the 7,242-foot peak. Small two-wheeled carts consisting of half of an oil drum mounted on a short axle were pulled by one horse to transport rocks and other items to the top. These carts, called “Ben Hur Chariots,” could haul only 15 to 20 stones per trip. Pack trains of 10 horses each were used to transport sand and sacks of cement to the summit. On the way up the trail each man carried a board or other light item. CCC workers dammed a spring at the top of the peak to use for water to make cement and mortar.

Some of the lakes in the Black Hills are the result of CCC projects. Sheridan Lake was created after CCC and Works Progress Administration crews built an earthen dam over Spring Creek. Dams built by CCC crews created Horsethief, Stockade, Center and Bismarck lakes. Orman Dam and the surrounding irrigation ditches were rehabilitated by CCC workers.

In Custer State Park, CCC crews built the Pigtail Bridges on Iron Mountain Road, the Norbeck building that served as the park’s visitor center and is now an education center, a lookout station and rangers’ quarters on Mount Coolidge, cabins at Blue Bell and Sylvan lakes, and Grizzly Bear Campground. They also developed five springs with water tanks for bison.

Enrollees developed Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and Badlands National Park. Some of the projects at Wind Cave involved renovating tour trails, installing an elevator shaft and concrete steps and constructing the park’s water and sewer system. At Jewel Cave, enrollees constructed a headquarters building, parking lot and foot trail. At Badlands National Park, enrollees built the park’s headquarters, a check-in station at Pinnacles, a water system at Cedar Pass Lodge and the custodian’s residence at Cedar Pass.

Although the majority of the CCC camps were in the Black Hills, camps were also located in eastern South Dakota.

CCC workers turned Farm Island near Pierre and American Island near Chamberlain into recreational playgrounds. Among the projects at Farm Island were building a causeway connecting the mainland to the island; picnic areas equipped with shelter cabins; cabins for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Izaak Walton League; and a monument to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. At American Island, enrollees built tourist cabins, a bath house, racetrack, roads and parking areas, and planted shrubs, trees and shelterbelts.

At the CCC camp at Alcester, men demonstrated soil and water conservation. The men planted trees in Union County State Park and established a tree nursery at Vermillion. Tours showing results aided in the organization of conservation districts in Clay, Union, Bon Homme and Lincoln counties.

Camp LaCreek near Martin was part of a national CCC program to develop waterfowl refuges. The CCC and WPA built levees, roads, boundary fence and an observation tower and planted thousands of trees and shrubs to develop the 9,302-acre Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the Roosevelt administration directed federal programs to emphasize the war effort. The 77^th United States Congress ceased funding the CCC, and operations were concluded on June 30, 1942.

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This moment in South Dakota history is provided by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. Find us on the web at www.sdhsf.org. Contact us at info@sdhsf.org to submit a story idea.

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CCC had big impact across the Black Hills – and the country!

Given the abundance of Civilian Conservation Corps projects all across America in the 1930's, including many in the Black Hills – this video should be of great interest to history buffs across the region.  Dakota Life is a wonderful series produced by South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

I think you'll enjoy this Reflections and Preservation episode of the Dakota Life series. The "CCC in the Black Hills" segment was produced by Brian Gevik.  Perhaps it'll spur you to visit the small but impressive CCC Museum on the outskirts of Hill City.

Miller cabin survives the Dust Bowl and Depression...

Miller Cabin is just north of Deerfield Reservoir.

Perfect!  That well describes the weather for the latest Black Hills Moon Walk hosted by the U.S. Forest Service. Our principal guide for this hike was Michael Salisbury, an archaeologist with the Mystic District of the Black Hills National Forest.

July and August can be pretty hot and miserable months for hiking.  We’ve already had some of that misery–and there'll likely be more on the way. 

But last Saturday night (7/7/12) was spectacular.  It was a cool evening with absolutely no wind.  There were clouds in the sky, but just enough to make it interesting for the 150 or so people who gathered on knoll just a few miles north of Deerfield Reservoir in the central Black Hills.  It was in this same vicinity of Reynolds Prairie that we gathered just over a year ago to examine wild flowers.

There was an abundance of wild flowers on this hike, too.  But our mission this time was to visit the rustic Miller Cabin, built over a century ago in a high country meadow about 20 miles west northwest of Hill City.  We took several photos on this outing, and you'll find them posted in our Moon Walk Gallery.

John A. Miller was among the influx of pioneers who came to the Black Hills in the 1870’s in search of gold.  Born in Sweden in 1850, the Millers arrived in the United States in about 1868.  Census documents indicate that John and his wife Josephine lived in Illinois, Iowa, and then Phillips County, Kansas, before arriving in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory in the mid 1870’s.

Michael Salisbury

Ranger Salisbury says John Miller was among the many people seeking his fortune by placer mining in the Custer and Hill City areas.   Miller is listed as having lived in a variety of area communities, including – among others – Pactola, Hill City, Cross Mine, Cresville, Tigerville, Sheridan, Rochford, Queen Bee, Sitting Bull, Lookout, Limestone, Silver City, and Mountain City. 

After the initial gold boom in the central hills “fizzled” and most miners set their sights on gold strikes in the Lead and Deadwood area,  Miller decided to buy a ranch near Castle Creek in 1882, according to the U. S. Forest Service.  He apparently was looking at other ways that he might make his fortune, and the land near Castle Creek also just happened to be along the Cheyenne to Deadwood stage route.  Miller apparently saw opportunity in operating a stage stop that would cater to the needs of folks who were in transit.

“He could offer fresh horses, meals and lodging to travelers, and even make repairs,” for those making the trek along the route, according to Salisbury.

And since the area was well suited for growing succulent grasses for livestock forage, and Miller could also sell stock animals to miners.

Census records indicate that John and Josephine raised five sons – John, Jr., Manfred, Emil, Frank, Edward, and Charles.  The 1920 census records list John and Josephine Miller – and their grown son, Frank – as residing at that Miller residence in Mountain City.

On New Year’s Eve Day in 1933, John A. Miller died.  It was a tough time for the Miller family – and a tough time for the nation.   The Depression years, fueled by a severe drought, virtually clobbered agriculture in the U.S. heartland.

“The U.S. government stepped in,” said Salisbury, “part of the Works Progress Administration with the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Bureau of Reclamation began looking at areas of South Dakota that had decent creeks running into them….where they could impound water and stave off another Dust Bowl.”

A “water storage project” was created along Castle Creek, requiring the removal of Mountain City (Deerfield).  The community sat smack dab in the middle of what was to become Deerfield Reservoir.

The sign that sits in front of the Miller Cabin today says “The Millers, after receiving a settlement for their lands soon to inundated by the rising waters, sold their remaining land to the Anderson family.”

Kids of all ages enjoy the Moon Walks!

The cabin was apparently moved out of the area to a “temporary” location.  But by the 1940s, the old cabin was loaded onto wooden skids and pulled by teams of horses to meadow just north of Deerfield Reservoir.  Andersons lived in the structure until sometime in the early 1970’s.

Ken Anderson of Hill City was on hand for this Moon Walk, and he shared both some photographs and memories about the cabin – and later lumbered through the cabin with members of our entourage, answering questions.

The old Miller cabin has special meaning for Anderson on several levels.  Of course, it was an ancestral home – and one with lots of history behind it.  Too, the old cabin was the site of his marriage to Elizabeth nearly 36 years ago, on July 24, 1976.

Lots of history and lots of fun for this third Moon Walk of 2012.

Next month, walkers will congregate near Cascade Creek in the southern Black Hills as a Forest Hydrologist leads us through the Whitney Preserve while discussing some of the unique features of the area.  

Moon Walk coordinator Amy Ballard says, “If it’s a hot day, come early to take a dip in the popular swimming hole at this picnic area.”  Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 4^th, for the next Moon Walk to Cascade Falls south of Hot Springs.

Moon Walks...no lunar landers needed

What’s a Moon Walk?

A fellow ham radio operator asked me that question last Saturday (5/9/09) as Karen and I were on our way to a lake near Custer for just such an event. What I’ve written below is a general summary of my response to that question.

When we arrived in the Black Hills a few years ago, I read about these curious 'Moon Walks" in local newspapers. Sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and the Black Hills Parks and Forest Association, the walks are organized to allow folks who have an interest in the Hills – and who have the mobility to participate in short hikes – a terrific opportunity to visit many locales throughout the Black Hills.

Want to know more about the rich history of mining in the Hills? Curious about fire lookout towers? Interested in gaining a wealth of knowledge about elk, bald eagles, and mountain lions? How about getting better acquainted with the western lore of the region? These are among the many topics that have been covered – or will be covered – in the Moon Walks. Or, perhaps you’re simply interested in soaking up some of the beauty that lures people to this majestic region. Whatever tickles your fancy, you’ll likely enjoy these short forays into the hills.

Amy Ballard, Recreation Forester with the U.S. Forest Service, seems to be a prime instigator of these hikes – always scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on spring and summer Saturdays adjacent to a full moon. They generally last about 1-2 hours. The Forest Service suggests that participants dress for “unexpected weather and cooler nighttime temperatures,” which seems invariably to occur! They don’t cancel the events due to rain – but they’ll call it off if there’s lightning in the vicinity.

About 90 folks, on average, show up for most Moon Walks, so we’ve learned to go a bit early to get a convenient parking place. Forest Service officials say that more than 10,000 people have partcipated in the walks since they began back in 1996.

For 2009, we hope to participate in most, if not all, of the Moon Walks, and we’ll share a few pictures and notes about each of our outings. We start with the May 9th trek to Camp Bob Marshall, just a few miles east of Custer. Thousands of young South Dakotans have enjoyed this marvelous facility, which was constructed in 1938-1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a youth camp. Our Moon Walk Gallery our “virtual” visit to Camp Bob Marshall and to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps.

On June 6th, hikers will walk part of the Rockerville Flume below Sheridan Lake and learn about the 20-mile flume and its role in regional mining. On July 11th, it’s off to the southern Hills to learn about the Underground Wilderness. Then it’s back to the Custer area on August 8th to learn about early homesteaders and continuing efforts to provide elk habitat on the old Meeker Ranch Homestead. The final outing of the season will be September 5th for a walk near Deerfield Reservoir west of Hill City to gain some insight – and perhaps a peek – and Bald Eagles.

You'll find more information at the U.S. Forest Service web site. We hope to see you on the trail!