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The CCC and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - Lawton, Oklahoma
Posted by:
gparkes
N 34° 42.630 W 098° 37.398
14S E 534495 N 3841003
This beautiful granite marker sits here at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center.
Waymark Code: WM8J1Z
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 04/07/2010
Views: 17
The marker's narrative reads:
The
Civilian Conservation Corps
and
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
1933 - 1944
The Civilian Conservation Corps was organized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The program provided useful employment for nearly three million young men ages 17 to 26 and served to enhance and preserve our nation's natural resources. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was fortunate to have hosted three CCC Companies: Camp 812 - Buffalo Springs; Camp 859 - Panther Creek; and Camp 870 - Elm Island.
Under management of U.S. Army personel, work projectrs on the Refuge credited to these camps included dams, roads, buildings, fences, trails, and many of the recreational facilities still in use today. For their work, corpsmen were paid $30 per month, of which $25 was sent home to their families in an effort to relieve the burdens arising from the depression. They were provided housing, food, medical and dental care as well as educational training.
The CCC Program improved the lives of those who worked on the many conservation and recreational projects on the Refuge. Their unparalleled accomplishements in preserving this irreplaceable, natural resource stand as permanent symbols to the dedication and productivity of the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
In grateful recognition of their service,
This memorial has been presented to
CCC Companies 812, 859 and 870
April 14, 1990
by
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
United States Department of the Interior
Fish and Wildlife Service