CCC Symposium: May 30 - June 1, 2008

Saving the Land and Saving the Boys, the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942

Grand Canyon National Park

 

North Kaibab Trail

This page has been retained for reference and serves as a record of the 2008 event.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a Depression era program that employed poor young men doing conservation work in national parks, national forests, state parks and other public lands.

In celebration of the arrival of Grand Canyon’s first CCC company 75 years ago in May, 1933, Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Association sponsored a symposium to examine the CCC legacy in Arizona.

This three day program consisted of presentations by historians and scholars, a panel of CCC enrollees, history walks and guided hikes.

The symposium also kicked off the new Kolb Studio CCC exhibit which formally opened on the evening of May 30, and ran for 5 months.

 

Symposium Highlights

Keynote speaker and NJIT- Rutgers University Federated Department of History Associate Professor Neil Maher presenting "Nature's New Deal: The CCC and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement."

• Archeologist Renee Corona Kolvet speaking about the Native American experience serving in the CCC.
• Historian Richard Melzer presenting "Coming of Age in the Great Depression"
• National Park Service historian Jon Paige speaking on the impact of the CCC program on the National Park Service

A panel of men who served in the CCC sharing their experiences and answering audience questions

• Historian Peter Booth moderating a session on Arizona CCC projects with speakers talking about Chiricahua National Monument, Phantom Ranch, Colossal Cave and the Flagstaff area camps
• Historian William Collins speaking on the topic "What Will We Preserve from the CCC?"
  

Symposium Speaker Biographies >

 

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Saving Lives, Shaping the Land, Building Parks:
The CCC in the Southwest, 1933-1942

Symposium Agenda

Friday, May 30, 2008

7:30 – 5:00PM Pick up your registration packet in the Shrine of the Ages Building multi-purpose room.

8:00 – 1:30PM - Long Jim Canyon Hike

Join author Dave Lorenz and historian Bob Audretsch for a five mile long guided hike in Long Jim Canyon to examine a CCC tree tower and a large CCC catchment dam. Long Jim Canyon is a beautiful walk among mature ponderosa pines. Meet at the Shrine of the Ages building at 8:00 AM to carpool to the hike start. A shuttle van will be provided at the hike’s end to return drivers to the beginning. Bring a hat, lunch, day bag, and plenty of water. Limited to 30 participants.

10:00AM – 12:30PM - Museum Collection Tour

Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection preserves over 800,000 objects of importance to researchers of the cultural and natural history of the Grand Canyon Region. From spit twig figurines to John Wesley Powell's watch, from prehistoric sloth dung to the hiking boots of famed hiker Harvey Butchart, you will have a behind the scenes tour of this important collection. Pick up your registration packet in the multi-purpose room of the Shrine of Ages Building on Friday, May 30. A map to the Museum Collection building will be included in your registration packet. Limited to 15 participants.

2:00 – 3:30PM - Museum Collection Tour

The same tour as described above for 10:00AM, but a later time to accommodate more participants. Pick up your registration packet in the multi-purpose room of the Shrine of Ages Building on Friday, May 30. A map to the Museum Collection building will be included in your registration packet. Limited to 15 participants.

3:30 – 5:00pm - Museum Collection Tour

The same tour as described above for 10:00AM, but a later time to accommodate more participants. Pick up your registration packet in the multi-purpose room of the Shrine of Ages Building on Friday, May 30. A map to the Museum Collection building will be included in your registration packet. Limited to 15 participants.

7:00 – 9:00PM – CCC Exhibit Opening
Join Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Association staff for the formal opening of the CCC exhibit downstairs at Kolb Studio. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Symposium Presentations and Panels

7:30 – 6:00 Registration open, book sales by GCA

8:30 – 8:45 Acknowledgements & Introduction of Guests & Speakers Bob Audretsch

8:45 – 9:00 Welcome by Park Superintendent Steve Martin

9:00 – 10:00 Keynote Session: “Nature’s New Deal: The CCC and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement.” Neil M. Maher

10:00 – 10:15 Break, Book Sales

10:15 – 11:15 Session I “The CCC at the Canyon” Moderator: Mike Anderson

• Pam Cox, “The CCC at Phantom Ranch: A Lasting Legacy.”
• David Edward Lorenz, “The CCC and Grand Canyon’s Tree Towers.”

11:15 – 12:15 Session II “The Boys: CCC Alumni” Moderator: Richard Melzer

• Panel of CCC enrollees sharing their experiences. There will be time for audience questions.

12:15 – 1:30 Lunch on your own (book sales by GCA)

1:30 – 2:30 Session III “The CCC Beyond the Canyon” Moderator: Peter Booth

• John Paige, “The National Park Service and the CCC.”
• Robin Pinto, “Chiricahua National Monument: Historic Designed Landscape and the CCC Legacy for Southern Arizona.”
• J. J. Lamb, “Spelunking for the Corps: The CCC at Colossal Cave.”

2:30 – 3:30 Session IV “The CCC in the Forests” Moderator: Mike Anderson

• Margaret Hangan, “The CCC and the U. S. Forest Service.”
• Jane Jackson, “Flagstaff Camps of the CCC: Schultz Pass & Mt. Elden.”

3:30 – 3:45 Break

3:45 – 4:45 Session V “The CCC Among Different Peoples” Moderator: Peter Booth

• Renee Kolvet, “A New Deal for Nevada Indians: The Indian Reorganization Act at Work.”
• Richard Melzer, “The Social Impact of the CCC.”

4:45 – 5:30 Session VI “Preservation”

• William Collins, “Saving New Deal Historic Sites: Perspective from the State Historic Preservation Office.”

5:30 – 5:45 Closing, Windup, Announcements, etc. Bob Audretsch

8:30 - 9:30PM - Evening Program
“Saving the Park and Saving the Boys; the CCC at Grand Canyon, 1933-1942” is the outdoor evening program by park ranger Bob Audretsch. Following the presentation, a panel of historians will answer audience questions. Program begins at 8:30 PM in Mather Amphitheater, a short walk from the Shrine of Ages building. Everyone is welcome.

 

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Sunday, June 1, 2008

8:00AM - Cedar Ridge Fossil Exhibit Re-Dedication

Join Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin and Park Ranger Pam Cox for a short formal ceremony to dedicate the newly refurbished fossil display first created by the CCC in 1937. To get to the ceremony on time, take a free shuttle bus and arrive at the South Kaibab Trailhead no later than 7:00 AM. It is a 3 mile roundtrip hike down and up the South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge. You need a hat, water, and snacks.

10:30AM - 1:30PM - Bright Angel Trail History Hike

Take a leisurely hike down the Bright Angel Trail with historian Michael Anderson to examine the CCC's vital role building and maintaining the park's central corridor trails. The hike will stop at the 1.5 Mile Resthouse, another CCC project. Meet in front of Kolb Studio at 10:30AM. Bring a lunch, hat, day pack and water. Limited to 30 participants.

1:30 - 3:30PM - Grand Canyon Village CCC History Walk

Join historians Bob Audretsch and Michael Anderson for a loop walk through the Village to look at CCC work such as the rim stone wall. Bring a hat & water for this two mile long walk. Meet in front of Kolb Studio. Limited to 30 participants.

 

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Special Thanks to the CCC Symposium Planning Committee

Bob Audretsch, James Schenck, Pam Frazier, Betty Upchurch and Peter Booth.

• The CCC exhibit went very well. We had about 150 for the opening.

• The CCC symposium was awesome. Our final attendance figure was 101 (paid and VIPs).

Return to the CCC at Grand Canyon National Park page >

 

 

Civilian Conservation Corps Walking Tour (1.15 MB PDF file)

Severe economic depression challenged the confidence of the people of the United States. One in four people was unemployed. Many were homeless. The Civilian Conservation Corps was created in 1933 to put young men to work on worthwhile conservation projects. At Grand Canyon the CCC built roads, trails, walls, shelters and much of the infrastructure that still is in use today.

The walking tour travels a circular route in the Historic District of Grand Canyon Village of approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km), although you can begin at any point and walk as much of the loop as you wish.

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