The Construction of Moran State Park

The CCC provided jobs and creating infrastructure

This beautiful park was built by strapping young lads

At Moran State Park, the roads, trails, and the tower on Mt. Constitution did not just appear. They were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. But who were the Civilian Conservation Corps?

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt as a New Deal program. The purpose of the CCC was to employ young, unmarried men to build public works projects such as roads, parks, and dams. It was active in all 50 states and Puerto Rico until 1942. In all reality, it was a concerted effort to prevent social unrest, and it worked. The millions of young men who participated in the CCC lived in military-style camps where they were supervised by the Army, and didn’t have time to start a revolution.

In Washington State the CCC provided employment to over 50,000 men. They completed 260 lookout towers, over 4,000 miles of telephone lines, almost 5,000 miles of roads, planted over 50 million trees, and fought forest fires for over 400,000 days.

The CCC camps were as varied as the men in them. In Washington State, there were about 50 camps in total ranging from National Park camps to Soil Conservations camps. Here on Orcas Island, there was Camp Moran. Under the expert leadership of Clyde D. Gasser, the men at Camp Moran built what is now Moran State Park. These men built public campgrounds, foot and horse trails, took care of the landscaping, and constructed a water system. Thanks to the CCC’s hard work, places like Moran State Park have become beautiful and enjoyable recreation areas for generations to come.

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