Janet Oakley, Everybody Reads, the CCC, and Neill Public Library

Pacific Northwest author Janet Oakley appeared at Neill Public Library last Thursday as part of the regional Everybody Reads program.  The book chosen for this year's program, Tree Soldier: A Novel of Love, Forgiveness, and the Great Depression, is set in the North Cascades area, in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.  Oakley's presentation focused on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC) in the region; the material is timely, as the CCC celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

Oakley began by talking about the Great Depression, particularly the high unemployment rate among young men aged 16-30.  She also talked about how farming and logging had contributed to soil erosion, not just in the Dust Bowl area, but throughout the country.

While serving as governor of New York, FDR proposed a program similar to what would emerge after his inauguration as President as the Civilian Conservation Corps, combining out-of-work men with environmental projects.

Amazingly, the bill creating the CCCs was passed, from the initial speech to Congress to being signed on the President's desk, in only 8 days.  Additionally, no new departments were created, but existing government departments worked together to move over 2.1 million enrollees through the program between 1933 and 1942.

Projects were assigned by states and even counties, including some in Whitman County.  Washington State projects included road- and bridge-building, replanting deforested areas, fighting forest fires, and building trails and structures in our national parks.

Also of interest, although the camps disbanded in 1942 as the U.S. entered World War II, no action was ever taken in Congress to close the bill; until further action is taken, the Emergency Conservation Work Act is technically still open and active.

Neill Public Library has information on the Great Depression, the CCCS, and historic roads and buildings in the area; these resources are available at the library.

Additionally, there is online information on CCC activity, including activity in Washington state.