Monthly Archives: May 2016
Missing the Legacy
Among the original Chapter 7 alumni, we are now down to a precious few, three remaining widows of the CCC boys who were members. Thelma Armstrong, long-time secretary of the organization, passed away May 8. Her sister, Eva Burnham, and Irene O’Donoghue, long-time chaplain of the group, are still doing well, as is Katy Cruz. We are fortunate in the remarkable longevity many members of this generation have displayed!
Once I thought that watching our CCC friends leave us would be a constant grief. For the most part, it has been gradual, and often we don’t get news of the loss until long after. But we think often of the brighter days and good times at the Morrison Camp, where they gathered monthly in the spring and summer to celebrate the camaraderie they developed by being part of the Greatest Generation. They never forgot to thank their days in the Civilian Conservation Corps for giving them a start in life.
Gathering of CCC Chapter 7 members at the Morrison Camp, October 2005.
Those of us who had the opportunity to know them and work with them were privileged, and we will always remember these incredible individuals. That’s why we’re continually inspired to share their stories here.
Researching Colorado CCC
Good news! There’s going to be a book on the Colorado CCC!!
For two years, author Bob Audretsch has been researching here and across Colorado, collecting material for his book on the CCC efforts here in our state. And we’ve been helping as best we can. A lot has happened in the last two years, and I need to write a major update, but for now, let’s just settle for this announcement. We hope the book will be available in the next year or so.
Bob’s book will become the go-to source for information on CCC work projects statewide. Among other sources, he’s been reviewing local newspapers around the area. They often reported what the CCC boys were doing in the small towns and remote forests of our state, and Bob is uncovering a treasure trove of information there. Bob has been sharing information with us as he goes along (and vice versa)!
Bob has already published books on the CCC in Arizona, where he was a ranger and interpreter at Grand Canyon National Park for many years. He moved to Colorado in 2014. We’ll share more on Bob’s Colorado work and discoveries soon.
Books by Robert W. Audretsch:
Shaping the Park and Saving the Boys
The Civilian Conservation Corps at Grand Canyon, 1933-1942
From May 1933 to June 1941, the park’s infrastructure advanced as much as fifty years with the installation of trails, buildings, trail resthouses, roads, telephone lines, and many other improvements.
2011. 140 pages. 72 b&w photos. 1 map. Bib. Index. $19.95 paper.
Grand Canyon’s Phantom Ranch
Located at the bottom of Grand Canyon along the Colorado River, Phantom Ranch was designed by architect Mary Jane Colter in 1921 and can only be reached by hiking, mule ride or river trip.
2012. 128 pages. 206 b&w photos. $21.99 paper.
We Still Walk In Their Footprint
The Civilian Conservation Corps in Northern Arizona, 1933-1942
In northern Arizona, the CCC boys planted trees, built roads and buildings, strung telephone lines, erected fences, constructed trails and campgrounds, put out forest fires, and rescued hundreds of ranchers and their livestock during the terrible winter of 1936-1937.
2013. 212 pages. 53 b&w photos. Bib. Index. $21.95 paper.
The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona
Robert W. Audretsch and Sharon E. Hunt Foreword by Michael I. Smith
In Arizona the CCC battled soil erosion on grazing lands, developed state and national parks, and improved the state’s national forest lands.
2014. 128 pages. 188 b&w photos. 3 maps. $21.99 paper.
Colorado Civilian Conservation Corps 