Camp Roosevelt CCC Legacy Foundation participates in the third annual Shenandoah County Heritage Day - April 9, 2005

Sponsored by: 

 Shenandoah County Library

Shenandoah County GenWeb Project

Like all of America, the history of Shenandoah County, Virginia, travels back to the formation of mountains, streams, and native American habitat and folklore.  The Revolutionary War history is depicted through the life of Rev. Peter Muhlenberg and the soldiers of the 8th Virginia; and, Confederate Generals Turner Ashby and the famous Stonewall Jackson have their stories told and retold throughout the populace.  

The Camp Roosevelt CCC Legacy Foundation welcomes the opportunity to showcase a facet of modern Shenandoah County history.  Like its historical  precedents, Camp Roosevelt and the Civilian Conservation Corps fits into an important cultural niche which firmly holds the roots of our community and spouts new interest in the evolution of the local heritage of our communities.  

Event Participants represent many phases of Shenandoah County History

As inquisitive visitors gathered around displays and asked questions, the history of Shenandoah County was being taught to eager and interested passers-by.  

(Below are some of the participants - Click photos to enlarge)

100th Anniversary of USDA FS history highlighted in display

The 2005 displays focused on the 100th anniversary of the USDA Forest Service and its contributions to conservation history.  As modern life flies by us and we go about our daily chores, little thought is given to our surroundings until something goes terribly amiss.  By the late 1800s, devastating conservation problems were looming before the American public.  

Four aspects of natural resource conservation history were highlighted to demonstrate the connection between the USDA FS and the local community. 

With the blessing of President Theodore Roosevelt, innovative thinkers had long pondered the preservation of forest land.  As America ’s wilderness areas were devastated by commercial development it became clear that land needed to  be protected for the public  good.   Visionaries Like Gifford Pinchot took the first steps to manage forest reserves and in 1905 he became the first chief of the newly created Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture. 

The Weeks Law  - 1911:  Created National Forests in the East through the purchase of privately owned neglected land.   Willing seller – Willing Buyer.  

The Weeks Law authorized the government to purchase private land for the protection of  watershed areas.  The purchase of these barren lands became the nucleus of the National Forests east of the Great Plains .  These vast Forests  are sometimes called the " Forgotten Land" because their value had been denigrated to the point where they were considered useless.

The Warden System - 1913: Created the fire warden volunteer base network that worked with the Forest Service in the prevention of forest fires.  The concept started by E.D. Clark, Woodstock, VA and eventually was employed through the Forests of the East.   

The Emergency Conservation Act - 1933 - In Roosevelt's inaugural speak he referenced his desire to form a civilian conservation corps.  As time passed the term of CCC became so popular that the name was officially changed to the Civilian Conservation Corps.  

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The content on this website is reconstructed to reflect organizational changes associated between the merger of NACCCA and the Camp Roosevelt Legacy Foundation.  

Civilian Conservation Corps  Legacy - P.O. Box 341  --   Edinburg, VA  22824   -- Phone:  540-984-8735  - Send mail to ccc@ccclegacy.org   with questions or comments about this web site.

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Last modified: 12/20/2009...