Story on CCC was excellent at portraying era

Jenny Paxson
Published: October 17, 2008

Thanks to Catherine Amos for her fine story about the Civilian Conservation Corps (“Legacy Lives On,” Oct. 12) and to Joe Troilo for sharing his memories of his time with the corps.

The three C’s was an admirable New Deal program designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression by putting young men to work in a variety of conservation projects including prevention of soil erosion, planting trees and building state parks.

My father was in the CCC in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and always proudly pointed out the bridges and roads he helped to build in John Bryan Park every time we visited. Sadly, the program is largely forgotten today, but the results live on.

My husband and I made a trip to the Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadows on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see “Iron Joe,” the bronze CCC statue, after we read the article.
The gift shop at the center sells a number of books about the corps as well as an excellent documentary about its work in Shenandoah National Park, for those interested in learning more.

Jenny Paxson
Culpeper