Paul and I are both huge fans of the CCC- Civilian Conservation Corp- a group of young men who signed up during the great depression (1930s), to work on building infrastructure in our country. They were young, single, usually illiterate, and poor. In return for their labor they were paid a small wage, and agreed to send most of it home to their parents. A lot of what these men built is still standing today.
Over 70,000 young men from Tennessee took part in the program, and Pickett State Park was one of their first projects.
The camps were run by the Army, who saw to their basic needs, and more. The boys learned skills, how to read, and how to be a productive member of society.
Most of the buildings in this park were built by the CCC - They also built several of the hiking trails, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We started with a short loop near the visitor center before moving on.
The other trails we chose were all about the arches.
Twin Arches trail is a 2.5 mile loop that takes you past two large arches.
The trail included several sets of steep stairs, and of course, what goes down must go up.
The other trail we did in this area was to Needle Arch-
this trail had a bonus though. Just a short distance from the arch is a waterfall- Slave Falls.
Our visit to this state park in Tennessee took us a little bit out of our way on our path east, but it was worth it.
Dave's uncle worked for the CCC in northern Minnesota. Minnesota also has a lot of still standing structures the CCC built in parks around the state.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sand
That’s pretty cool…..they did amazing work!
DeleteA waterfall. Now that is what I call a great bonus.
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