One thing becomes clear the more I visit state and federal and even city parks: An awful lot of them are there for us courtesy of the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, or, as it was called either fondly or derisively, the Tree Army.
The history is there, and occasionally a plaque, but it was nice to see a fuller recognition at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island, Florida. Along with the statue, there’s a list of the work done by them in Florida: 99 buildings in nine of Florida’s first state parks and other roads and facilities in them.
The CCC provided employment and important work to thousands of young workers who were unemployed during the Depression; the program ended when World War II provided a different kind of employment. Company 1420 worked at the Fort Clinch site from 1937 to 1942.
