Vancouver, Washington (September 19, 2011) – The Confluence Project will host two free events to capture the stories of locals who participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1933 and 1942. Headquartered at Vancouver Barracks, the Northwest CCC program operated 27 major camps and hundreds of temporary work stations along the Columbia River Gorge. Previously enrolled personnel from the Forest Service, Army, or Navy are invited to share their memories of service through oral histories, photographs, and memorabilia as part of ongoing research by the Confluence Project on the history of the Gorge and the Columbia River.
Scheduled interviews will take place on Saturday, October 15th at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, Oregon, and on Saturday, November 12th at the Howard House, Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve in Vancouver, Washington. Past enrollees and their families are encouraged to contact Mary Rose at (360) 693-7742 to schedule an interview time. Interview volunteers will be sent questionnaires in advance. Interviewers will gather information from participants including: When did volunteers enroll and under what circumstances? Did volunteers live in the Northwest at the time? Was the CCC experience meaningful to volunteers and their families? In retrospect, did the CCC leave a lasting impression? What camps did they work in? What specific memories or events stand out from their time of service? What are the lasting effects of the CCC's in the Columbia River Gorge and beyond?
All oral histories, scanned photos, and other memorabilia gathered will inform interpretive materials for the Confluence Project, specifically at the Vancouver Land Bridge at Fort Vancouver and online at www.confluenceproject.org.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of the New Deal. In less than a decade, over 2.5 million Americans created a lasting heritage throughout the nation and in the Northwest, planting nearly 3 billion trees, building over 800 parks, updating forest fire fighting methods, and creating a network trails, campsites, roads, and conservation practices that have helped preserve our forests and scenic vistas for generations to come. To read more about the Confluence Project , please visit their website at:
http://www.confluenceproject.org/
