First CCC camp:

Camp Roosevelt was the first of many camps to spring up across the country. The first camp opened on April 17, 1933; by July 1 there were 275,000 enrollees in 1,300 camps across the country.

Robert Fechner, a Boston labor leader, was appointed National Director by Executive Order 1601 on April 5, 1933. He established rules and regulations, allocated funds, approved the establishment of camps and was, in general, responsible for the overall operation of the camps.

The U.S. Department of Labor chose a selection agent for each state to certify the selected enrollees to the War Department. On April 10, 1933, the first quota of 25,000 men was called, and on April 17, 1933 Camp Roosevelt was located on the George Washington National Forest. Every state in the nation had one or more camps. (Virginia had 63 camps.) The number of camps in a state depended on many factors, including the number of enrollees from that state and the number of projects the state had readily available. As there were not enough projects in the East to take care of eastern men, many were sent to western states.

The CCC was an immediate success, due in part to the cooperation among different federal agencies. The Department of Labor was responsible for the selection and enrollment of applicants. The Department of Agriculture and Interior planned the work for each state. The Army and Navy supervised the construction and operation of the camps and devised ways to transport enrollees to their designated areas. Finally, the USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service oversaw camp projects.

Men between the ages of 17 and 25 who were unmarried, out of school and unemployed were eligible for enrollment. They were paid $30.00 a month, $25 of which was sent home to their families or if they had no family, it was held in an account for the enrollee until they were discharged from the camp. The boost to the economy brought by these checks was felt throughout the country. There was a social impact. These young men were taken off the streets. They traveled far from home and performed useful work in a healthy environment. Over 110,000 illiterates learned to read and write. The men worked 40-hour, six-day weeks, in crews of 48. Each crew had a leader and assistant leader who was in charge in the barracks and on the job. These men received $45 and $36 a month, respectively. There were 16 Local Experienced Men (LEM) hired from the areas surrounding the camps to help inexperienced crews learn necessary skills. Above them in rank was the group foreman, who attended a CCC training school and then was assigned to a camp as part of its technical staff. Foremen were paid $140 a month to serve as on-the-job supervisors. Each camp also had a superintendent and Army officers responsible for day-to-day operations.

In addition to the monthly salary, men were given food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Their term of enrollment lasted from six months to two years.

The induction of the first enrollee on April 7, 1933 occurred only 37 days after Roosevelt’s inauguration. Camp Roosevelt began operation only 12 days after the President signed the CCC bill into law.