1939: The Civilian Conservation Corps
Americans were confronted with environmental concerns of prolonged droughts and erosion following the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. This, combined with the national economic crisis of the Great Depression, urged the nation’s leaders to look for solutions.
In an attempt to address the nation’s environmental concerns and create more job opportunities for young, single men, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933 as part of his New Deal. Seventy-two CCC camps went up throughout the Southwest, one of which was located in Flagstaff at the southern base of Mt. Elden.
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The AL&T Company president at the time, Joe Dolan (d. 1971), declared to Senators and the CCC administration that Arizona lumber was suitable for construction efforts and that the AL&T Company deserved the government’s patronage. While CCC director Robert Fechner (1876-1939) defended that transporting pre-fabricated houses would be the most cost-effective option, the man with the final approval in purchasing materials for CCC construction efforts, commanding officer Major General Johnson Hagood (1873-1948), affirmed that Flagstaff ponderosa pine would be suitable for constructing CCC camps in Flagstaff.
The AL&T Company and Flagstaff’s local lumber retailers protested the construction of CCC camps in Flagstaff because it involved shipping pre-fabricated houses made of non-local lumber. This project competed with Flagstaff’s local timber industry.
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Company #3345
CCC Company #3345 served Flagstaff and its surrounding historical monuments from 1938 until 1941. In this time, the Company fought fires, served Flagstaff’s community, and serviced Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater by preserving the monuments, building trails, and constructing ranger stations. Congress ended the CCC program in 1942 as the U.S. entered World War II and needed to direct funds toward the war effort.
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CCC Company #3345 completed numerous urban and outdoor projects within the city of Flagstaff and beyond during their assignment in northern Arizona.
In 1939, enrollees constructed a grouping of fifty cottages, each 25 x 14 feet in size with two bedrooms, intended for married students attending the Arizona Teachers College (now NAU).
Between 1934 and 1937, Flagstaff’s CCC paved fifty miles of the existing Forest Service road—today Fort Valley Road—which passed by the Fort Valley Experiment Station. This created a more direct and accessible route from Flagstaff to the Fort Valley Station, and to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
Enrollees completed multiple outdoor recreation features at Walnut Canyon National Monument in 1941, including a pipeline that provided water to the park, a hiking trail, and a visitor’s center at the edge of the rim, offering a scenic view of the canyon. In the same year, Flagstaff’s CCC enrollees reinforced and preserved the ancestral dwellings at Wupatki National Monument, built a ranger station, and a water reservoir and pump to supply water to the rangers at the station.