Legacy of the CCC endures in Sisters

The recent restoration of 70-year-old picnic shelters near Camp Sherman brought to mind the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Sisters area. The three campground shelters were built by the CCC along the Metolius River in the 1930s. They are visible reminders of an era that has faded into history but continues to shape life in the region to this day.

In the throes of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the CCC in March of 1933, a mere 17 days after his inauguration. Less than three weeks later, the first CCC member was enrolled. In another few weeks - early June - the first contingent of young men headed into the woods to establish Camp Sisters near the Headwaters of the Metolius River.

Dubbed "Roosevelt's Tree Army," the innovative work program was established not only to soften the nation's staggering unemployment numbers but also to benefit the nation and its public lands by promoting conservation and outdoor recreation.

Within months, the national CCC ranks swelled to 250,000 members and peaked in 1935 at more than half a million. Camps were established in all 48 states, plus Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Camp Sisters was one of an eventual total of 4,000 CCC sites, although the peak at any one time was about 2,650. In its nine years of operation, nearly 3.5 million men had a hand in the program. Also known as "Tree Troopers" and "Soilsoldiers," they planted an estimated five billion trees.

U.S. Army officers, usually reservists, ran the camps. There was no direct military training, but the CCC quickly grew to twice the size of the U.S. Army at that time. As a result, the Army gained important experience in handling logistics and huge numbers of men that would prove invaluable in the coming war that indirectly brought an end to the CCC.

At Camp Sisters, most men were paid about a dollar a day and were required to send $25 per month home to their families. CCC members were limited to young men between the ages of 18 and 25, although veterans of any age were eligible. The age limit was raised to 28 in 1937.

The first major project by the 215-man Camp Sisters contingent was the building of an eleven-mile road north from their camp to Candle Creek. The project paralleled the river and opened up that portion of the Lower Metolius to recreational use. The road is still in use today.

The three picnic shelters, which include masonry woodstoves and fireplaces, were built at Camp Sherman, Pine Rest, and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds. Other Camp Sisters CCC projects included trails on both sides of the Metolius River, the road from Camp Sherman to Suttle Lake, campground improvements at Suttle Lake, and the road to Scout Lake. CCC crews also fought forest fires and removed dead trees from a pine beetle infestation on Green Ridge.

The CCC built several fire lookout towers in the area, including one - in 1934 - atop Black Butte. That tower was in active use for 56 years, until it was condemned in 1990. It finally fell under a heavy snow-and-ice load in December of 2001. The CCC used 20-foot pieces of lumber as the primary building components. The beams were hauled to the summit two at a time, with each pair of ends strapped to the sides of a different horse. With the long loads of lumber suspended between two horses, negotiating some of the tight switchbacks on the trail required experienced horsemanship.

That same year, 1934, the CCC's short-walled, conical tents were replaced by permanent buildings. The new camp included six barracks, a mess hall, kitchen, recreation hall, infirmary, separate officer quarters, two water towers and several shops and maintenance buildings.

The elaborate facility came to a somewhat abrupt and ignominious end. In reality, the CCC programs were never really officially terminated. However, when World War II broke out, young men were diverted into the war effort; and, in 1942, Congress simply stopped funding the CCC. The camp closed that year, and the 30 buildings were sold off to the highest bidder in 1944.

Camp Sisters is long gone, and - although approximately 2,000 CCC members put in time at the camp - little remains today to attest to what transpired there. Riverside Campground, a tent-only walk-in facility, now occupies the site. Interpretive signage at the three restored picnic shelters tells a little of the CCC history in the area; but the best testimony to the legacy of Camp Sisters lies in the conservation achieved and the creation of recreational opportunities that we still enjoy today.