When and where were you born?
Colville WA Sept. 29, 1916
How did you hear about the CC�s?
Was in granddads orchard thinning apples when two guys came into the orchard and started talking about it saying they were going to join....later decided to join on my own in mid Jul. 1934.
Where and when did you join?
Joined in Colville took a fourth St. truck up to the camp at Sullivan Lake in mid Jul. 1934
Why did you join?
Nothing else to do...no work.
Average age of the people joining the CC�c?
18-22
What was the first few days like??
When first arrived was given �truck load of shots�. Don�t remember what they were all for, just remember there were a lot of them.
You were on you own.
Where first placed to work?
Was first put in a 'Spike Camp' building a road out to an overlook above Sullivan Lake.
Then went up to Harvey crick building roads...
They'd moved from the Summer camp ( Sullivan Lake ) to the Winter Camp ( Growden )
Did you learn anything?
Was learning Advanced Algebra for 6 months while in the camp.
Did you make any good friends?
For a while when I was in the CC�s but all the friends I had lived in Eastern WA.. and I
moved to Seattle so I made new friends.
There was only on the job training.
Your average day????
Went down to breakfast and then went to roll call and were told where you would be for
the day and also to pick up your sack lunch.
What time did you get up?
Bugler woke every one up at six o'clock and every one was responsible for waking up
their bunk mate.
When was breakfast?
Breakfast was at 7 o'clock
What was breakfast?
Hotcakes.. eggs and bacon...
Time between breakfast and lunch?
Lunch at noon
What was lunch?
Lunch was a sack lunch ( Sandwiches )
Time between lunch and dinner?
Depending Dinner was at 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock
What was dinner?
Meat Potatoes and a vegetable.. we ate good in the CC�s ( especially when we shot a bear )
What did you do after dinner?
We would either.. ohh you go to school...there were different things going on...
you could take lessons and apply it to get your graduation certificate... I took advanced Algebra for 6 months. it would be self education...they'd do that and then there'd be sports.. in fact at Kettle
Falls they had a ball team. Thorp he was in a Basket Ball team.. When we won the
district and came over here to Fort Lewis to play the state championships we lost by
about 4 or 5 points. We stoped on the way back at North Bend and had dinner
What time was bed?
10 o'clock that�s when they turned of the lights.... We didn�t talk much after lights out because we were tired.
Where was bed?
thirty fella�s to a barracks
During the winter they were cold...there were a couple of stoves and you got up real quick and it was warm around the stoves but they had no insulation in the Barracks.
Was one of your buddies unusual?
Just one of the members belonged to the CC�s we were you could say friends and he
was very artistic.
Did you have a nickname?
No
How many hours did you work...at what?
Was in another 'Spike Camp' that was building Fourth St. Buildings in Kettle Falls
( at the same time the Coulee Damn was being built....so the buildings being built were
in the area going to be flooded after the damn was finished....later the building were
moved out of the flood area)
( Kettle Falls ) Was the only place they had electricity.. the others were run on a diesel generator.
Did the camp have a mascot?
The bear cub at Stagger In was the camp mascot...
Down in main camp they had a saint Bernard and when we were at Entait the CO had a
little Scottish dog.
Did you have any special times?
Every time they had a holiday dinner they out did them selves on holidays...had ham and
turkey...
What did you do for the holidays?
Went home for Christmas.. and stayed in camp for New Years
One New years when we were in Growden and stayed new years there...
Went home all the other holidays
What made you happy?
Just being able to work made me happy....being with all the fella�s at one time or and
just happy times.
What made you sad?
No Sad memories
How many work stations did you have?
Sullivan lake, Harvey crick, Stagger In, Growden, Kettle Falls....Brief Entait Thorp
( had no " Spike Camps" )
What�s the difference between the WPA's and the CC�s?
The WPA was for older people.. the CCC was for 18-22 and we worked out in the
National Forestry and the WPA's worked out in the Cities. WPA was more book work and we did construction and forestry stuff.
How much did you make a month?
We got 30 dollars a month but 25 dollars went home and 5 dollars was kept...
In my case my father wasn't working and the 25 dollars was what they were living off of until he could get another job.
I saved money because I didn't smoke and only did a little drinking.
Less than a year after I joined the CC�s my dad went back to work.. but I kept sending the money back.
How long were you in the CC�s?
22 months you signed up ever six months and I didn't sign up for the last... got on a train at Ellensburgh and it took him back to Colville...
Did you get angry?
Never really did get mad at to many things...for breakfast creamed chip beef on toast
and we struck...and they promised not to feed us that again and we went back to work.
Did you gripe about anything?
When we were build the buildings in fourth St. we laid the floor in the office building
and then had to finish it....didn't have any of the machinery you have today had to do it
all by hand...could get it fairly level with a plain and then used the sand paper.. once
you used the sand paper you couldn't use the plane again...
Did you pick up a work ethic while working in the CC�s?
Never been out working before.. been out on a farm.. but out working with fella�s just
learning to work with other people...and that there are two kinds of jobs.. the kind you
want to do and the kind you don�t.. but you have to do both.
Did you take anything with you from the work ethics gained in the CC�s?
My son had to mow the lawn and trim...he would mow the lawn but not do the
trimming well I didn't say anything but when he wanted to go somewhere. I told my son
he's going to have to learn to do the things he doesn't want to do along with
the things he does want to do...later on he thanked me.
Most of the fella�s I worked with had graduated from high school...but some of the fella�s in camp.. the first really good shoes they had were issued by the CC�s. Good old army issue.
Best memories?
One time in Eastern Washington ( Stagger In ) there were bears all over around the
camp and one day one of the Forestry Workers shoot a bear and the camp had Bear
steaks for a while.
Another time:
Caught a cub and kept it in camp for a couple months.. Hollered bear up a tree and the cub was in a tree...they ran up with pick axes and shovels... Swede Anderson climbed up the tree with a rope and the cub moved to over Swede and another man climbed up and brought the bear down.
Over the garbage pit we had a twelve gauge galvanized top.. and the bears just mangled that cover to get the garbage.
If you got in trouble they sent you home....just had one fella they sent home.. course we were all local boys ..but up at Harvey Crick before we got there there was an eastern bunch started a fight with the fourth St.
Never did anything real bad...went into Wenatchee one night and we chipped in for a pint of Vodka and I was shaking the bottle to mix in the mixer and the bottle exploded. This happened in the bathroom at the pool hall. We never had any problems buying acholol. All yah had to do was look old enough.
Going back to Sullivan lake
You weren't supposed to have a car in camp but one of the fellas had a car any way.. ( convertible )...so we were in the convertible coming back to the camp. This other fella came over with a Sedan and asked if any one needed a ride back...two of us rode in the convertible and two went back in the Sedan. On the way back one of the guys said a drink sure sounds good and they said well we knew where some was and got it and we all drank some of the bootleg from the guy with the Sedan. We stopped along the way and walked down to the falls and filled the bottle back up with spring water.
One time had a sprained wrist and was watching a guy rolling a cigarette and dropped some tobacco on his shirt and said what is this?.. and told him it was �crabs�...when other guys came in they played along and told him it was crabs too told him to go down to the infirmary when he told them what he thought he had they asked how he knew and told them it was because Bill and Bob had told him he did.. they decided to play along and shaved him from shoulder to his knees...when he came back he looked like a plucked chicken. At the time they had nothing else they could do if someone complained of crabs.
What happened to your service as a CC member
Discharged middle of May 1936 and rode the train home.