Back during the Depression, it was certainly that, for my Dad, Homer Towery. He was the only young male in his father's household. Times were tough. There was no food, no jobs and the whole country was literally starving to death. Banks had closed down, unemployment rates soared and financial needs were so great. President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the Civilian Conservation Corps on March 21, 1933. It encouraged the nurturing of the environment and it greatly helped the economy. Throughout the duration of the CCC program, 2.5 million out-of-work, physically fit, unmarried young men, age 18 to 25 found employment. These workers received a weekly $30 salary, but were obligated to send $25 to their families in order to ensure the worker's dependents would be provided for. Despite its name, the Conservation Corps was in many ways a military organization. They would enlist military fashion and be subject to military discipline. They had to undergo physicals, 5 days of basic training and physical training. They would have army uniforms and supplies. Living quarters were spartan, being open bay barracks and in the center would be a potbellied stove. Beyond the barracks would be a mess hall, motor pool, infirmary, officers headquarters, staff facilities, recreation hall and classroom buildings. Black men were kept separate from the white men, most of the time. The CCC planted trees, took part in various recreation projects, such as the building of our many State Parks. They built bridges, and buildings, constructed dams, built shelters, built highways, built forrestry fire stations, drained wetlands for mosquito control and so many other wonderful things that we take for granted today. My Dad, was a member of Co. 888, Camp P-58-T and was assigned to Weches, Texas. He joined October 18, 1933. He was in the forrestry service. He sent his $25 home to his sister Pearl who was guardian to his aged father, William Thomas Towery. He was honorably discharged on December 31, 1934. He and his camp built the State Park in 1934, in Houston County, called " Mission Tejas State Historical Park. This park is a 363.5 acre park. It is a commemorative of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in the province of Texas, which was established in 1690. Also, in the park, is the restored Rice Family Log Home, built in 1828 and restored in 1974. The home, which Joseph Redmund Rice, Sr. constructed between 1828 and 1838, is one of the oldest structures in the area. The home served as a stopover for immigrants, adventurers and local residents traveling the Old San Antonio Road across pioneer Texas. The park is located 21 miles NE of Crockett and 12 miles west of Alto on State Hwy 21. The entrance to the park is in Weches, where Park Road 44 intersects with 21. The Contributions of the CCCs and the men who formed it were and remain a National Treasure. Hundreds of thousands of acres of woodlands were planted and preserved by their labor. The CCs also served as disaster aid, fighting fires and stemming floods, many giving their lives in the process. Firebreaks, trails buildings, swamp drainage, roads, dams bridges, and many other public facilities were surveyed and crafted for the benefit not just of the people of those times but for all posterity. |
| Civilian Conservation Corps |