In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

xv Acknowledgments The first person I approached with the idea of putting together a special project on the CCC was Fred Green, Chief Recreation Ranger in 1999 for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Black Mesa Ranger District, in Overgaard, Arizona. Without that first boost of encouragement from Fred, the project might easily have fallen by the wayside. Indeed, the Forest Service staff at Black Mesa District was more than accommodating. Besides Fred Green, I have Tim Grier, Heather Cooper Provencio, and District Ranger Kate Klein to thank for their support. Arizona native Jim Mendell gave me my first tour of a CCC site. No one knows the forest of the Mogollon Plateau like Jim, and it was his input that gave me my first on-the-ground facts about CCC camps in the Rim Country. Mel Schweigert from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Supervisor’s Office in Springerville analyzed historical photographs and provided archived names of CCC veterans. He was also my tour guide for later visits to several other CCC sites. Clifton District Ranger Frank Hayes was helpful with information about the Eagle Creek and Juan Miller camps. Forest Service volunteer historian Kathleen Thomas was most generous in providing information that she had collected a few years earlier in her own research on the CCC companies that worked in eastern Arizona. Archaeologist Michael Sullivan of the Tonto National Forest is an expert on CCC sites south of the Mogollon Rim and in the area around Payson, Arizona. His background information, access to historic photographs, and backcountry directions were invaluable. John Irish from the Coconino National Forest shared one-ofa -kind file information he has collected over the years. The best long-distance advice came from Gene Morris of the textual records division of the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland. His patience with my odd questions, plus his research skills and knowledge, made him one of the most important people I talked with on this proj- xvi j acknowledgments ect. His efforts on my behalf saved many hours of tedious work. Nick Natanson of the Stills Processing Branch of the National Archives often went beyond my requests in order to increase my options for selecting the best photographs possible. Most of all, there are the men of the CCC: Charles Pflugh, Eugene Gaddy, Richard Thim, Marshall Wood, E. E. Huber, William Dean, and the families of Fred Martin and Al Purdy. The veterans I spoke with were excited and cooperative. They held back nothing in their efforts to help me. Their stories of working in the woods are historic treasures, and I am honored to be their caretaker. Fred Martin’s daughter, Kitty Butler of Payson, Arizona, opened her collection of old letters and photographs that added a personal touch to his service and made it possible to include his story. Ninety-two-year-old Elizabeth Purdy Fischer twice sortedthrougholdnewspaperclippingsandfamilyphotographstocome up with details of her late husband’s service in the CCC and Forest Service . Working with all of them to put together this book was the most rewarding part of the entire effort, and I will never forget them. Many of those old veterans are also members of the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni (NACCCA). Graduate student Julie Kemper at the main office in St. Louis was most cooperative in coming up with historic photographs and documents. Arizona Chapter 44 of the NACCCA provided me with important contacts to veterans and information as well. Others from that group provided encouragement and generously shared their ideas and knowledge of the CCC. Michael Smith serves as the volunteer coordinator for the organization . He is much too young to be a CCC vet, but he is the glue that holds the unit together. His dedication to the memory of the CCC is beyond anything else I saw during my research journey. I turned to my brother-in-law Jim Krzeminski to help me get the old photographsfromthevariousfamilyalbumsontothecomputer.Techadviser Jeff Jordan and Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, Arizona) student Jason Thompson put in many volunteer hours organizing them on discs. I also called on my son Ty to solve last-minute computer problems. At home, I disappeared every night to work on this project. Each night the hours flew by, and each night I realized that my work would not have been possible without the loving understanding of my wife, Lois. I hope she knows how grateful I am. [18.222.111.24] Project MUSE (2024-04-19...

Share