The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada: From Boys to Men

Chapter 2. Nevada Fights Back

Nevada’s population barely exceeded ninety thousand in 1930, making it the least-populated state in the Union.1 Despite its sparse citizenry, the state received more than its proportional share of federal monies, due to three powerful Democrats in Washington, D.C.—Senators Patrick McCarran and Key Pittman and Congressman James Scrugham. At a Churchill County banquet, junior senator McCarran boasted: “We’ve brought into this state federal money in the amount of $1,500 for every man, woman, and child. . . . How much better Nevada has done than other states, some of which have received only $5 per capita.”2 The federal windfall was the result of several congressional acts directed toward remedying statewide problems . Laws were passed and federal monies were provided to stimulate the mining industry, promote tourism, and increase visitation to state and national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. Nevada’s representatives not only were respected at home but also commanded respect from their colleagues in Washington, D.C. Nevada managed to hold its favored position despite known infighting among its three representatives and McCarran’s well-known opposition to FDR s Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1937.3 Fortunately for Nevada, senior senator Key Pittman was a faithful supporter of FDR and New Deal programs and held several influential positions. Pittman served as chairman of the prestigious Senate Foreign Relations Committee and became president pro tempore of the Senate in 1933. Considered a U.S. Senate insider, Pittman actively supported Nevada’s mining industry. In the 1932 election, Pat McCarran became Nevada’s first native-born U.S. senator after beating Republican incumbent Tasker Oddie. The new senator wasted no time in building his power base in Nevada and Washington , D.C. He also landed key appointments to important committees, includNevada Fights Back 2 ’ Nevada Fights Back 19 ing Appropriations, Judiciary, Irrigation and Reclamation, and Public Lands and Surveys and gained strength in Nevada’s Democratic organization. Meanwhile, former governor and state engineer James Scrugham was elected to the U.S. Congress for the first time in 1932, where he served for ten years before running for the U.S. Senate. A strong advocate of recreation and tourism, Scrugham was instrumental in establishing several new parks around the state. Initially, the Great Depression did not hit Nevada as hard as eastern metropolitan areas. By the winter of 1932–1933, however, an economic stalemate settled over the rural state. Marshall Crawford described the impact of the Depression on his hometown of Yerington, Nevada: I was just out of high school. I had been working on ranches and in grocery stores and wherever I could find work. I shined shoes sometimes. This was during pretty tough times in 1934. . . . There were seven of us in the family, and when Congressman James Scrugham delivered the keynote speech at the dedication of Cathedral Gorge State Park in 1935. Courtesy Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Library 20 The CCC in Nevada my father died, I was fifteen years old. Why, then we had some troubled times. . . . My mother was no different from most of the other people around there—no way to make any money—so she washed and ironed clothes for people. Well, most families in Yerington were having a tough time. The economy of Mason Valley at that time was farming, so they raised potatoes , onions, alfalfa, and cattle. There were also a few merchants who were able to keep going. . . . The mines weren’t going then, so it was really difficult. I was still living at home, except for those times when I was working on the ranches. Then, of course, I stayed on the ranches and had my meals on the ranches. . . . Everything that we could make, we all went together on.4 Not surprisingly, Las Vegas and Boulder City were little affected until 1935 when Hoover Dam was completed and several thousand dam workers were laid off.5 Then, joblessness rose steadily and by June 1935, a total of 5,131 Nevadans were unemployed.6 Company towns around the state were especially hurt. Production at Nevada Consolidated Copper Company in McGill dropped to 15 percent of capacity by the end of 1932. Most employees lost their jobs or were offered reduced hours. Company officials and the Red Cross tried to hold the community together by providing food for the needy and allowing employees with families to remain in company...