The Civilian Conservation Corps In Arizona'S Rim Country: Working In The Woods

Chapter 7 The Camp Newspaper

96 The Camp Newspaper Perhaps the single most unifying element of CCC life, aside from the forest work itself, was the camp newspaper. Almost all of the main camps of the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains had one. It became a source of pride—proof that the camp was a special community. More than any of the official reports coming from the government, the camp papers offer the best perspective of life in the CCC. Each camp’s paper was written by the enrollees themselves using camp typewriters and was printed at the campsite. The volunteer staff—an editor and as many as eight or nine helpers—tried to put out an issue every month, but deadlines were not taken very seriously. The general goal of the paper was to highlight special events, personal stories, and elements of camp life that some of the men might have missed during the course of a normal work week. Updates on forest projects and jobs completed rated secondary coverage and rarely made page one. Also, a rehash of national, international, and local news was not part of the paper’s mission. The men had access in their library to regular newspapers and could keep track of outside events using those sources. The camp papers didn’t try to mimic regular newspapers in style and format, either. The editors decided what would go into the publication, and they tried to print things the men would find interesting—camp gossip and items about recreation or education, for example. There is also evidence that they cared very much about how the paper looked. No photographs were reprinted in the papers, probably because the technical means to do so were not available at the camp. Instead, hand-drawn illustrations by the men were used to enhance the look of the paper. There was alChapter 7 the camp newspaper j 97 most always someone in the camp with a special gift who didn’t mind having it seen in print. Although there was never any direct competition between camp publications , each company sought the best illustrator for its paper. Camp advertisementsencouragedenrolleestocomeforwardandshowofftheir skills. A comparison of camp newspapers from the White Mountains– Rim Country CCC camps shows that some editors were more desperate for drawings than others. It appeared to be no coincidence that a camp that had an artistically talented enrollee would also have a liberally illustrated newspaper. Besides the cover, each segment of the paper (sports, forest news, etc.) usually had an appropriate drawing or heading of some kind. Some papers showcased artistic talent with a comics page that featured cartoon likenesses of officers, supervisors, and barracks buddies.1 The finished editions looked more like small school notebooks than modern city newspapers. Each paper had a soft-cover title page (sometimes on colored paper) that included artwork that was most often linked to a special topic or holiday. Thus, the February issue might show a drawing of Abraham Lincoln, and the July issue usually had a flag or patriotic banner on the cover. If a special dance was being held that month at camp, the cover page might show a couple dancing. The publication was free to the men, with a five-cent charge for additional copies. Some camp editors printed an address label on the back so that the paper could be folded, stamped, and mailed to the folks back home. Company 2857 at Eagle Creek in 1937 printed part of the paper in Spanish so the Hispanic enrollees could more easily keep their friends and relatives informed. Most of the camp papers had the same general format. First, there was usually a one-page message from the commanding officer, often an “editorial” welcoming newcomers, discussing morale, or encouraging the enrollees to better themselves through education classes. On occasion the camp doctor would add comments about treatment of minor ailments and general health information for the men. Personal tidbits about the enrollees usually followed. Most common were remarks about the fellows whose CCC enlistments had expired, often mentioning future prospects back home and offering a “well done” for past service. A list of new enrollees who had just reported to camp was usually included as well. It was almost standard to print their home- 98 j the ccc in arizona’s rim country towns and suggest that the rookies read the paper for advice on how to get along in camp and live up...