Description:
Raymond Gagne, 92, of Spalding, sent the photos and comments of his time when he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps at Camp Wells in Cedar River.
His letter follows: These are pictures from when I served at Camp Wells in Cedar River from Aug. 2, 1935, to March 31, 1937, with the 676th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps. (see rest of letter below)
We renewed the decimated forests of our nation by planting nearly three billion trees, fighting forest fires, and building roads and parks that we all still enjoy today.
The Civilian Conservation Corps also had an impact on the economy because we were paid $30 a month and $25 of that $30 was sent home to help our families which in turn helped to stimulate the economy. Crime also fell by up to 55 percent because people once again had employment which meant they had money for the basic essentials of life.
Serving in the C.C.C. helped to make men out of young boys and I still have fond memories of my days spent in the service of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The photos above, taken in the late 1930s, show the outside view and the inside of the barracks of Camp Wells in Cedar River. Raymond Gagne who provided the photos said the men were enrolled as a peacetime army and they built and maintained all of the buildings.