Mark In Texas History: Lufkin Civilian Conservation Corps Camp provided Depression-era jobs

LUFKIN Texas (KTRE) - For this week’s Mark in Texas History, we take a look at a location that dates back to the days of FDR.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 to provide youth employment programs during the Great Depression.

The Texas Forest Service ran the Lufkin CCC Camp. Young men helped build roads and bridges. They also would string telephone lines and plant trees. These progressive forestry techniques not only relieved unemployment but helped revive the East Texas forest industry.

The Lufkin district was in charge of 17 CCC camps around East Texas, and they employed thousands of young men who made 30 dollars a month, according to records at the East Texas History Museum.

The camp closed in 1942.

If you’d like to check out the site of the old CCC Camp in Lufkin, it’s located at the intersection of Frank Avenue and Ellis Street.

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