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Fort Missoula C.C.C. Books & Photo c. 1933-1939

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Fort Missoula C.C.C. Books & Photo c. 1933-1939
Featured in this lot are two pictorial review books and one framed photo from the Fort Missoula Civilian Conservation Corps in Missoula Montana circa 1933-1939. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) represents an early effort to coalesce the concepts of natural resources conservation planning with human resource planning. In order to repair damage from decades of neglect or overuse and to open new areas for recreational use, forestry experts, soil scientists, park planners and architects worked in conjunction with labor groups, military men and educators to take what at the time was our most vulnerable human asset and move them into primarily rural settings. Because of this, young men from Eastern states who had few opportunities ended up working in the wide open spaces of states like Montana, restoring streams and rangelands and constructing facilities to enhance recreational opportunities. They did all of this while being supervised by mentors and leaders such as military officers, technical service foremen, surveyors, landscape architects, and educational advisors, many of whom were out of work due to the Great Depression. The plan called for hiring young, unmarried men to work in every state in the areas of forestry, wildlife and range management, parks, and recreation. The monthly base pay for an enrollee was $30, of which $25 was sent home to support his family. Students had the chance to advance to assistant leader and leader roles, which opened up opportunities for advancement and increased compensation. The men's enrollment and camp care fell under the purview of the War Department. About 40,868 people, 25,690 of whom were Montanans, worked on CCC projects in the state between 1933 and 1942. The remaining CCC enrollees employed in Montana were young men who were sent there from out-of-state, primarily from Kentucky, New York, and New Jersey. The CCC operated uninterrupted from 1933 until 1942 when funding was discontinued in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War Two. The first C.C.C pictorial review book shows a green felt cover with gold gilt lettering and an image of two trees. The book shows various members of different Companies and provides three of four photos for each. The back of the book is filled with advertisements of various local businesses and companies. Behind the front cover are two, original black and white photos showing Company 1998 and the Ninth Corps taken by Leo's Studio. The second book shows a paper cover and reads, "The Green Guidon" and shows the C.C.C. logo on the bottom right corner. This book shows various photos of people in different companies throughout, with the back pages showing various photos of workers doing different jobs, past times and more. The last few pages are filled with signatures from men believed to be involved with the C.C.C.. The framed photo shows Company 956 at Camp Taft F-9 in Haugan, Montana lead by Captain John U. Schless, Inf-Res and camp superintendent Paul E. Nelson. The framed photo shows 145 men standing in a field posing for the picture. The front row is seated, the middle row is standing and the back row is standing on a bench. The bottom of the photo lists all the men's names involved in the company and photo. The books show some wear from their age and use over the years, but no signs of obvious damage is present. The framed photo shows good condition as well with some wear to the frame but no damage or wear to the photo. The books measure 10 3/4" L x 8 3/8" W to 12" L x 8 1/2" W, while the photo measures 8 13/16 L x 27 3/8" W.