THE ROUNDUP

Submitted by Al. Klunder
Co. 3696 DG-110
Three Creek, Idaho
June, 1939

On western plains and mountains, where highly bred beef cattle and sheep now graze, the historic haunts of buffalo, antelope and long horned steers, some 18,000 CCC enrollees in 90 Interior Department Division of Grazing camps now take new courage and build new foundations for life, while building improvements on the Federal Range. They find themselves in camps distributed among 10 Western states, in 50 grazing districts administered under the Taylor Grazing Act, covering 120 million acres of public land grazed by over 11 million head of stock. From crowded Eastern tenants, forgotten Southern back woods, idle Great Lakes factories, and from small town stagnation throughout the land, come these ambitious young men to answer the offer of opportunity. And they are but a representative contingent of the larger movement. Conceived as a measure to relieve the social back wash of national economic depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps on April 5 completes its sixth year of service to the Nation 300,000 strong. Not all these young man, to be sure, move Westward, geographically speaking. Some go from East to West, some from North to South, and some remain near their home communities. But in all the spirit of ambition is the same as that of prairie schooner days. All are reaching out for opportunities not available at home. Opportunity for remunerative work, opportunity for higher education, vocational training and job experience; opportunity to grow to man's stature, physically and mentally, in an atmosphere of worth-while work and awakened responsibility. Stationed in some 1500 CCC camps throughout the Nation these 300,000 enrollees have assumed an important place in the preservation and development of our natural resources. Building roads in primitive areas; developing parks and playgrounds, birds sanctuaries and wildlife reserves; halting the destructive march of soil erosion; fighting grass fires, forest fires and forest diseases in summer; trapping predatory animals and succoring starving livestock and game animals in winter -- these are but are rough outline of the many CCC activities designed to preserve or enhance our National values. Idaho's ten Division of Grazing camps, employing about 2,000 enrollees, are located near Mountain Home, Oreana, Bruneau, Three Creek, Hagerman, Kimama, Chilly, Dubois and Baker. All save the Hagerman and Oreana camps, which date back to 1935 were established late in 1938. Theirs, in part, is the task of helping rehabilitate our depleted public ranges through construction of such physical improvements as roads, trails, canyon crossings, bridges, drift fences, driveway markers, loading corrals, stock watering reservoirs and erosion check dams; development of springs and wells, destruction of predatory animals, rodents and insects -- pests; prevention and control of grass fires; tree planting and reseeding of burned, eroded and overgrazed areas. That this tasking is being vigorously attacked is shown in the more than 200 projects completed, and in the advance outline of three to five year's work for each camp. Approximately 300 miles of truck trails and a dozen bridges have been built to aid range livestock movements and the management. An additional 400 miles of similar roads are being maintained. Driveways have been posted over 120 miles of remote ranges. More than 45 stock watering reservoirs now make feed usable in areas formerly neglected or underused for lack of water. Spring development and drift fences likewise have aided in range use and livestock distribution. Nearly 500 coyotes have been killed, rodent pests have been poisoned over an area of 134,310 acres. Thirty-six grass fires covering 41,250 acres, were controlled during the 1938 season. Projects such as these give enrollees valuable training, in addition to benefiting the Idaho livestock industry. The CCC is no longer an experiment. So well have enrollees proved the value of their training on return to civil life that they have earned through public support.