|
|
ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED CONSERVATION SERVICE
EMPLOYEES (ARCSE) |
|
|
|
|
|
CCC Work in KANSAS |
|
CCC Home
Marion
County, KS:
Thanks
go to Dwight and Helen Beckham for the following information.
Camp
KS-SCS-27 just outside of Marion, KS was established to build a park and create
a lake with an earthen dam that would cover an area of over 300 acres.
The first company to occupy the camp was #4755 and was pretty unique because it
was made up of both veteran and junior enrollees. The
enrollees were African American. The veterans served in either the
Spanish American War or World War I. The company arrived from Ft. Riley,
KS on Feruary 3, 1936, and departed for camp KS-SP-3
on February 1, 1939.
Camp KS-SCS-27 can be seen in
the background.
The dam and lake as it looked
in 2007 can be seen below.
|
These
boys had energy for extra self-interest projects –– one was
building a wash house and dry cleaning business. This wash house may
have been a result of very enterprising men finding a way to supplement their
dollar a day pay. The
story of the building was described in their Cappy’s
Camp Courier 1936-1939 newspaper that was published by the camp’s
journalism class. In 1938, two years after the Civilian Conservation
Corps Company V4755 enrollees arrived in Marion this 12’x18’
native limestone wash house was erected through the leadership of Argo
Bedford, Henry Reed, (buried in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery) and James
Warren. After work hours other men in the camp aided in its
construction. Their newspaper admitted it was an effort to obtain some
of the business that was going into the coffers of the downtown competition.
The building had a concrete floor containing drainage facilities, hot
water tanks, a sewing machine, tables, tubs, irons, a gasoline washing
machine, and a Hoffman pressing machine. |
|
All
underclothing, fatigues, socks, shirts, trousers, etc. –unpressed or rough dry cost fifty cents per month.
For $1.25 all clothing would be done and two dress G.I.
uniforms would be cleaned and pressed twice per month. Laundry and dry cleaning
bills were payable on payday and the men took advantage of the charge account
100 per cent. Business ran around the $200 mark per month. The
camp newspaper noted that this establishment was the only one of its kind in
the entire CCC throughout the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and
the Virgin Islands with over 2,650 camps.
Today the wash house is used
as a museum.
Cappy's Camp Courier had lots of poems such as:
|
THIS LITTLE PIG WENT TO MARKET THIS LITTLE PIG STAYED HOME THIS LITTLE PIG JOINED THE CCC AND INTO A HOG HAS GROWN. |
|
OUR DAM THE DAM IS ABOUT COMPLETED. AND THE DIRT IS FILED UP HIGH. THERE WILL SOON BE HAPPY OR SAD DAYS FOR EACH ONE, YOU AND I. FOR THE TRUCKS ARE OUT OF THE VALLEY AND THE ROCKS ARE ON TOP OF THE HILLS, TO MAKE THE FINAL FILL. SOME ROCKS ARE LARGE AND HEAVY AND THEY LIE CLOSE TO THE GROUND. IT TAKES SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES MEN’S POWER TO MOVE THEM ROUND AND ROUND. SO WE HAVE THESE MIGHTY TRACTORS TO DO THE WORK AT HAND THAT SEEMS TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BE DONE BY MAN. NOW WE ARE THE SURVIVING HEROES OF THE MIGHTY AND GREAT WORLD WAR WE ARE LACK OF STRENGTH AND ENERGY BUT OUR WORK IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PAR. NOW THE BOYS WHO WORK ON THIS PROJECT ARE VETERANS WHO LIVE NEAR AND FAR. WE CANNOT GO HOME AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BECAUSE “RED” HAS “RED LINED” OUR CARE BUT STILL WE TARRY AND LABOR WE START SO EARLY IN THE MORN. AND WHEN OUR DAY’S WORK IS ENDED THE BUGLER FORGETS TO BLOW HIS HORN WE HAVE ALL CROSSED THE GREAT ATLANTIC, WE HAVE SAILED THE DEEP BLUE SEA, WE WORE OUT UNCLE’S O.D.’S WE FOUGHT FOR FRANCE, AND THE LAND OF THE FREE. NOW WHILE I SET ON THIS BENCH BESIDES GOD’S BLESSED SPRING, THERE COMES TO MY MIND MEMORIES OF SONGS MY BUDDIES AND I USED TO SING. THERE ARE SMILES THAT MAKE US HAPPY. THERE ARE SMILES THAT MAKE US BLUE, THERE ARE FACES ON THIS PROJECT THAT WILL BE GLAD WHEN OUR WORK IS THROUGH, NOW HASTEN TO ME COMRADES, AND TO THEM THAT ARE IN COMMAND, THE WORK WHICH MCBURNEY AND WE HAVE DONE, MARION COUNTY OWES US A HAND. BY ASST. LEADER CLARENCE MORGAN |
|
OUR COMMANDER WE NOW HAVE A COMMANDER THE BOYS ALL CALL HIM “RED.” THE ONLY TIME THEY GET A KICK OUT OF LIFE IS WHEN HE IS HOME IN BED. HE IS ABOUT TO TAKE OFF ON A VACATION OH WHAT JOY AND RELIEF. AND MAYBE YOU THINK WE ARE NOT HAPPY? WE ARE ABOUT TO GET RID OF OUR GRIEF. SOME OF THE BOYS WENT HOME LAST WEEK TO SEE THEIR LOVING WIVES, THEY TRIED TO GET BACK TO CAMP ON TIME TO KEEP DOWN ANGER AND STRIFE. NOW THIS IS ONE THING THAT “RED” DEMANDS, GET BACK TO CAMP ON TIME. FOR IF YOU ARE LATE A DAY OR TWO YOU ARE SURE TO BE RELINED. HE IS ROUGH AND TOUGH AND VERY GRUFF BUT AFTER ALL THESE THINS I’VE SAID IF YOU NEED A FRIEND, IN TIME OF NEED GO SEE “RED.” -BY CLARENCE MORGAN |