Adirondack CCC Camps
Twenty-six Civilian Conservation Corps camps once ringed the Adirondack Park, building fire towers, trails, and roads still used today. This is their story, from five years of Martin Podskoch’s research and 185 interviews.
A Depression-Era Workforce
The Civilian Conservation Corps began on March 31, 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Great Depression. Camps were set up in many New York towns, state parks, and forests, including 26 that eventually ringed the Adirondack Park, from Paul Smiths and Tupper Lake to Lake Placid and Fish Creek Pond.
Enrollees signed up for six months and worked a 40-hour week for $30 a month, most of which they sent home to their families. In 2006, Podskoch turned from chronicling the region's fire towers to gathering the CCC's stories, spending five years traveling to Adirondack towns and interviewing 185 alumni, families, and friends.
Among those he interviewed was Clarence Petty, the noted wilderness guide, pilot, and district ranger, who first worked in 1933 as a forester at the Tupper Lake camp before advancing to camp superintendent until the CCC ended in 1942.
What They Built
Fire towers, trails, and roads built by CCC crews are still in daily use across the Adirondack Park.
Fire Towers & Observer Cabins
CCC crews built and maintained fire towers, observer's cabins, and telephone lines across the park
Trails & Truck Roads
Miles of trails and access roads that hikers and rangers still rely on today
Campsites & Dams
Public campsites and small dams built by hand across the region
Tupper Lake Camp
Where Clarence Petty began his forestry career as a young CCC forester
Paul Smiths & Gabriels
Franklin County camps that worked the surrounding state forests
Fish Creek Pond & Lake Placid
Campground development that shaped these popular Adirondack destinations
What’s Inside the Book
A 352-page large-format history of the 26 Adirondack CCC camps, built from 185 interviews, over 50 charts and maps, and more than 500 pictures and illustrations, published in 2011.
Clarence Petty, the wilderness guide and conservationist Podskoch interviewed, said the book “captures the vitality of the young men who worked so hard to improve our forests.”
See artifacts and photographs from CCC camps across the Northeast at the Historical Museum of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Stafford Springs, Connecticut.
The Civilian Conservation Corps Series
Four regional histories documenting the CCC camps of the Northeast, state by state.
Adirondack CCC Camps FAQ
How many CCC camps were there in the Adirondacks?
There were eventually 26 Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the Adirondacks, at locations including Paul Smiths, Gabriels, Tupper Lake, Lake Placid, and Fish Creek Pond.
What did the CCC build in the Adirondacks?
Adirondack CCC enrollees built trails, roads, campsites, and dams, built and maintained fire towers, observer's cabins, and telephone lines, fought fires, and planted millions of trees.
Who did Martin Podskoch interview for the book?
Podskoch conducted 185 interviews over five years, including with Clarence Petty, the wilderness guide, pilot, and district ranger who began his career as a CCC forester at the Tupper Lake camp in 1933.
When was the Adirondack CCC Camps book published?
Martin Podskoch's "Adirondack Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories and Legacy of the CCC" was published in 2011, a 352-page book with over 500 pictures and illustrations.
Where can I see CCC artifacts related to the Adirondacks?
The Historical Museum of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, displays photographs, tools, and memorabilia from CCC camps across the Northeast, including the Adirondacks.