Other Useful Sources

While there are not a lot of books that deal specifically with the CCC, there are hundreds of books about the Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, many of which contain references to the CCC and also useful information to help put the CCC program in its historical context. Some authors argue that the New Deal was a great success, while others argue that it was not a success and some argue that the programs of the New Deal prolonged the Great Depression. In using these source materials, keep in mind the author's point of view and their opinion. What is their thesis regarding the New Deal? What main point are they striving to make? Weigh their arguments against other authors and check their sources to see if they've done sufficient research to back up their claims.

Here, in no particular order are a few books that deal with the Great Depression and/or the New Deal:
The Bonus Army by Paul Dickson & Thomas B. Allen
Riding the Rails by Errol Lincoln Uys
FDR's Folly by Jim Powell
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
The New Deal in Arizona by William S. Collins
FDR and His Enemies by Albert Fried
Dust Bowl by Donald Worster
The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
The Great Depression by Robert S. McElvaine

This list is not exhaustive by any means and new titles may be added here from time to time so check back occasionally.

CCC Writing Competition Announced!!

Information packets announcing the Arizona CCC 75th Anniversary Student Writing Competition are being sent out to teachers and educators across the state. The contest is open to Arizona students in 6th through 12th grade. Submissions must be postmarked no later than Saturday, January 12, 2008. If your school does not have information about the contest, you can send a request for information to: armyscout@asualumni.org

Check back here from time to time for any contest updates and new information regarding CCC research. Good Luck!

Books About the CCC

This list isn't in any particular order and isn't all-inclusive, but it should start you off in the right direction in your CCC research. This blog isn't intended as a way to sell books. You should be able to obtain copies of some of these books at your local library. Other books, especially the government publications can be hard to locate and an interlibrary loan may be needed if you decide you want to obtain a copy of the book in question.

Without question one of the single best books on the CCC is John Salmond's book subtitled "A New Deal Case Study," which is long out of print but which can be borrowed at local libraries and at ASU. Check back occasionally to see if new source material has been added to this list.

Louis Lester Purvis, The Ace in the Hole: A Brief History of Company 818 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (Columbus, GA: Brentwood Christian Press, 1989)

Alfred Emile Cornebise, The CCC Chronicles: Camp Newspapers of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. 2004)

John A. Salmond, The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study (Durham: Duke UP, 1967)

Peggy Sanders, The Civilian Conservation Corps In and Around the Black Hills (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004)

Leslie Alexander Lacy, The Soil Soldiers: The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Great Depression (Radnor [Pa.]: Chilton Book Co., 1976)

United States, Department of Agriculture, The Forest Service and The Civilian Conservation Corps: 1933-42, FS-395 (Washington: GPO, 1986)

Christine E. Savage, New Deal Adobe (Santa Barbara: Fithian Press, 1991)

Kathy Mays Smith, Gold Medal CCC Company 1538: A Documentary, (Paducah, KY: Turner Pub., 2001)

Larry N. Sypolt, Civilian Conservation Corps: A Selectively Annotated Bibliography (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2005)

Robert J. Moore, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona’s Rim Country: Working in the Woods, (Las Vegas: Univ. Of Nevada Press, 2006)

Renee Corona Kolvet & Victoria Ford, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada, (Las Vegas: Univ. Of Nevada Press, 2006)

Where to start....

There are a number of useful books detailing the history and work of the CCC from 1933 to 1942. Your local library may have some of them, or you school librarian may be able to obtain them for you. Elsewhere on this page you'll find a list of some of the more exhaustive studies of the CCC. Also remember that the CCC story is covered in other books about the Great Depression.

The internet can also be a useful tool for conducting research for your writing project, but remember to use the internet carefully and to always double check internet sources if you can because not everything that appears on the internet is accurate or unbiased.