In a move that will prove both timely and monumental, John Salmond’s The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study has been posted online nearly in its entirety (only the index has been omitted).
Salmond’s book is a recognized cornerstone to the structure that is CCC research and scholarship. In the 1960s John Salmond did first what few (if any) have done better: he wrote the life history of the CCC. Admittedly short on the personal narratives seen in so many books and articles today, Salmond’s book is a study of how the CCC came to be and how it grew and evolved, flourished and eventually fell into decline as the U.S. was nudged closer and closer to participation in a world war. Without Salmond’s initial important research and documentation of the program, most of today’s oral history and personal narrative on the CCC would simply be interesting documentation of life experiences, but lacking important context. Though published in 1967, Salmond’s book is very nearly a primary source document for those seeking an organizational history of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Our anonymous visitor also shared the good news that the U.S. Forest Service history The Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps: 1933-1942 can now be viewed online. Published in 1986, this government publication is especially interesting reading for CCC researchers whose interest is with the work done for the Forest Service. Print copies can be found for sale online and usually run to over $100; having this detailed piece of CCC scholarship available online for free is a huge boon, not simply for people researching the CCC but also for people with a general interest in the U.S. Forest Service.
A huge thank you goes out to our anonymous visitor – we appreciate your help in keeping us up to date on available CCC research material!
John Salmond’s The Civilian Conservation Corps can be viewed and downloaded here:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/ccc/salmond/index.htm