Author Bill Jamerson will present “The CCC Boys of Colorado” at the Dolores Public Library Thursday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.
The music and storytelling program is about the Civilian Conservation Corp, a federal works program created by President Franklin Roosevelt in the heart of the Great Depression.
Dressed in uniform, Jamerson will share stories about the CCC, read excerpts from his book, show a video clip from his PBS film and sing original songs with his guitar.
During its nine-year run beginning in 1933, over 57,000 men served in the CCC in Colorado, with many camps in the San Juan National Forest.
The camps were run by the army with an average of 34 camps in operation in Colorado for each year. The enrollees were paid $1 a day with $25 sent home to their families each month. The money provided relief for families who were desperate for food and basic necessities during the Depression.
The CCC constructed hundreds of miles of roads, built bridges, worked on soil erosion control, were active in reforestation, and worked on grazing-control operations that restored grass and water to vast stretches of land for cattle and sheep grazing. The CCC also constructed at Rocky Mountain National Park, the Colorado National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park and Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater.
Jamerson has performed at CCC reunions around the country and at dozens of CCC-built national and state parks. The program at Dolores Public Library is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
