Area Attractions/History The CCC program opened new vistas for many young men. Recruits came from all
over the United States, although a small proportion of each camp was from the local area. Most of the young men who served in the CCC remember their experiences as one of the best of their lives. They learned carpentry skills and how to operate heavy equipment. The first aid, typing, photography, and journalism courses taught in the CCC camps also served them well. The usual period of duty was 6 months, but many boys reenlisted and many later made Idaho their permanent home. Charles Enlow came to Idaho in 1931, joined the CCC in 1935, and stayed to make a career in the USFS in Lowman. Mrs. Walter Berry recalls the camp on Crooked River when most of the enrollees were of Italian descent and from the Bronx. One boy asked permission to move out of the tent and sleep under the stars because, he said, “I have never seen the stars before.” Permission was granted. Nellie Hirt, who ran the Last Chance store on the Middle Fork of the Boise River, acted as banker (and mother) for many of the CCC boys in her area, keeping their money until they could send it home or take it when they left. Donald Tanasoca, who was from New Jersey, kept a journal of his six months in the CCC: ‘All day we travelled thru picturesque southern Idaho. We were excited knowing that our journey was almost at an end…. At four next morning we were awakened by the porter. We had reached our destination. Banks, Idaho!...I could hardly wait for the dawn in order to see what kind of country we were in ….I climbed off the train…it was unusually cold…I could see the outline of mountains on all sides…I heard the roar of a river below…We were in timber country….we got into three trucks with seats built around the edge. We huddled together in the open vehicles for it was cold…. This journey from Banks to our camp, a distance of about twenty miles was the coldest ride I’ve ever experienced….Suddenly we beheld the camp….It was astonishing to see as we alighted …the group of boys standing about with only shirt and pants on, gazing curiously at us. They manifested no sign of being cold while we were dressed heavily and still felt it. I wondered if I would ever be able to do the same. One thing I was certain about was a tremendous appetite…I never enjoyed food more than on that morning…the camp had a beautiful site….Beautiful mountains adorned with majestic pines rose at the other side of a clear and cold flowing stream just below the edge of comp. This stream…was the Payette River. …We were glad to learn that starting the first of the week we would be assigned to work crews. Most of us were eager to begin….The old-timers laughed and predicted that we would soon regret ever beginning work….We had to listen to several lectures on camp regulations, safety, and the proper use of tools…”
Garden Valley Guide -- March-April 2014 Issue -- 7