CCC workers build a guard rail for a road at Moran State Park. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives.)

If you love old, classic photos, our Digital Archives has tons of them, covering many subjects.

One example is the vast collection of photos featuring the incredible work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps throughout Washington in the 1930s. These photos are from the Digitial Archives’ collection of State Parks and Recreation Commission, Photographs of Park Development, 1933-1938. Many of the shots were taken of workers at Moran State Park on Orcas Island; Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey and Fidalgo islands, and Lewis and Clark State Park, a few miles south of Chehalis.

The CCC was formed during the Great Depression. From 1933 to 1942, roughly 3 million young men ranging from ages 17 to 25 served in work camps in rural areas across the U.S. In Washington, they built roads, bridges, kitchen shelters and other buildings, picnic areas and forest fire lookouts.

CCC workers take part in a logging competition at Deception Pass State Park.

The CCC’s impact in Washington was significant. Many of Washington’s state parks owe their existence to CCC workers. In fact, some state parks were entirely built by the Corps. Many of the structures built by CCC workers still exist today in state parks across Washington.

The (Everett) Herald has an interesting story about the CCC , featuring one of the photos from the Digital Archives’ collection.

The Digital Archives is part of the Washington State Archives, which is a division of our office.