State Parks and Rec gives thanks for massive CCC photo-scanning project

State Parks and Rec gives thanks for massive CCC photo-scanning project

The Washington State Archives’ Digital Projects Archivists Maggie Cogswell and Mary Hammer led the way in completing a massive, 11-year project digitizing and cataloging photos of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

This collection of 2,396 photographs shows work conducted on Washington state parks by the CCC from 1933 to 1938, and includes images of Moran, Lewis and Clark, Deception Pass, Millersylvania, Riverside, Rainbow Falls, Carkeek, Denny Park, Mt. Spokane, Saltwater, Beacon Rock, Gingko, and Twanoh State Parks.

The CCC was a public work-relief program for unemployed men that focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942. As part of New Deal legislation proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the CCC was designed to provide work for young men during the Great Depression, as well as provide a natural-resource conservation program on federal and state lands. Members would enlist for a duration of six months, live in camps, wear uniforms, and abide by strict standards and discipline. About 3 million CCC men worked on public lands across the nation. Many of Washington’s state parks were built entirely by CCC men, creating one of America’s finest park systems.

Photograph of an airship in the sky above some trees and buildings in Saltwater State Park.One notable image in the collection shows the U.S. Macon flying over Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. The U.S. Macon was a rigid airship operated by the U.S. Navy. It was in service for less than two years before it was damaged in a storm and crashed off the coast of California on February 12, 1935.

When Cogswell took the reins of digitizing this collection, only one of its seven boxes had been fully processed and cataloged, and three boxes still needed imaging. Over the course of six months, with the help of students Kristen Brown and Jennifer Huapaya on digitizing, Cogswell processed and cataloged approximately 2,000 images to upload to the Digital Archives.

State Parks Curator of Collections Alicia L. Woods was so elated by the completion of such an extensive project, she wrote this thoughtful and thorough letter to State Archivist Steve Excell:

Hi Steve,

I have been with State Parks for a little over 11 years. I, as well as countless Parks’ staff, have utilized the staff and resources at State Archives regularly over the years. Whether it be silly questions we should already know the answer to, the crazy amounts of agency history we need to thumb through, or some wild – yet lesser known – event that is buried in the nooks and crannies of state history… State Archives has always been there, doing everything they could to try to help us succeed! Steve, you’ve got a great team of awesome and dedicated people.

When I came on board in 2007, Mary Hammer had just started working with her staff to get a very large collection of CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) era nitrate negatives from Parks’ collection scanned. Through staff moving on, descending budget trends with excruciatingly slow recovery, shifts in time and duties, and I could go on and on… Mary, et. al. have prevailed! Today I picked up a thumb drive with the last of the digitized images. The scanning of the collection is complete!

While I realize there is no chance that everyone who touched this project is still with Archives… I still want to send to you this THANK YOU to pass along to Mary and her team. We are grateful for and appreciate all the hard work, attention to detail, and communication and coordination it took to make this happen.

THANK YOU!

Warmest Regards,

Alicia L Woods

Nice work, Archives!

One thought on “State Parks and Rec gives thanks for massive CCC photo-scanning project

  1. You might want to match these photos with the WPA news releases that the State Library digitalized. WSL catalog record follows:
    Corporate Author
    United States. Works Progress Administration (Wash.)
    Title
    PR [electronic resource]
    Imprint
    Seattle, Wash. : State Works Progress Administration.

    Click on the following to:
    View digital version of AG-PR 1&2 and PR 16-100 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 101-200 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 201-300 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 301-400 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 401-500 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 501-600 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 601-700 from Washington State Library
    View digital version of 701-796 from Washington State Library
    Copies

    Description
    v. ; 28-37 cm.
    Note
    Often at head of the title (on the upper left-hand side) is a note such as “Immediate release.”
    Local Note
    Washington State Library’s collection of press releases not complete. WSL lacks PR: 49, 66, 88, 95, 112, 131, 137, 188, 191, 211, 233, 234, 235, 241, 247, 263, 342, 382, 388, 469, 526, 553, 694, 720, 751, 754, 762, 770.
    Note
    Digitized by the Washington State Library.

    Available online through the Washington State Library Internet website on the Classics in Washington History page https://www.sos.wa.gov/library/publications.aspx.

    Description based on: 16 (Sept. 11, 1935); title from caption.

    Description based on content as of: March & Dec. 2009.
    Form
    Also issued online through the Washington State Library Internet website on the Classics in Washington History page https://www.sos.wa.gov/library/publications.aspx.
    Biography
    The Washington State office of the Works Progress Administration (later Work Projects Administration) issued press releases to keep the public informed of its activities. As a federally funded program, the WPA was designed to create jobs during the Great Depression. It operated through a central administration in Washington, D.C. with regional offices, state administrations and district offices. The Washington State office was located in Seattle.
    Reproduction
    Electronic reproduction. Tumwater, Wash. : Washington State Library, 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web System requirements: DJVU Image Viewer.
    Subject
    United States. Works Progress Administration (Wash.) — Periodicals.

    Public works — Washington (State) — Periodicals.
    Added Author
    Washington State Library. Classics in Washington History.
    Added Title
    Press release.

    WPA press releases.

    Works Progress Administration, Washington State office, press releases.
    Note
    At head of title: Fillers.

    At head of title: Fillers, to release at will.

    At head of title: The Following is forwarded to your attention ..

    At head of title: For statewide release.

    At head of title: Immediate release.

    At head of title: Immediate release, news fillers.

    At head of title: Immediate release, special to sports editor.

    At head of title: Information service.

    At head of title: News fillers.

    At head of title: News fillers, immediate release.

    At head of title: On or after Sunday.

    At head of title: Release at will.

    At head of title: Release for publication on receipt.

    At head of title: Release on or after ..

    At head of title: Release Sunday.

    At head of title: Special release.

    At head of title: Statewide release.

    At head of title: Sunday release.

    At head of title: This release is furnished for possible use at your nearest press date and the contents have not been released to any daily paper in your vicinity.

    At head of title: Thursday release.

    At head of title: Weekly news letter.

    Title on Classics in Washington page: United States. Works Progress Administration (Wash.). [Press releases …]
    Continued By
    United States. Work Projects Administration. State of Washington. PR (OCoLC)86111321.
    Sudoc No.
    Y 3.W 89/2:2 S 18/WASH
    Utility No.
    312463744

    (OCoLC)312463744
    Permanent Link

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