December 2019

O’Leno State Park near Gainesville is one of Florida’s oldest state parks. We camped here close to Christmas and debuted our van’s Christmas light display. Well, we didn’t exactly light up the night, or provide a beacon in the darkness, but it somehow helped us ease into our first Christmas without a traditional house.

We hiked the park trail along the Santa Fe river to its “sink,” the spot where the river disappears and continues underground, resurfacing miles down the road. We crossed the trail’s suspension bridge and scratched our heads over signs posted side by side- one was a gator warning, the other indicated the designated swimming area. I don’t think gators read signs, so I will keep my swimming and gator watching separate.

We also toured a small museum about the role that the CCC played in the development of our country’s parks and natural areas.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was perhaps the most successful of FDR’s New Deal programs. Started in April of 1933, it provided jobs and training for thousands of unemployed young men. In nine years, the CCC planted more than 3 billion trees, built park shelters, trails and roads which helped shape the national and state parks we enjoy today.

We learned that, among many others, the ranks of the Corps included Walter Matthau, Raymond Burr, American League Hall of Famer Stan Musial and Chuck Yeager, the first man to fly faster than than the speed of sound.

CCC recruits were paid $30 a month, $25 of which they were required to send home. In addition to having a job and learning a trade, the program helped bring purpose and pride to so many who were unemployed. For many, it was their first time away from home and family. Homesickness was real, but it was eventually replaced by opportunities to grow and be part of something bigger. Many learned to read and write as part of the program, something that benefited them for the rest of their lives. The CCC was disbanded when the country needed to reassign resources for WWII. Some of the New Deal programs are still with us – for example Social Security and the FDIC. Learning more about Roosevelt’s New Deal made us wish for similarly meaningful programs today.

Overall, we have found the Florida State Parks to be among the best cared for and maintained. Volunteers, often retirees like us, continue to support the park system in many different capacities. After we have worked the travel bug out of our system, we think we might join their ranks.