Thursday, January 31, 2013

I've been researching the CCC camp newspapers for a presentation I'm giving at the Arizona History Convention in April. These newspapers were an important part of the CCC program, helping teach literacy to the enrollees and building camp spirit. Best of all, they were written by the CCC boys themselves, so they offer a valuable glimpse into their lives as told from their point of view. I'm having fun seeing some of the names they choose for their newspapers:

Arizona nightingale (San Simon)
Bonita Canyon echoes (Douglas)
Graham kracker (Willcox)
Sandblast Echo (Bowie)
You Name It (Fort Huachuca)
Cactizonian (Tucson)
Cactus Bites (Safford)
Desert Dreamer (Fort Thomas)
Rocklayers Herald (Duncan)
Lone Beaver (Flagstaff)


Sunday, January 27, 2013

National History Day and the CCC

I spent the day last Monday with my delightful CCC enrollee friend, Elson Alvarez. I was contacted a few months ago by some middle school students who were working on a presentation about the CCC for National History Day, a nationwide contest where students conduct research on a historical topic and then present their work in regional and, ultimately, a national competition (see http://www.nhd.org/Contest.htm for more details). The students who contacted me were doing a performance about the CCC. I was able to arrange a meeting with Elson, thanks to his lovely children, and the girls and Elson spent several hours talking to each other about the CCC. It was a wonderful thing to see the legacy of the CCC continued, and I believe that the girls were thrilled to meet Elson, who is a living history treasure. The girls will be giving their presentation on the CCC at CCC Recognition Day at Saguaro National Park West on April 13, 2013 (http://www.wordhunting.com/CCC_Recognition_Day.html).