If you have hiked a trail, camped in a state park, or driven a fire lane in the Northwoods, you have likely used something built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Established in 1933 during the Great Depression, the CCC put young, unemployed men to work restoring the nation's natural resources.

In Wisconsin alone, over 92,000 "CCC Boys" planted millions of trees to reforest the cutover wastelands left by the lumber boom. They built fire towers, fought forest fires, constructed bridges, and laid the foundations for parks like Copper Falls and Rib Mountain. They lived in military-style camps, earned $30 a month, and sent $25 of it home to their families. The Northwoods we enjoy today isn't just wild; it was rebuilt by hand, one tree at a time.