The Southern CCC Boys of Big Sur, California

All photos, information, and quotes below are from the "Official Annual, 1938, Civilian Conservation Corps, Fresno District, Ninth Corps Area" (unless otherwise noted).

Above: There appears to have been at least two CCC companies that served at "Camp Big Sur" (or, "Camp SP-12"). The first formed in 1933 (see "Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park," California Department of Parks and Recreation), but the two photos above show the men of Company 5435. This company "was organized May 10, 1936, at Fort Mcpherson, Georgia. It was composed of enrollees from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama." These CCC boys first worked in Virginia, and then, on October 8, 1937, they got on a train and made their way to Big Sur, California.

Above: A closer look at some of the men from Company 5435, as well as their pet dogs. Company 5435's work at Big Sur included "maintenance and construction of buildings, roads, two swimming pools, and an open air theater."

Above: First Lieutenant Langdon A. Livingston, commanding officer of Company 5435. Livingston was born in North Carolina on September 24, 1911 and died in South Carolina on December 20, 1987 (see his Find a Grave entry, including obituary).

Above: Commander Livingston, surrounded by camp personnel at Big Sur.

Above: Dr. Benjamin Israel Winick, surgeon for Company 5435. Winick was born in Russia on October 10, 1908, and died in California on February 11, 1995 (see his Find a Grave entry).

Above: Company 5435 in formation.

Above: The cooks and kitchen workers of Company 5435, making sure the CCC boys got their three squares.

Above: Constructing the camp kitchen building.

Above: "Unloading sand from trucks."

Above: Enrollees in their reading room.

Above: Enrollees learning how to type.

Above: The CCC boys enjoying leisure time in their recreation room.

Above: The Big Sur CCC camp, and its surroundings.

In light of the recent Big Sur wildfire and evacuations, it's worth remembering the firefighting work of the CCC. In California, the multitude of CCC camps (about 100 across the state) allowed the boys to quickly reach the fires and thus extinguish them before they got out of control. The enrollees also built firebreaks, constructed truck trails to remote areas, and removed wildfire fuel. All these strategies helped reduce wildfire damage. See my blog post, "CCC fire prevention and firefighting: How successful was it?" February 27, 2021.