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Olsen, Vic and Mae, Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, 1930-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Olsen, Victor T.; ; Olsen, Mae C.
Title
Olsen, Vic and Mae, Civilian Conservation Corps Collection
Dates
1930-2001 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 linear ft
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0003olsen (collection)
Summary
The collection includes photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, oral history transcripts, publications, clippings, artifacts, and correspondence documenting the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Washington State. Much of this material was gathered by Vic and Mae Olsen, who were active in the CCC Alumni Association and in establishing a CCC interpretative center at Deception Pass State Park in Washington. Records span the period 1930 – 2001, and include some original material generated by CCC employees and pertaining to individual camps across the state. The collection also documents the activities of the CCC Alumni Association (notably the formation and work of Everett Chapter 78), and the creation of the CCC interpretive center at Deception Pass.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Established by the Emergency Conservation Work Act of 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) comprised one of the popular and far-reaching public works operations established under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. Implemented during Roosevelt’s first “Hundred Days” of office, the administration envisioned the CCC as a means to tackle the growing problems of poverty and unemployment in the United States. During the 1930s and 1940s, under the directorships of Robert Fechner and James McEntee, the program engaged over three million unemployed male volunteers in public works projects designed to conserve natural resources and improve recreational and communication infrastructure.

Roosevelt’s program required unprecedented peacetime mobilization of men and labor. The scope and scale of the CCC program was such that its Advisory Council included representatives from the Departments of War, Labor, Agriculture and Interior. The CCC worked in conjunction with government bodies such as the Bureau of Animal Industry, the National and State Forest Services, National and State Parks, and the Soil Conservation Service. Although CCC camps and projects were established across the United States, many enrollees served in locations far removed from their place or state of origin. The program sent large numbers of unemployed men from depressed areas on the east coast, for example, to training and work camps in the western United States, including Washington State. The government directed the U.S. military to mobilize and train CCC members, appointing officials from the Coast Guard, Navy, Marines and most frequently the Army as commanders of CCC companies, induction and work camps.

Vic Olsen and his wife Mae Olsen were instrumental in preserving the history of the CCC and their achievements in Washington State. In Washington, host to over 200 CCC camps, Roosevelt’s “tree army” was involved in forest and soil conservation, construction of roads, bridges, telephone lines, and park and recreational facilities. CCC members built some 21,788 miles of public trails, and planted 51,057 acres of trees and seedlings.* Camps included those based at Rosario on Fidalgo Island and at Coronet Bay on Whidbey Island (the latter camp was for CCC enrollees from the East Coast of the US). Vic Olsen himself enrolled in the CCC in Everett, Washington, in April 1933, attending training at Fort Worden and Fort Casey before transfer to Camp Easton (F-32), near Cle Elum. In November 1933, Vic was relocated with his company to Camp Louella (F-60) near Sequim, Washington, in the Olympic National Forest, until his later injury and honorable discharge. During his work with the CCC, he assisted with the construction of several facilities at Deception Pass, Washington.

Vic and Mae Olsen retained an active interest in the history of the CCC, founding the Everett Chapter (Chapter #78) of the CCC Alumni Association in March 1983. The Olsens worked as campground hosts at Deception Pass State Park in Bowman Bay for many years. During their tenure at Deception Pass State Park, they were instrumental in establishing an interpretive center devoted to the history of the CCC in the region. The interpretive center was created in 1987 through CCC alumni members’ renovation of an old park bathhouse. The center was dedicated on July 16, 1988, and remains open for visitors to Deception Pass State Park.

*cited in Williams, Gerald W.Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Pacific Northwest 1933-1942 (U.S. Forest Service), Vic and Mae Olsen CCC Collection, CPNWS.

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Content Description

The Vic and Mae Olsen Civilian Conservation Corps Collection documents the history and legacy of the CCC in Washington State. The collection comprises 3 linear feet of material spanning the period 1930-2001. CCC materials include a small number of general administrative records relating to regional CCC activities, and also records pertaining to individual camps throughout Washington State. Camp records include photographs, scrapbooks and publications such as yearbooks and newsletters generated during the 1930s, as well as discharge certificates and memoirs of CCC members who worked at the various locations. Photographic materials include images of one unidentified camp in Idaho.

The collection also contains records pertaining to the CCC Alumni Association between 1978 and 2001. While a small number of records reflect the Alumni Association’s existence and interests on a national level, the bulk of materials document the formation and activities of the Everett regional chapter (chapter 78), founded in 1983 by Vic and Mae Olsen. This collection contains membership records, correspondence, clippings, publications and photographs generated by the Everett chapter, reflecting its reunions and other activities.

Correspondence, programs and exhibit material, reference and photographic records dated 1980-2000 further document the construction and dedication of the CCC Interpretive Center at Deception Pass State Park and subsequent programs and events at this site. Reference materials include articles, papers and clippings relating to the history of the CCC both in the Pacific Northwest and on a national level, and also contain biographical information about Vic and Mae Olsen.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Original copy of the Works Project Map/Rosario Pumphouse Plan is restricted due to fragility – a preservation copy is available to researchers

Preferred Citation

Olsen Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Olsen CCC Collection is arranged in accordance with the following subgroup and series arrangement:

  • Subgroup One: CCC Materials, 1930-2000
    • Series 1. General Administration
    • Series 2. CCC Camps
    • Series 3. Maps
  • Subgroup Two: Alumni Association, 1978 - 2001
    • Series 1. National
    • Series 2. Regional
  • Subgroup Three: Deception Pass, circa 1980-2000
    • Series 1. Correspondence
    • Series 2. Events and Activities
    • Series 3. Reference Materials
    • Series 4. Photographs

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Acquisition Information

Washington State Park Service donated the collection to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in January 2003.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Collection processed by graduate students in Western Washington University’s Archives and Records Management Program (Arrangement and Description Class, Winter 2003). Finding Aid prepared by Ruth Steele.
2003

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