Civilian Conservation Corps Camp – Oreville

Camp F-16 Oreville: Located 1/4 mile SW on Creek Companies: 766 - - 10/28/33-4/34 2760 - - 10/27/35-Spring 37 2751 - - 10/21/34-10/21/35 756 - - 4/15/37-12/15/37 The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal relief program during 1933-1942 that gave jobless men work renovating abused lands. The Army built 48 200-man camps in South Dakota and provided food, clothing, medical care, pay and programs of education, recreation and religion for 23,709 enrollees (single men aged 17-25 who sent $25 of their $30 wage to their families) and war veterans.

Camps and work projects were supervised by another 2834 men. The Office of Indian Affairs ran smaller units for 4554 American Indians. Camp F-16 was a part of a national CCC program to renovate forests and build more recreation areas. Work projects, supervised by the USDA Forest Service, included tree thinning, pruning and planting, fire prevention and suppression; rodent, disease and insect control; grazing land improvement and recreational area development.

Enrollees removed dead, diseased, suppressed and excess trees (used for posts, poles and firewood) from hundreds of acres of pine leaving enough trees to produce quality lumber. They removed flammable debris from forests and nearby areas and quelled forest fires. CCs built firetrails, firebreaks, roads and telephone lines and operated a sidecamp at the former Camp SP-1 (Pine Creek).

Its buildings were used in 1939 to renovate Camp F-12 (Custer). Erected in 1991 by CCC Alumni, the South Dakota State Historical Society, the South Dakota Department of Transportation and Black Hills National Forest.