MOOSE, Wyo. — Ninety years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to create thousands of new jobs for young men who ended up contributing to the development of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
In 1933, the CCC aimed to employ Americans and help move the country out of the Great Depression. By 1935, four CCC crews were stationed in GTNP at Jenny Lake, Leigh Lake, Lizard Point and near Colter Bay. According to GTNP, the crews constructed miles of trails and facilities and removed thousands of dead trees along Jackson Lake, which had been flooded after construction of the Jackson Lake Dam.
In 1942, Congress discontinued funding for the CCC so resources could be diverted to the effort to win World War II. This caused the CCC camps to close.
The primary camp at Jenny Lake, known as the C-Camp, later became a base camp for world-renowned climbers like Royal Robbins, Irene Beardsley and Yvon Chouinard. These climbers stayed at the C-Camp while putting up iconic first-ascents in the Teton Range.
In 1946, the old C-Camp bathhouse became an office and living space for the pioneers of guided climbing in the U.S., Petzoldt-Exum School of American Mountaineering. The bathhouse continues to serve as summer headquarters for the Exum Mountain Guides.
In 2006, the bathhouse and mess hall from the C-Camp were placed in the National Register of Historic Places. The old CCC camp at Jenny Lake can still be accessed today during the summer months when the park road opens to through traffic.
