Historic Photograph Collection: Civilian Conservation Corps at National Parks

This album features many photographs taken by the National Park Service's first chief photographer, George A. Grant, beginning in May 1933.

These photos document Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps & life at work throughout the park service, including shots at Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and Mount Rainier.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, created as a New Deal program under President Franklin Roosevelt, left a lasting impact on our parks and throughout the United States.

In the midst of the Great Depression, the CCC served dual functions:

Providing Public Works jobs to young men left otherwise destitute and unemployed

& providing a mechanism for the conservation of our nation's many natural resources.

George A. Grant is one of the National Park Service's "eminent photographers."

From 1929 until his retirement in 1954, Grant created nearly 40,000 images for the park service, many of which we include in our official Historic Photo Collection.