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Some photos from our conference, photographed by Rudy Kovar, we had there a cartoonist and it was pretty fun
This is the wall of the orginal Gooseberry Falls Wayside Rest, built in the mid 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It took three summers to build not just the wayside rest, but also all the buildings that were in the area as well.
The CCC hired boys mainly from Urban communitites and sent them into the forests and other areas so they could learn a variety of skills, preserve conservation sensitive areas, and have a job. It was a part of Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Many of these young men went on to serve in the military during WWII, often gravitating towards units such as the paratroopers, Rangers, Marine Raiders, and other groups under which we now refer to as 'special operations.'
The wall was built with native stone under the guidance of stone workers from Italy. They taught the boys how to choose, cut, place, and mortor the stones in place. All for about $28 a month, most of which by contract, had to be sent home to the worker's family.
At the top of this wall was a parking lot where people could pull off MN 61 to look at the falls. I still remember the first time we stopped here in 1977. In 1996, it was retired from a wayside rest with the opening of the new Welcome Center.
Here at the state park they have turned the old CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) building into a museum. The CCC was part of FDR's plan to give jobs to those suffering in the Great Depression. You can tell which trees were planted by the CCC in the area, because they are all about the same height.