Dollar A Day Boys - A Musical Tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps

Description

Upper Peninsula-based singer/storyteller Bill Jamerson will present a 90-minute music and storytelling program about the Civilian Conservation Corps. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Rib Mountain State Park. It will be held outdoors in the amphitheater, but in case of rain, it will move inside to the Friends Gathering Place. This performance is free and open to the public.

Dressed in costume, Jamerson will share stories about the CCC he has collected for over 30 years, read excerpts from his novel, and sing original songs with his guitar. His presentation is as entertaining as it is important as honest as it is fun. It's about people, both ordinary and extraordinary, with stories of strength, wit and charm. Jamerson has performed at CCC reunions around the country and at dozens of CCC-built national and state parks.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal works program created by President Franklin Roosevelt at the heart of The Great Depression. During its nine-year run beginning in 1933, 92,000 young men worked in Wisconsin camps. There was an average of 46 camps in operation for each year. The enrollees were paid $1 a day, with $25 sent home to their families each month.

In Wisconsin, the CCC planted 265 million trees, built 483 bridges, erected over 4,000 miles of telephone lines, constructed 4,300 miles of roads and truck trails, stocked half a billion fish, fought forest fires and built several state parks, including Rib Mountain, Devil’s Lake, Pattison, Peninsula Park, Copper Falls, Interstate and Wyalusing. Wisconsin camp locations can be found on the CCCLegacy.org website.

CCC camps across northern Wisconsin reforested the Nicolet and Chequamegon National Forests. In the southern half of the state, they worked on dozens of farms terracing hills, putting up fencing, repairing gullies and laying fertilizer. The camps not only revitalized Wisconsin’s natural resources but also turned the boys into men by giving them discipline and teaching them work skills.

Some of the songs Jamerson performs with his guitar include He Was Only Sixteen, the story of a youth who was caught stealing and sent to the CCC. Chowtime is a fun look at the camp food, Woodtick is a song about the nicknames locals gave the C’s, and Tree Plantin’, Fire Fightin’ Blues talks about the hardships of working out in the woods. The folk songs range from heartwarming ballads to foot-stomping jigs.