1935 - Year Three For Camp SP-1 and SP 10
YEAR 1935 - Year 3 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at Spring Mill State Park
The list of documents below are not all inclusive of those you can view if you click on any of the links but highlight some the webmaster thought were the most interesting. When the year begins there are 2 camps at Spring Mill State Park. Camp 1536 is a camp of white enrollees and Camp 539 was a camp of black enrollees which had arrived in November of 1934.
Rex Deckard, Former Spring Mill Naturalist summarizes “Race Relations” and when the Black Camp 539 arrived and when it left.
Riots staged in Mitchell - Article in Bedford Newspaper on August 26, 1935 referring to a significant confrontation between black CCC camp enrollees and Mitchell residents that quickly escalated and involved hundreds of people.
Military investigates local disorder - Mitchell Tribune, Aug 29, 1935 - The first page of this document is very small and hard to read- the same document is shown in more readable format on the 2nd and 3rd page.
Editorial in Mitchell Tribune on the incident “You are Damaged.”
From the History of Lawrence County - a succinct explanation of what happened with the race riot.
Report to Dept of Interior- January 1935 - here are the first mentions of building hiking trails and bridle trails. Water system and the gate house is being built, and the Lower Residence is under construction.
Report for April and May - describes work done on Spillway, dam and pipeline
June 1935 Report - Detailed report on personnel, supplies, menu, educational programs, condition of barracks, Reports items like bedbugs present and the roof leaked but no communist literature had been found.
Oct 1935 Report - spoke proudly of all the project completed, the reservoir, spillway, the shelter house, a residence, and visitation was up at the park because of all the improvements. Considering building cabins near the lake.
List of CCC camps in Indiana - by 5th period 1935 - there were 57 200-man camps. 10 were in State Parks, 2 at Spring Mill SP.
List of CCC camps in Indiana - by 6th period 1935/36 there were 43 camps; 7 in state parks and only Camp 1536 at Spring Mill SP.
June Report on SP-10 Camp - reported no issues with race relations and their work is excellent.
December 1935 Report for SP-10 - Has information on personnel, menus, education program, work details and supplies such as that prepared for SP-1
Man exiting vehicle parked in front of single story log cabin (above). Sign along road reads "Admission 10 cents each. Fees to be used for park maintenance." This was the first gate house but was also noted as the infirmary.
Unidentified CCC enrollees pose during work on lower residence cabin construction project. Walls beginning to go up. Inside cabin two large chimneys are prominent which remained from the original building. Left background is the Springhouse. Center right background is the blacksmith cabin.
