There will be a public open house at the historic Tellico Ranger Station to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  The 1930’s era facility built by the CCC will be open to visitors throughout much of the day (June 27th).   Former CCC enrollees and relatives of enrollees who attend the open house are encouraged to bring any CCC memorabilia they may have so others can see and share in their memories

The open house will be held from 10 am – 3 pm Friday June 27, at the Tellico Ranger Station.  Visitors may come and go as they please.  Employees will be stationed throughout the facility to provide information and respond to questions regarding the history of the facility and the work of the CCC. The Tellico Ranger Station is located at 250 Ranger Station Road, off Highway 165, seven miles east of Tellico Plains, TN.  Phone: 423-253-8400.

From 1933 to 1942, CCC enrollees worked in National Forests planting trees, building roads, fighting wildland fires, and constructing administrative and recreational facilities, many of which are still used and enjoy today.

The CCC constructed and/or planted the majority of the national forest infrastructure in the Southeastern U.S.  More than half of all National Forest land in the Southeast was purchased during the CCC era. These mostly cut-over and burned-over lands could not have been restored and protected without the dedication and labor of the CCC enrollees.  

Nationally, from 1933 to 1942, CCC enrollees: planted over 3 billion trees; built 63,000 buildings, 47,000 bridges, 7,600 dams, 8,000 wells, 3,470 fire towers, and 100,000 miles of road; and expended more than 4,235,000 person-days fighting fires.

The CCC was officially established by President Franklin Roosevelt in March 1933. There were dozens of CCC camps in Tennessee.  Many facilities throughout the Cherokee National Forest were constructed by the CCC. The Tellico Ranger Station is a tribute to the work of the CCC. This facility was the site of the first CCC camp in the Southeastern United States, and one of the first in the nation.  CCC Company 1453 from Fort Oglethorpe, GA established camp F-1 at what is today the Tellico Ranger Station.  They constructed the Ranger Station and associated buildings, as well as a number of recreation facilities in the area.  In addition they planted trees, fought wildfires, constructed roads, and performed a variety of other natural resource work.

The original “ranger’s house” located at the Tellico Ranger Station was recently rehabilitated and is being used when needed as a facility to house research workers and various project volunteers. The Tellico Ranger Station reflects the architecture of the 1930’s and a portion of the office is dedicated to displaying various CCC and 1930’s era Forest Service memorabilia.

For more information about the open house please contact the Tellico Ranger Station at 423-253-8400.