"When we arrived at Battle Mountain we were given a rough outline of what work we would be doing over the course of our six month stay. Six months was the length of time that one could be enrolled in the C.C.C.. However, after your time was up, you could enroll again." --Dominick Gadamowitz There was much work to be done. By 1933 much of the country's timber resources had been squandered. This contributed to the huge problem of soil erosion. Each year three billion tons of soil washed away. An equal amount was blown away by the wind. Historian John Salmond remarks that President Roosevelt "brought together two wasted resources, the young men and the land, in an attempt to save both." Source: John A. Salmond, The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942 (Durham, 1967), p. 4.

Issuing Cots and Blankets (detail) Location: North of Clinch River, TN Date: November 17, 1933 Agency: CCC Credits: Lewis Hine Source: NARA (SPB) Enlarged Image Description: Issuing cots and blankets to new replacements just arrived from New York at CCC Camp, TVA #23, located just north of the Clinch River between Walker's Ford and Lone Mountain, Tennessee. These boys will be part of the force working on reforestation and erosion retardation in the Clinch River watershed above Norris Dam. (Lewis Hine)