Author Description

Hidden among the rolling farmland of south-central Wisconsin are the remnants of an experiment in conservation, dating back to the Great Depression of the 1930's. Mount Horeb, WI and the Civilian Conservation Corps camp just south of town became part of an unlikely partnership that saved critical farmland, uplifted a small town, and at the same time provided desperately-needed employment to hundreds of eager young men. It is told here largely through the eyes of young CCC recruit Louis Roedell, and is a story of achievement and adaptability, hardship and cooperation. "Through personal interviews and archival research, Moore had created a fresh narrative that gives the reader a window into CCC camp life, work, and contributions." Douglas Helms, National Historian (Ret.), Soil Conservation Service. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. "Moore provides a well-documented, spirited, and valuable link to the organization that gave young men an opportunity both to serve their country and to gain valuable environmental healing skills." Franklin E. Court, Emeritus Professor English, Northern Illinois University; author of Pioneers of Ecological Restoration: The People and Legacy of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. "Many long-time residents of Mount Horeb assumed the stories of the young, unmarried men who lived and worked there during the Depression were largely transient and forgotten. Yet, Moore captures the personality of Louis Roedell and other CCC youths, offering a glimpse into this workforce, and their enduring mark on the landscape." Brian J. Bigler. Regional historian, founding member and former president, Mount Horeb Area Historical Society. "As a young man plowing the fields, I always wondered about the CCC spillway, as it seemed to stand in lonely remembrance to the boys who built it. Who were they, why were they here, where did they live? Robert J. Moore brings this remarkable era to life