In the shadow of our nation’s most controversial memorial, HistoriCorps next project sits humbly beneath the pine forests of South Dakota’s Black Hills. The Grizzly Campground Pavilion is a unique stone and log structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and is a prime example of the primitive yet utilitarian shelters constructed in its era. Located along the scenic Iron Mountain Road, a 17-mile stretch of road winding through the Black Hills, participating volunteers will have one heck of an opportunity to mix their preservation efforts with some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery and tourist attractions.

The CCC has a touted reputation in South Dakota, with over 50 camps established statewide employing upwards of 30-thousand men, the majority being sent to the Black Hills. At Custer State Park which included 125,000 acres of pristine wilderness just south of Mt. Rushmore Memorial, the CCC constructed many recreation areas at popular sites like Horse Thief Lake, which were only possible from initial work constructing dams that allowed for various recreation lakes to be developed. With a variety of Public, private, federal, and state land managers sprawling across the Black Hills, the Black Hills National Forest oversees the majority of land share in the region.

Derived in 1897 as the Black Hills Forest Reserve, the now Black Hills National Forest was created as one of the preliminary preservation areas in the United States due to increased forest fires that lead to legislation of the Timber Culture Act and Forest Reserve Act of 1891 as safeguards to protect the natural resources of the region. Derived from the Lakota language, the words “Paha Sapa,” meaning “hills that are black,” honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. Our project at the Grizzly Creek Campground is located in the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve and is close to the Black Elk Wilderness, South Dakota’s only designated wilderness area. This area encompasses the Harney Range, an area long held sacred by American Indians.

With so much history tucked into one corner of the American West, HistoriCorps is excited to offer volunteers an opportunity to visit the Black Hills and preserve a celebrated legacy of preservation work. For more information about the history of the CCC in the Black Hills, visit The Official CCC Museum of South Dakota’s website and also take a look at South Dakota Public Broadcasting piece on the history of the CCC in South Dakota.