Lake Wedington Cabins, AR 2023

Built in the midst of the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps, this attractive recreation area serves as the backdrop for classic summer vacations in the Ozarks.

PROJECT PARTNER: Ozark-St. Francis National Forests

SESSION DATES: October 15-20, October 22-27, and October 29 – November 3

PROJECT SUPERVISOR: Pete Specht!

CREW LEADER: Charles Dobry!

Project Site Description & History

Located on land historically inhabited by the Kickapoo, Osage, Caddo, O-ga-xpa, and Ohéthi Šakówi Nations, Lake Wedington hosted Civilian Conservation Corps crews that constructed cabins and other recreational buildings for public use. These CCC-built resources are overdue for some HistoriCorps TLC. According to recreation.gov, “Lake Wedington beckons all visitor types, from those who come to relax and fish all day, those who come to speed along on bike paths or cruise on a boat, and those who want to stay in a cabin as a lakeside home away from home offering luxuries including electricity.”

The Friends of Lake Wedington share via the University of Arkansas: “The lake’s origin lies in the heart of American tragedy: the Great Depression. By the mid 1930’s much of the farm land in the area had been depleted of production value. Many farm families were in dire straits and looked to the government for aid. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration developed “The Northwest Arkansas Land Use Project: An 18,000-Acre Demonstration in Better Land Use.” The major goals were to help families stranded on valueless farm lands, while at the same time demonstrating it was possible to improve the use of land in the Ozark region. Thus was born Lake Wedington.

Join HistoriCorps to continue preserving this area for future generations to benefit from its history!

Location and Logistics

SESSION DATES:October 15-20, October 22-27, and October 29 - November 3

Please plan to arrive at the campsite no earlier than 5pm and no later than 7pm on the first day of your session.

LOCATION: Located about 35 miles southeast of Bentonville (birth town of Wal-Mart)

MAP to LAKE WEDINGTON CABINS CAMPSITE/WORK SITE

ACCESS:

Tents, truck-campers, campervans, and small RVs will have access to our campground. Please be sure that if you are bringing a trailer, your tow vehicle AND trailer equal no more than a combined 25 feet in length.

Great news for your canine family members! Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash at all times.

WEATHER: Anticipate highs in the low 70s and lows in the 40s. Weather conditions may be rainy, cloudy, or sunny. Volunteers are responsible for checking weather conditions before their session begins, and packing appropriately.

ABOUT VOLUNTEERING: HistoriCorps projects are free for volunteers! HistoriCorps will provide all meals, tools, training, equipment, and a campsite. Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation to the campsite, sleeping equipment, work gloves, clothes and boots, and other personal gear.

Scope of Work

SCOPE OF WORK DIFFICULTY:

HistoriCorps is committed to educating and training volunteers in preservation skills, with an overarching mission of inspiring a preservation ethic in all those involved. Learning and working alongside expert HistoriCorps field staff, volunteers and applying the traditional skills necessary to restore the Lake Wedington Cabins:

Replace roof shingles with architectural asphalt shingles
Install chimney flashing
Repair windows and rotten sill logs

Please note: Tasks vary by day and by week, depending on a variety of factors including: weather, project priorities, previous groups' work, and more. Though it is likely you will get to learn and practice most or all of the above tasks, it is not guaranteed. The higher percentage of the scope a particular task is, the more likely you will get to practice it.

Sign Up!

We’re thrilled this project has inspired you to volunteer!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Visit our Job Calendar to see if a project session is full.

*All registrations submitted to projects at capacity will be automatically added to our waitlist.*

You will know your registration was successful when you receive a confirmation email. Contact volunteer@historicorps.org for assistance.

HistoriCorps does not charge for its volunteering projects. HistoriCorps relies on donations to continue engaging volunteers to save significant historical sites across America for generations to come. Your donation of any amount will make an incredible difference! Increase your impact – make a generous gift today.

Volunteer Logistics, Policies, and Advice

We’re so glad you’re interested in joining this project! If you’re new to our community, review the Volunteer FAQ first! Please note the following logistics and policies:

Volunteering with HistoriCorps is free! We will provide all meals, tools, training, equipment, and a campsite or shared indoor lodging. Dinner is not provided on the first night.
Volunteers are responsible for bringing their own gear, work gloves, sturdy work clothes and boots, and appropriate sleeping equipment. Check the average temperatures before you start packing – the nights and mornings may be colder than you anticipate! Then, read this advice about how to stay warm when tent camping in colder places.
Campsite accessibility varies by project. Some projects can accommodate tents only; others can accommodate small RVs. Please review the project site description above for more information, and if you’re still not sure, email volunteer@historicorps.org for help.
If this project does not offer showers, you might want to consider bringing a solar shower or research other methods to clean up after the work day.
Volunteer crew sizes generally range from 4-8 volunteers, with two HistoriCorps staff that lead and train volunteers in the work.
Safety is one of HistoriCorps’ top priorities, and volunteers can contribute to a safe working environment by ensuring their physical fitness is adequate for the work. See above for this project’s scope of work and difficulty level. Please, call us if you are not quite sure if a project is a good fit for your skills or fitness level. We may be able to suggest a project more suitable and enjoyable for you.
Hard hats, eye protection, ear protection, gloves are standard personal protection equipment (PPE) required on all projects. Hard hats must be worn at all times on the project site, unless working in a designated safe space. Field staff will train volunteers on correct use of PPE.
Dogs are generally allowed to accompany their humans in project campsites (actually, we love having dogs join us around the campfire!). Dogs are not permitted on the job site for everyone's safety. HOWEVER: HistoriCorps also follows the rules and regulations of our project partner. If the project partner does not permit dogs onsite then HistoriCorps is no exception. Please ask HistoriCorps or the project partner directly if you have any questions about whether Fido is welcome.