CASE STUDY
The Continued Restoration of a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota
Camp Rabideau National Historic Landmark, located within Chippewa National Forest (CNF), Minnesota, represents one of the best-preserved Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in the nation. Camp Rabideau was one of the 2,650 camps established across the country in 1935 to provide work to young men as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal initiative. Enrollees at Camp Rabideau worked on projects within the CNF, such as building roads and other facilities, surveying, wildlife protection, and other forestry activities. Today, the Forest Service manages the camp and works in partnership with Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps (NBHPC) to maintain and complete restoration projects on the 15 original buildings that remain from the CCC era.The NBHPC
is a Minnesota-based corps dedicated to teaching historic preservation trades to adults ages 18-25 from across the country. Crew members are selected from all backgrounds for their enthusiasm, desire to learn, and commitment to service. Members earn a living stipend and are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award at the completion of their service. In August 2020, the NBHPC crew primarily worked on scraping and painting one exterior wall of the Mess Hall and barracks and three of the Recreational Hall’s exterior walls.The crew swept and cleaned the Educational Center, Mess Hall, and the Infirmary’s floors. NBHPC has worked on multiple projects on the CNF for the past four years, including the Joyce
44 | IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A REPORT ON FEDERAL HISTORIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 2021
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