The Big Finish

I was debating on whether to tell you yesterday or today that Wednesday was the last entry in this series. Obviously, today won out. As I was typing through yesterday's post I guess I just wasn't ready to bring it to a close. Alas, today is that day.

So, whats's next? This seems a bit like the end of one of those movies where you get a quick update on what happened to the characters after the main story was over. Let's go with that.

Robert

Robert does have a few more entries in the journal. They take him up to Temple, Michigan for his next assignment. There is not much information though and I thought it would be good to end where he started, in Fort Sheridan.

In about a month from leaving Ft. Sheridan, Robert leaves the CCC program. I've got a recommendation letter dated 11/9/36 that mentions he is leaving for a job back home. I know that he spends some time driving a truck in the late 1930s, but am not sure if that is the job mentioned in the letter. Like many CCC boys, he goes in to the Army for World War II. Unlike his brothers, Robert would stay Stateside mainly in California where he would teach code to others in the military. 

Robert left the military after the war as a partially disabled veteran. He had arthritis problems which he felt came from the years of sleeping outside and on the ground in the CCC. On his return to Cairo he did accounting work where he met his wife Margaret and would raise a family. 

Robert passed away in 1984, one day before his 68th birthday. He had lived in Cairo the entire time. He was missed by many as he is today.

CCC

The CCC program started to dwindle down as the economy got better in the late 1930s. When young men could make more money at home than through the CCC program, they no longer signed up. While it had been shrinking for years, the formal end came in 1942 as the nation was focusing on the war effort.

Glacier National Park

Unlike the first two, the park is as busy as ever. The 1940 annual park visitor count was at 177,000. In 2007, it was at 2,083,000. You can go there now and take tours on the red buses, see Mt. Cannon, jump in Lake McDonald, and maybe even go in to Kalispell, but be careful. And stay away from the fires.

This Blog

I hope you enjoyed reading through this. My goal was to give you a very light summary of some of the subjects and spark some interest for further investigation. I know some of these lead me to much further reading. 

I'll keep this blog up for future readers. I can't say that I'll be posting regularly to it, but I may add some supplemental posts as I come across CCC items. I'm hoping to go to the park next year and will probably post some then. There is a "Follow by Email" box on the blog page. Sign up here if you want to be notified when I make a post.

Me

Well, this has been an interesting venture. Career-wise this has been an extraordinarily busy time for me and getting a post out some days has been very tricky. Not having that daily 9:00 AM deadline will be nice, but I think it's good to have something in your life to make you accountable and push you to do the harder things. There are plenty of times people have things they want to do and put them off. After doing these posts I can tell you, there is always time if you make it, even if you can only do a little every day. I'm going to be looking for the next thing to fit in my extra little slivers of time. Any suggestions? Comment below.

Thanks for Reading!

Robert in World War II

Robert and his wife Margaret

Recommendation Letter

Entry - October 7, 1936

12.00 PM Well we finally got here in Fort Sheridan today. Its raining to be the devil himself out side right now.

This old place sure is familiar to me. I hope we don’t stay here long.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

"I hope we don't stay here long". He won't. Soon after he will be going to up to Wisconsin to Camp Finley.

While digging through my notes I came across a postcard from Robert to his mother. It was exactly three years to the day in 1933 when Robert had arrived at Fort Sheridan for his first term in the CCC. A 17 year Robert wrote this postcard telling his mother he had arrived safely. Interesting coincidence.

The post card reads -

Dear Mom,

I am just writing you a few lines to tell you I arrived safe. I am having a swell time except the cold wind which comes off of Lake Michigan. We are about 50 yards from the lake. I will write a letter with full details when I get time and money.

Your Son
Robert Fitzgerald

Robert's 1933 letter telling his mom he arrived.

Entry - October 6, 1936

8.00 Well we are stopped in the city of St. Paul now and I see the capitol building of the state of Minnesota from my window. Expect to be in Sheridan about eleven o’clock on the morrow.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Robert is getting close. I found a post card he mailed to his mother while he was in St. Paul. The letter reads:

Dear Mom,

Just arrived in St. Paul. Will be in Ft. Sheridan sometime tomorrow. Will write a letter when I arrive there.

Bob

Robert's Post Card

Great Northern Railway Map

Entry - October 5, 1936

Slept real good in the pullman sleepers last night. Past through the city of Fargo and it sure is a humdinger. I rode the trains so much the last three of four years that I am getting bored with it.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

You can see on the map below how much ground they have covered. All the way from Kalispell on the left to Fargo on the right.

George Pullman started making luxury train cars in the 1860s. George was an engineer that had success in Chicago with architectural endeavors and then moved on to train car design. His first car was completed in 1864. Soon after this Pullman received nationwide attention as one of his cars was selected to carry Lincoln's body back to Springfield, IL.

Pullman's company continued to grow even after his death in 1897. In 1930 the company was at its peak and dominating the luxury car market. Air conditioning was even introduced in 1929. In today's world we don't think as much about what kind of train cars we ride in, but I would think it was something comparable to how we think about automobiles. These were the Cadillac's of train cars.

Great Northern Railroad Map

Pullman Sleeper

Entry - October 4, 1936

Well we got on the train for Fort Sheridan today and we are well across the state of Montana. Sure is kinda good to hear the old train chugging along.

(Headed towards ILLINOIS)

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Trains play an important role in the history of Glacier National Park. In 1891, the Great Northern Railway crossed the Continental Divide at Marias Pass which now is at the south end of the park. At that time, there was no park.

The Great Northern Railway was built by railroad tycoon James Hill in the 1800s. It was the only privately funded transcontinental railroad ever built. The rail line stretched from St. Paul, MN to Seattle, WA and had many contributing lines feeding it. When the line reached the area where the park currently is, Louis Hill, James' son, saw the value of bringing tourists to the area.

There was already an effort being made for the government to protect the land when the commercial interest joined in, it was enough boost for congress set the area as a forest preserve. This was 1897. In the years that followed, the railroad and other groups continued to lobby congress until in 1910 when the area was officially designated as a national park. 

During the 1910s the Great Northern Railway built several hotels and many chalets. An extensive marketing campaign was created to convince American tourists to come out west on their vacations instead of going to Europe. The investment made was key in getting the park started and building it in to what it is today.

This is where we find Robert today. Heading east on the Great Northern Railway.

Great Northern Railroad Railway postcard
Public Domain

Map of the Great Northern Railroad line from 1897
Public Domain

View of the Great Northern Railroad close to Marias Pass.
Google Maps

Entry - October 3, 1936

7.00 P.M. Did not have to work today because of moving tomorrow. Spent most of the day washing up some clothes and packing up. Said goodbye to all of my friends and buddys and otherwise.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

I've kind of got mixed feelings here. This adventure is coming to an end which is a bit sad. Glacier National Park has been a fun place to explore and hanging out with Robert every day has been interesting. The anticipation of the next adventure is exciting though. I get the feeling Robert is ready for the next thing. After all, he has been there sleeping in a tent or outside for four months now. It's starting to get cold as well. I took a look at the weather forecast for today (2015). It is for snow showers.

The CCC program is more than three years old at this point. Enrollment is at about 350,000 and more than 1,000,000 have been though it. When you consider the regular Army only had 125,000 enlisted men, this was really quite a project for them to manage.

Robert is sixth from the left in the back row
From Robert's CCC Photo Collection

Entry - October 2, 1936

7.00 PM Turned in all our excess clothes and boots and shoes today to get ready to move day after tomorrow.

(I sure would like to have some good old noodle soup)

Robert

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Comments from Chris

We're getting close to moving day! Before I run out of posts I wanted to mention something I thought was interesting. The Continental Divide runs right through Glacier National Park. If you are not familiar with the Divide, this is place where on one side, water drains in to the Pacific Ocean and on the other, the Atlantic Ocean. This divide runs the length of North and South America. In the US, the divide is basically through the Rocky Mountain range.

Glacier National Park is home to Triple Divide Peak. One of the few places on Earth that can feed three oceans. The Laurentian Divide meets the Continental Divide here making a point that in addition to the Atlantic and Pacific, has runoff for the Arctic Ocean.

If you are feeling ambitious, you can hike the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail from New Mexico to Montana. This would be a great adventure!

Triple Divide Peak
Google Maps

Continental Divide Trail
By Charlie DeTar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)]

Entry - October 1, 1936

6.00 P.M. Today I start a new term in the c.c.c. as the old one ended last night. Looks like winter is about to set in for good. Put on my long underwear today. It sure does feel good too.

(Sometime I wish I could hibernate like a bear)

Robert

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Comments from Chris

This starts Robert's fourth term. I really wish I had more information on what he did during this term, but what I have falls off after the journal ends. This may be something I come back to later on after this project is complete and I can dig up more information. 

I've been thinking about how this time in the CCC affected Robert. If you remember, he left high school to go into the program, was there for six months, came back home for a year to graduate school and then goes back for 18 months. All of this at an influential time in his life. It must of had a lasting affect as I'm sure it did with many of the enrollees. Also remember, this is the generation which went on to be called the "Greatest Generation". 

Below is one of my favorite pictures in the series.

Robert in Back Row with Hand Up
From Robert's CCC Photo Collection

Entry - September 30, 1936

12.00 Pay Day! Hooray! The only day of the month I like to see roll around. I am broke already. In fact I was broke before I got the money.

(Just thinking how I used to lay in bed till ten o’clock at home)

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Speaking of rolling around, this blog wouldn't be complete without talking about the iconic Red Buses ("Jammers") in Glacier National Park. The Red Buses have taken thousands of people on park tours throughout the years. The current fleet was introduced the year Robert was there - 1936. Even today, the fleet is mostly made up of those 1936 buses.

The oak frame buses were made by the White Motor Company specifically for park use. They have a roll down top could be driven up and down the Going-to-the-Sun Road to provide excellent sight-seeing. You can still do this today. I've included a link below which provides some interesting facts about the buses.

On a side note, Robert's sister turned 19 on this day. Happy birthday Pauline!

Link to Red Buses

September 30th entry from the journal
Robert's CCC Journal

Red Bus
By Adam Engelhart from San Francisco, California, USA (Bus, Glacier NP  Uploaded by H-stt) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Red Buses
www.CGPGrey.com [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Entry - September 29, 1936

10.00 PM Went to Canada today broke. It isn’t but 20 miles away and is sure is a cold 20 miles in these open trucks. You can’t get back over the border (c.c.c.) after six o’clock so I almost got stuck there for the night.

Robert

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Comments from Chris


Canada was close, but take a look at the truck in the photo below. It would have been a cold trip in that thing.

I was taking a look at Robert's map and comparing it to today's maps. I think it is interesting how things change over time and a map can clearly show change. If you get a close look at it you can see how the roads are different. Some are new and some have just disappeared. Robert most likely crossed in Carway which is still a border crossing, but the town has all but vanished.

Something I noticed on the map was Chief Mountain. It is kind of a special place for many of the Native American tribes through history. Take a look at the photo. This rock rises almost 5,000 feet from surrounding area. I can see why they would think about it differently than the surrounding mountains.

Robert in the back facing camera
From Robert's CCC Photo Collection

Map from Lake Sherburne to Canada
Robert's 1937 Glacier National Park Map

Chief Mountain
www.rodjonesphotography.co.uk [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Entry - September 28, 1936

6.00 Burr it’s getting colder than a well diggers back of his lap. Mostly stood around the fire today.

Had chicken today. First time in a long while.

(Today I am thinking about some good old noodle soup.)

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Considering I had some chicken noodle soup over the weekend on a cool day, I can really appreciate what he's thinking about. It probably would have been fantastic at the time.

I was taking a look at where we're at today with our journey in to Robert's life. This is the 82nd post! I'm kind of surprised seeing that number. There has been quite a bit of work put in to get these out every day at 9:00, but I didn't think about it being that many. You should have seen some of the days where I was cramming that morning before post time to get one together. I know some of them have been better than others, but I hope that overall you have been entertained.

We have 10 posts to go, so hang in there a bit longer.

September 27, 2015 - Supplemental - Cumberland Mountain State Park

4:10PM. This morning's post was brought to you from Cumberland Mountain State Park. This area was heavily worked in through several of Roosevelt's programs, but in particular, the CCC did work in this park. In fact, the largest masonry structure built by the CCC is the Byrd Creek Dam at the center of the park. It really is something to see. 

This weekend my family hiked and spent the night in one of the cabins there at the park. We had a close look at the dam and visited the CCC Museum located next to the park restaurant. It was a great time and I would recommend seeing it. Below are some of my photos.  

Back side of the Byrd Creek Dam.

Byrd Creek Dam from the front side.

Notice some of the clothing items mentioned a few posts back.

Entry - September 27, 1936

5.00 P.M. The news is getting around today that we are going to be shipped to a camp somewhere in Illinois. I don’t put much faith in this.

The trucks are going to town tonight but I ain’t. You have to ride about fifty miles before you get there.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Since Robert is from Illinois, going there would be very appealing. Especially now that he has been away from home for so long. There actually would be many CCC opportunities for him in the Southern Illinois area where he was from.


Southern Illinois is a heavily forested area which was logged extensively before Robert's time. It may be hard to tell now, but this area was logged to the extent which caused real problems with the environment. Several of the CCC projects dealt with situations like this related to overuse of the land. 

When the depression came, falling demand and prices meant entire industries would change. One of the most visible at this time were farmers. Crops prices dropped so much that farming was no longer viable. The logging industry was much in the same situation. The people in Southern Illinois which had depended on the resources provided by the forest found themselves without a reliable source of income. The combination of environmental damage and economic woes made the area ideal for CCC interaction.

There had been some work in Southern Illinois towards making conservation areas. The formation of the CCC provided an avenue to make the Shawnee Forest a reality. Federal money was provided through the CCC program to buy private land in the area and and manpower from CCC enrollees transformed it into parks. The Shawnee Forest continues to grow today through land purchases just like when it started.

I don't have much information on Robert's brothers, but my understanding is the at least one other Fitzgerald brother worked in Giant City State Park. Giant City is a showpiece for CCC work in the area. You can go there today and eat at the Giant City Lodge, a structure built by the CCC.

Here's a short video about that lodge and park. Take a look at the architecture. This seems to be common in other CCC structures I've seen.

Giant City:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlpK7AsARoI

Inside Giant City Lodge
David Wilson, Flickr

Entry - September 26, 1936

7.00 P.M. We had a 2 inch snow last night but it all but vanished today except that on the mountains and I guess that is there to stay. It was a little slushy on the job but we didn’t mind that so much because they let us build a fire any time or place because the fire season is over. Officially.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

There are several ski and snowshoe trails in the park. Once the Going-to-the-Sun Road closes in October visitor traffic will go down, but there are still opportunities to enjoy the park. In the Lake McDonald area Robert was in there are several trails. From what I can tell visiting the park at this time can be tough, but rewards you with a beautiful snow covered landscape and an environment with few people around.

Winter Glacier National Park
GNP Flickr

Entry - September 25, 1936

9.00. Well we got over here about nine o’clock last night. We are in a better camp and a better view of scenery.

Got a better job over here. Am cutting down dead wood for the kitchen and the stoves in the tents. We have a good place to work in.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

That was a quick move. It probably didn't take too long to pack though. The enrollees didn't have a huge amount of equipment. Per one of the quartermaster reviews, the equipment they were issued is below:

Three suits of underwear Six pairs of stockings One pair of shoes Two pairs of denim trousers and jumpers One pair of woolen trousers Two flannel shirts One tie One waist belt One hat One raincoat

In 1934 the business of supplying the CCC was enormous. After the program was created, it ramped up quickly. Suddenly there were thousands of men to feed, house and equip for work. This put many suppliers to work and created jobs.

The Sherburne Lake area is close to the Many Glacier Hotel which was almost burnt in the Heaven's Peak fire. It does indeed provide for some beautiful views of scenery.

Sherburne Lake
Roland Taylor, USDOI

Entry - September 24, 1936

10.00 PM Well I sure got a surprise today. We went to work as usual and worked about one hour and they called us back in and told us we had to move to Fort Sheridan October 4th but now we had to move over to Sherburn Lake right away.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Fort Sheridan was located on Lake Michigan north of Chicago, but still in Illinois. That area was active back in the 1600s, but it was 1888 when construction actually began on the fort. It was officially closed in 1993.

Robert's orders ultimately came out of Ft. Sheridan even though he belonged to Company 2614, Camp Finley. Fort Sheridan was Robert's first stop when he joined the CCC in 1933.

On a side note, this day in history includes the birth of Jim Henson.

Fort Sheridan Barracks
Library of Congress

Entry - September 23, 1936

7.00 P.M. Had another picture show in camp today. Rhythm on the Range with Bing Crosby. It was pretty fair.

I kicked a hole in my suitcase today and I got so mad that I almost threw the thing out.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Rhythm on the Range is a 1936 Bing Crosby singing cowboy movie. You can take a look here -
Rhythm on the Range

Bing had a hit song from the movie. If you want to get a feel for the sounds of the time. Take a listen to it here -
I'm an Ole Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)

Lake McDonald
GNP Flickr, Tim Rains

Entry - September 22, 1936

5.00 Got a letter from Edward today with a five spot in it. I sure can use the dough. I went to get me some clothes. I bought a white sweater already.

Got another issue of long underwear.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

I guess that it just takes a little complaining about not getting a letter. Edward is the oldest brother and has been working for the railroad in Cairo for some time now. That five dollars matches Robert's income for the month, so I'm sure it was appreciated.

Looking at the weather for this week (2015) the temperature is getting down to the high 30s at night. Sounds like a good time to get a sweater.

Fall at Glacier National Park
GNP Flickr, Tim Rains

Entry - September 21, 1936

7.00 Took this is? pretty easy today. Can’t understand why the h--l I ain’t getting a letter from home.

It sure does look like the fire season is over. We haven’t had a fire for quite a spell. I hope it just stays that way till we move.

Robert

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Comments from Chris

Robert was the fourth child in a family of five boys and one girl. Back at home in Cairo, Robert's family were all still living at a small house located at 425 20th Street. Living there were:

Hatti (Mom) - Age 52
Edward (Brother) - Age 25
Richard (Brother) - Age 24
Paul (Brother) - Age 22
Pauline (Sister) - Age 18
John (Brother) - Age 15
Lena (Aunt) - Age 67

Robert's father had passed away a little more than a year ago at the age of 57. You can see from the ages this a little different than what is common today. Lena and Hatti both managed the household while the older sons worked to bring income to the family. Remember Robert was sending $25 of his $30 each month home to support the family. This tight family arrangement allowed for stability in rough economic times.
I have seen many family letters from around this era. The mail was used commonly even for people living less than 10 miles away. You have to consider travel was not quite as convenient then as it is today. After knowing that, I'm not sure why Robert wouldn't be getting letters.

Avalanche Falls
From Robert's CCC Photo Collection