MIC Lecture Series: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Erosion Control in the Spanish Valley

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) contributed significantly to the landscape of southeastern Utah in the 1930s and 1940s. From constructing roads to bridges to infrastructure in the soon to be National Parks, the four CCC camps located within and near Moab were vital to the growth of the region and stabilization of the land. In response to the effects of seasonal flooding events, such as the large flood of 1932, two camps located in southeast Moab were tasked with controlling erosion along Mill and Pack creeks and within the Spanish Valley. Previous unregulated grazing and mismanagement of lands had destroyed the native vegetation and left the area vulnerable to significant erosion from heavy rains and snow melt from the La Sal Mountains. In response, the CCC worked to mitigate the effects of flooding with controls along Mill and Pack creeks and within the broader Spanish Valley including dams, furrows, trenches, plugs, rock structures, and tree planting. A number of these features can still be seen on the Spanish Valley landscape today and are important pieces to the CCC legacy in the area.