Camp Platte

Veterans' companies like Camp Platte's came out of the Bonus Army. After the second march of World War I veterans on Washington, Roosevelt amended the CCC program on May 11, 1933, to give veterans work. Unlike junior enrollees, who had to be 18 to 25, veterans could be any age, married or single, if the Veterans Administration certified their need, and they were generally put in all-veteran camps. Rated men such as senior leaders, mess stewards, storekeepers and cooks drew $36 to $45 a month. By July 1, 1933, some 28,000 veterans were enrolled.

What the plaque says

Camp Platte In October 1934 Camp Platte was established near here by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs designed to promote economic recovery during the Great Depression. Its goal was to provide jobs and vocational training for unemployed men between age 18 and 25. U.S. Army officers administered the camps. While most CCC camps enrolled young men, Camp Platte's Company 1782V consisted of World War I veterans and a few Spanish-American War veterans whose average age was 46. Throughout the 1930s the men planted trees and grasses and built terraces and check dams to help control soil erosion in Platte and Colfax counties. The camp was built near the Groteluschen farm primarily due to a nearby artesian well, which was credited for the excellent health the middle-aged veterans enjoyed. Recognizing the men's previous military service, the camp newsletter was named the "Veterans Company Chronicle." On July 1, 1941, Company 1782V was transferred to Madison, Nebraska, and Camp Platte was closed. The CCC was disbanded in 1942 following U.S. entry into World War II. Platte County Historical Society Nebraska State Historical Society, 2016

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Genoa U.S. Indian School Museum — 21 mi
  The surviving trades building of a federal boarding school that ran from 1884 to 1934 on the Pawnee Nation's last Nebraska land, where at least 86 children died and the cemetery is still lost.

More markers nearby

• Columbus Powerhouse — 6.5 mi
• Alfred Maximilian Gruenther: 1899-1983 — 7.3 mi
• Frank Zybach - Inventor of Center-Pivot Irrigation Machine — 7.7 mi
• Agricultural Park — 8.6 mi