Civilian Conservation Corps at Garner State Park

Nearby Concan, local lore says, was named for coon can, a Mexican card game. Theophilus Watkins built its first log cabin with a chimney in the 1860s, and a post office opened in 1880. About 150 people lived there by 1884, hauling wool and beef to the railroad at Uvalde, but the town declined in the early 1890s and lost its post office from 1894 to 1900. By 1929 it had about twenty residents and had begun to attract tourists, and the Shut In on the west bank of the Frio had become its center.

What the plaque says

Civilian Conservation Corps at Garner State Park During the Great Depression, the Emergency Conversation Work At created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and produced lasting landscape and construction projects across the U.S. Through the program, millions of young men obtained meaningful employment and training. The military-style discipline and order they experienced served many of them well during World War II. CCC Company 879 began its work at Camp SP-42-T (Garner State Park) in April 1935. During the first phase of development (1935-37), construction included the main entrance portal and road, and the keeper's lodge. In 1937, the CCC began construction on the heart of the new park, the combination building, known as the Pavilion, and a dance floor, on a high bluff near the Frio River. The building architecture, known as NPS (National Park Service) Rustic, utilized native limestone and wood in its detailing. The second work phase (1938-39) focused on finalizing the master plan, and constructing cabins and a stone overlook near the Pavilion. The third phase (1940-41) concentrated on preserving and enhancing the landscape's natural look. In April 1941, as American neared entry into World War II, work here came to a close. Local and state representatives officially dedicated garner State Park on June 1, 1941. Since then, it has attracted countless visitors to experience unique vistas, historical architecture and abundant outdoor activities. Today, the cultural landscape recalls the perseverance and hard work of young men who participated in one of the nation's most successful federal programs, the CCC, which reclaimed both land and lives while providing hope. (2007)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Garner State Park — 1.1 mi
  The Frio River park that Uvalde County built with the Civilian Conservation Corps and named for its own vice president, where people have danced on the stone pavilion every summer since the 1940s.
• Real County Historical Museum — 10.0 mi
  A small county museum in Leakey, at the head of the Frio Canyon, with a log-cabin parlor, an 1880s horse-drawn hearse, a wool and mohair shearing machine and 1910s jail cells.

More markers nearby

• Lombardy Irrigation Ditch — 3.4 mi
• C.S.A. Saltpetre Mine — 5.9 mi
• Silver Mine Pass — 5.9 mi
• Dry Frio Canyon — 7.2 mi