Leeds CCC Camp

The Depression hit Utah harder than most of the country, and this camp was part of the answer. At the worst of the 1930s, a quarter of Utah's workers had no job, and in some months better than a third. The Civilian Conservation Corps put young men to work on the land, and in southern Utah — arid, flood-prone, short of developed water — that work mattered urgently. About 250 men lived in frame barracks at the Leeds camp, built in 1933. Its stone terraces and surviving buildings make it perhaps the best-preserved CCC camp left in the state.

What the plaque says

Built in 1933, the Leeds Civilian Conservation Corps Camp is significant as perhaps the best remaining example of a CCC camp in Utah. These camps were typically built of relatively temporary frame construction, and the surviving buildings and features such as the stone terraces at the Leeds camp present a unique, if somewhat limited, view of these important facilities. The economic impact of the Great Depression was especially severe in Utah where unemployment averaged 25 percent during the 1930s and was once as high as 36 percent. Because of the pressing need for conservation work, such as flood control, water resource development, etc., in the arid climate of southern Utah, the CCC work projects were of great importance locally. Approximately 250 men were housed in frame barracks that were located to the southwest with other buildings such as a mess hall, library, and showers. The remaining stone structures are but a few of those originally built. The men were typically from out-of-state and served in the CCC for 9 to 12 months. Temporary remote “spike” camps were established near many of the actual construction projects. The Leeds CCC Camp was closed in 1942, and most of the frame buildings were removed before 1950.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hurricane Canal Trail — 6.0 mi
  The hand-dug canal that built Hurricane, now a walking trail blasted into the Virgin River gorge
• Snow Canyon State Park — 16 mi
  Red and white sandstone cliffs with ancient lava flows
• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm — 17 mi
  Real dinosaur footprints preserved in ancient sandstone
• Grafton Ghost Town — 17 mi
  A photogenic ghost town used in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

More markers nearby

• Wells Fargo & Company Express Building — 1.3 mi
• Harrisburg Residents (2) Markers (DUP & SUP) — 2.3 mi
• Monument to Harrisburg Pioneers — 2.3 mi
• Harrisburg Historic Pioneer Cemetery — 2.4 mi