Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The panel's order runs backwards. The park's water already came from Rattlesnake Springs by 1935, when six miles of pipe were laid to the cavern to replace Oak Springs; the CCC camp, NP-1-N, opened at the springs only on July 1, 1938. Its sixty-two men built a ranger residence still in use, a service road and a diversion ditch, lined the spring pond with masonry and tended the trees. The camp closed in April 1942, its buildings went to the Carlsbad air base, and the cottonwoods remain.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Carlsbad Caverns National Park The Civilian Conservation Corps provided employment for more than 50,000 young men in New Mexico during the great depression of the 1930's. At the National Park Service CCC Camp, they developed nearby Rattle Snake Springs into a permanent water source for Carlsbad Caverns, built roads, parking areas, and trails. Which made the park more accessible to the public.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park — 4.7 mi
  The way into the cave has changed four times: a guano miner's bucket, a wooden staircase, a 750-foot elevator, and now a timed ticket and a switchback trail down the natural entrance.
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park — 25 mi
  A zoo and garden of the Chihuahuan Desert on the Ocotillo Hills above Carlsbad, whose animals are injured or orphaned wildlife that cannot go back to the wild.

More markers nearby

• Guadalupe Mountains — 2.6 mi
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park — 5.5 mi
• Espejo's Trail — 22 mi
• Goodnight-Loving Trail — 23 mi