Library programs on railroads, CCC Camps

The Friends of the Library are sponsoring two programs at the Clintonville Public Library during National Library Week April 8-14. On Monday April 9, the library will host a railroad activity program presented by the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. On Thursday April 12, they are sponsoring Dollar-A-Day Boys: A Musical Tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps by Bill Jamerson.

Railroad Activity Time

It's Railroad Activity Time at the Clintonville Public Library. Mr. Bob and Miss Julie from the National Railroad Museum will chug into the Library on Monday, April 9, at 1 p.m. They are bringing along the Learning Locomotive filled with fun train stories and plenty of railroad activities that will have everyone singing and dancing. All aboard for this great train adventure which is sponsored by the Friends of the Clintonville Public Library. This program is suitable for all ages and admission is free.

Dollar-A-Day Boys: A Musical Tribute to the Conservation Corps

Michigan based author Bill Jamerson will present a musical and storytelling program about the Civilian Conservation Corps at the Clintonville Public Library on Thursday April 12 from 4-5 p.m. This nostalgic look at The Great Depression includes discussing life in the CCC Camps, their many work programs in Wisconsin and the performing of original songs. The program which is sponsored by the Friends of the Library is as entertaining as it is informative; as fun as it is honest. Admission is free.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal works program created by President Franklin Roosevelt in the heart of The Great Depression. During its ten year run from 1933-1942, ninety two thousand young men between the ages of 17 and 25 years worked in Wisconsin camps. The enrollees planted 265 million trees, built 483 bridges, erected over 4,000 miles of telephone poles, constructed 4,300 miles of truck trails, stocked half a billion fish, fought forest fires, and built several state parks including Devil's Lake, Peninsula Park, Copper Falls and Wyalusing. The camps not only revitalized Wisconsin's natural resources but also turned the boys into men by giving them discipline and teaching them work skills. There were an average of 46 camps in operation over its nine year run in Wisconsin.

Bill Jamerson's book, Big Shoulders, is a historical novel that follows a year in the life of a seventeen-year-old youth from Detroit who enlisted in the CCC in 1937. The enrollee joins two hundred other young men at Camp Raco, a work camp in Michigan's Upper Peninsula run by reserve army officers. It is a coming-of-age story of an angry teenager who faces the rigors of hard work, learning to cope with a difficult sergeant and fending off a bully.

Some of the songs Bill performs with his guitar include Franklin D., written by an appreciative CCC boy, Chowtime, a fun look at the camp food, City Slicker, which tells of the mischief the boys find in the woods, and Tree Plantin', Fire Fightin' Blues that tells of the hardships of work out in the woods. The folk songs range from heartwarming ballads to foot stomping jigs.

Along with a novel and CD of songs on the CCC, Bill has produced a PBS film in 1993, Camp Forgotten, which aired on Wisconsin Public Television. He has also authored several articles on the Corps. In his talk, Bill will discuss his research methods, some of the interesting enrollees he has met over the years and CCC projects he has visited. A question and answer period and book signing will follow his presentation. Former CCC'ers and their families are encouraged to attend. For more information please call the Clintonville Public Library at 715-823-4563 or visit Bill's website at: billjamerson.com.