(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has developed a new park StoryMap that shares the contributions of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the legacy they left behind.

From a National Park Service news release:

A walk around Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park reveals historic roads, landmarks, curbs, trails, buildings and more. Much of this eye-catching infrastructure was built nearly a century ago by the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1934 and 1942.

1935 group photo of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. (NPS Photo/HAVO ACC 751 Mau Yee Lum Collection, 1935)

A new digital StoryMap is now available to the public on the park website. Titled CCC: A Community Builds a Park, the StoryMap reveals the fascinating contributions of these young men and highlights what their lives were like in the park. Created by the park’s Cultural Resources team, the StoryMap shares maps, historic photos, recordings and art from this important era.

The CCC was a national program during the Great Depression that provided jobs for young men ages 18 to 25 during a time of high unemployment, scarce resources and rampant hunger. CCC enrollees worked on projects to develop and conserve the nation’s parks and forests and earned $30 a month, plus food and housing.

Screen shot of the NPS StoryMap, “CCC: A Community Builds a Park”

Most CCC enrollees at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park were local men of Hawaiian and Japanese ancestry from Puna and Kaʻū. Much of the infrastructure they built still stands today, including Kīlauea Visitor Center (KVC). Although currently closed for rehabilitation, KVC will reopen later this year with new restrooms, an expanded exhibit space and a large adjacent open-air hālau for visitor orientation and programs.

The legacy of the CCC endures in the infrastructure they built. Their work contributes to the historic significance of the Crater Rim Drive Historic District and the Kīlauea Administration and Employee Housing Historic District, both of which are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.