Tioga, an Indian word for the meeting of two rivers, was a name used for a northern Pennsylvanian, native Seneca tribe. By 1930 these local Indians were gone and the Tioga State Forest area was owned by lumber companies and large land holding firms.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 and immediately set up New Deal programs aimed to pull the United States out of its economical depression. Only 37 days passed after Roosevelt's inauguration, when young unemployed men began to enroll in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Camps were set up in the Tioga forest towns of Ansonia and Leetonia. The corps was established to maintain and construct roads, trails and bridges. The young recruits were involved with timber mapping and tree typing during this period of timberland improvement practices.
This Picture of the Day presents the monument and tribute to the CCC worker, located in Leonard Harrison State Park. The CCC was a regimented life, run by the U.S. Army. Earning 30 dollars a month, the men received guidance from experienced foresters and carpenters. While learning a variety of skills, corps members created many of today's state parks, hiking trails, swimming and picnic areas. World War II brought the program to an end in 1942.