On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail will lead a tour of some of the Civilian Conservation Corps sites in Shawnee State Forest.
There were seven CCC camps in Shawnee State Forest that had a total population of about 2,000 men. They plan to visit three of them on the 23rd; Shawnee Camp 1, Shawnee Camp 2, and Camp Gordon. A tour of the other camps will be done at a later date.
Cork Walker, a member of the Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail Committee, will be leading the tour and telling the history of the camps. Mr. Walker worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 30 years and is very knowledgeable about the CCC and Shawnee State Forest.
Everyone will meet by Ohio’s biggest yellow Buckeye behind the Nile Township Park on Route 52 West of Friendship at 10 am. The Friendship United Methodist Church is adjacent to the big Buckeye and will be open for restroom needs.
The tour will take about 3 to 4 hours. It is a car tour. Just follow the leader.
If you have questions you can email us at wtipton3@columbus.rr.com.
For an in-depth look at the history of the CCC camps, check out this article from Scioto Historical website.