Company 3431
Camp Lawrence Young, F-13-Ga, Higdons Store, Georgia & Camp Gunter, GF-1-OR, Drain, Oregon
Submitted and transcribed from unknown origin but seems to be from 1937 or 1938 booklet as history ends there
Company 3431 was organized August 14, 1935, at Higdons Store, Georgia in the Fourth Corps Area's District "B", with headquarters at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Twenty-five South Carolina men and 128 Georgians under the command of Lieut. George C. Benton made up this original company.
Camp was located in the Cherokee National Forest, which was later changed to the Chattahoochee National Forest. Forty-eight more men joined the company August 23rd, to bring the organization to full strength.
There were no hardships to encounter during the early months of company 3431, as all of the buildings were new with a complete set of new equipment. Eating out of mess kits for the first few months was the most unhomely like discomfort encountered.
On October 15, 1935, Lieutenant Benton was relieved as Company Commander by Captain Clarence R. Trotter. Road construction was the main projects worked on during the winter months under the direction of Mr. J.A. Abercrombie, Project Superintendent. Captain Trotter served his tour of six months' duty and was relieved by Lieut. Virgil Comer, March 15, 1936.
During the summer of 1936 much attention was turned to the baseball team, which won second place in the Cherokee CCC League. Lieut. Comer was relieved September 24, 1936 by Lieut. Marseille Boullement, who was in command until March 24, 1937, being replaced by Lieut. Lawrence L. Boyd, who later gained his Captain's Commission and is still in command.
Project Superintendent Abercrombie, who had been with the company since it was organized was prelaced by Mr. Nat Hancock, on July 8, 1937.
The twenty-six months stay of Company 3431 at Higdon's Store, Georgia resulted in twenty miles new road construction, thirty-five miles of new telephone lines, one game warden dwelling besides considerable timber survey, trees planted, bridge building, lake surveying and planting of fish and game.
Men of this organization were conquerors of several forest fires during fire seasons. Also two of the members were sent to the flooded areas as relief truck drivers in the spring of 1937.
On August 15, 1937, the company was awarded a blue flag as the outstanding camp in its sub-district, and was still flying the flag when transferred to the Ninth Corps Area on October 12th, 1937.
Company 3431 arrived at Drain, Oregon, October 16, 1937, and became the tenth organization to occupy Camp Gunter GF-1. Here its main work for the winter will be road construction. Previous companies at this site have constructed the following: 21 miles horse trail, 75 miles telephone line, 13 bridges (average length of 40 feet), one 100 foot lookout tower, one warehouse and crew house for the Douglas County Fire Association.
The present staff of Company 3431 in its new location, at Camp Gunter, Drain, Oregon, Follows: Capt. Boyd Commanding: Lt. Steven Hanson, Junior Officer; Capt. Earl V. Andrew, Camp Surgeon; Edgar B. Grimes, Educational Advisor; E.H. Crosby, Project Superintendent; and Leo Gandolph, Henry Lanagan, Charlie Mortimer, William Olson, Clifford Crosby, Oscar Hull, Robert Issacs and Aden Tracer Technicians.
LINKS
BACK TO JAMES F. JUSTIN CCC MUSEUM, UNIT ROSTER AND HISTORY COLLECTION
Please Share your Stories! E-mail the Curator to share or discuss or with any questions!