Les Droge - CCC and the Nemaha County Lake

by Les Droge

Today many people do not know about the Civilian Conservation Corps, even though they visit and enjoy hundreds of parks established by men of the CCC. The CCC was directly responsible for over 800 state parks across America and countless others on the Federal and local levels. Lake Nemaha in Nemaha County, Kansas is one of the recreational facilities built by the CCC. The camps were run by the U.S. Army in military fashion. The military training turned out to be a benefit to the men because 70% went into the military after leaving the CCC to participate in WWII. In the fall of 1933 after the start of the CCC in the 7th corps area, which consisted of Kansas and Missouri, civic leaders in Nemaha Co. came up with the idea of constructing a dam on the Nemaha River near Kelly, Kansas the approximate geographic center of Nemaha Co. A Nemaha Co. lake steering committee was formed in 1933 originally it consisted of Chairman: Dr. J.L. Wheatley, Edwin Buechler and Charles Jermane: Later this committee was expanded to 22, including one representative from each town and township in Nemaha county.

Petitions were circulated in the county to call for an election on March 31, 1934 to decide if the county would spend the money to provide the $30,000 to buy the land and provide the area for a lake and park. The main purpose was for flood control and recreation, and as a memorial dedicated to the veterans of World War I and veterans of the Spanish American War.

The lake park project near Kelly, the geographic center of the county and presently known as Lake Nemaha gained new impetus following a visit of Miss Hellen DeVault, member of the State Fish and Game Department, who urged the opportunity as one which may never present itself again. After the successful vote on the Lake Nemaha project, it took approximately 6 months to tie up all loose ends on the project. The Co. Comm. appointed a committee of three to purchase the land. Burton L. Lohmuller, chairman, Fred Bieri and Emery Cornwell were appointed.

On Oct. 1, 1934, Company 2735 arrived at the Lake Nemaha sight 5.5 miles southeast of Seneca, KS. On Oct. 16, 1934, Company 1797 arrived at the Lake Nemaha sight. These two companies' mission at Lake Nemaha SCS No 16 project was to construct a ½ mile long earth dam impounding the water of the Nemaha River and forming "Lake Nemaha".

The first job, however, was to help finish the company buildings. In addition to the 25 regular camp buildings and with the cooperation of the local township board the township hall was moved from its original sight two miles away to the camp sight to be used for educational purposes. It was 28 feet by 22 feet in size.

The work on the dam began in the fall of 1934. Good progress was made on the dam and reservoir area during the next three years, even though Co 2735 was gone part of the time.

On November 19, 1935, Co 2735 moved to Toronto, Kansas to finish the Woodson County Lake. They moved back to the Lake Nemaha sight on Sept. 1, 1936. On July 12, 1937, Company 2735 moved to a new ground at Marysville, Kansas and worked on project SCS-KS-30. By January 1, 1938 most of the work was completed on the Nemaha Lake project No. 16.

In the early work done on building the dam, mules were used for the power to pull the dump wagons, but they were soon replaced by the Indiana dump trucks, and Dodge dump trucks. A D-6 caterpillar was used to pull a duckfoot packer to pack the dam as it was being built.