updated July 6, 2020

Military index

Civilian Conservation Corps Camp #1754 renamed Camp Coulee Des Sioux, Company 1754 McGregor, Iowa

Digitalized images of the CCC newspapers:
McGregor C.C. Camp News. Issues Feb. 1934 thru Sept. 1934 (off-site, opens a new window). Source: Center for Research Libraries.
Camp Coulee des Sioux News. Issues from Oct. 1934 thru early 1941 (off-site, opens a new window). Source: Center for Research Libraries.

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Group photo of all the members of CCC Camp1, July 24, 1934
None of the members are identified except R. H.  "Hap" Radloff seated second row 5th from the left.
Enlarge this photo.

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The CCC, (Civilian Conservation Corps) started in 1933 and disbanded in 1942, was an agency authorized by the government to hire unemployed young men for public conservation work.

Camp 1754 was first set up at Fort Des Moines. It was moved to McGregor in 1933. In 1939 it was closed at McGregor and moved to Cherokee where it broke up at the start of World War II.

The CCC barracks at McGregor were located in a wooded park area a short distance west of the Catholic Church on Main Street. When U.S. Highway 18 into McGregor was improved a few years ago the road was routed straight through the former CCC camp area.

The McGregor camp enrolled men from most counties in northeast Iowa. Around 1,000 young men were stationed in the camp at one time or another, with a peak of 250 at anyone time.

They worked for room and board and $30 a month. The $30 a month was base pay, and $25 of that was sent home. The men drew five dollars once a month for spending money.

Barracks & overview of the CCC Camp at McGregor



Sign at one of the entrances to McGregor CCC camp
The men are unidentified. Do you recognize any of the men? Email the Clayton co. coordinator.
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C.C.C. News
July 2, 1934

A change of officers at the local C.C.C. camp is probable this week. Lieut. H.H. Mahuran of Ft. Des Moines has been sent here and Lieut. J. Whelan, present commanding officer, has been called into Des Moines. No definite announcement of a change has been made.

Twenty-five Clayton county boys were taken into the camp this week. They are:

Here are the twenty-five men enrolled in Company 1754 on Monday, July 2nd: Realto Beck, Littleport, Iowa; John Benskin, Colesburg, Iowa; Raymond Bovee, McGregor, Iowa; William Clark, Marquette, Iowa; Frank Curiel, McGregor, Iowa; Charles Dahlstrom, McGregor, Iowa; Harold Downing, McGregor, Iowa; James F. Emerson, Strawberry Point, Iowa; Anthony Felder, Guttenberg, Iowa; Clare Finnegan, Marquette, Iowa; Irvin R. Hansel, osterdock, Iowa; Callistus Houlihan, Strawberry Point, Iowa; Emil W. Jaster, Elkport, Iowa; Arthur O. Larson, Elkader, Iowa; Lawrence J. Loetz, McGregor, Iowa; Anthony Luther, Guttenberg, Iowa; Donald Montgomery, Monona, Iowa; Merlin Nading, Littleport, Iowa; Wayne W. Perry, Elkader, Iowa; Rialto Radloff, Volga, Iowa; Robert H. Schott, Marquette, Iowa; marvin Schute, Guttenberg, Iowa; Eugene J. Stalnaker, Strawberry Point, Iowa; Donald C. Thein, Elkport, Iowa; Harold tindell, Millville, Iowa.

One hundred and two new men from Scott and Clinton counties are also here and 14 recruits from Dubuque will be brought here, bringing the camp total well around 250.

~newspaper clipping from the Radloff Family Scrapbook

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Group of camp members on campgrounds.
The men are unidentified. Do you recognize any of the men? Email the Clayton co. coordinator.
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At the cannon in downtown McGregor. R. H. “Hap” Radloff in front.	In front of Commanding Officers office. R. H. “Hap” Radloff is on the left.
Do you recognize either of the other men? Email the Clayton co. coordinator.

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Postcard from McGregor showing CCC camp office & members.


Close-up of the men in the above photo. Do you recognize any of the men? Email the Clayton co. coordinator.

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Barracks, exterior ~*~*~ Barracks, interior ~*~*~

R. H. “Hap” Radloff working on earth mover on ccc camp project at state park in McGregor. ~*~*~ R. H. “Hap” Radloff is on the left. ~*~*~ (Left) Group of camp members. Their names are written on back of photo in this order: Jacobsen, Scarff, Radloff, Coyle, Durkin, Block, O'Leary, Stickford, Teifel, Bakey, Donlon R. H. “Hap” Radloff is third from left front row.

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Group of camp members in front of barracks. R.H. “Hap” Radloff is fourth from the right standing in back row.
The men are unidentified. Do you recognize any of the other men? Email the Clayton co. coordinator.

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Rialto Radloff's Certificate of Discharge from Civilian Conservation Corps

Certificate of Discharge (transcription on the right)

Certificate of Discharge from Civilian Conservation Corps To All Whom It May Concern: This is to certify that Rialto Radloff, CC7-131996, a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who was enrolled July 2, 1934 at Company 1754 CCC, McGregor, Iowa, is hereby discharged therefrom , by reason of: To accept employment. Said Rialto Radloff was born in Volga in the State of Iowa. when enrolled he was 19 7/12 years of age and by occupation a Railroad Laborer. he had Brown eyes, Brown hair, Ruddy Complexion, and was Five Feet Seven & one-half Inches in Height. His color was White. Given under my hand at Company 1754 CCC, This Tenth Day of August, One thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-seven. (Signed) Joseph A. Whelan, Captain, CA-Res., Commanding C.C.C. Form No. 2 April 5, 1933

RECORD OF SERVICE IN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS Company 1754 CCC Camp SCS-Ia-15 Stamped: F.O. U.S Army, Omaha, Nebr. Aug 17, 1937 Paid in full on F.S, Pay $none Coll $8.76 Allot $1.24 (signed) B. Healon for S.C. Page, Capt F.D. F.O.U.S.A. Served: a. From July 2/34 to Aug. 10/37, under War Dept. at McGregor, Iowa Remarks: Absent with leave: Dec. 4 to 11/35. Dec. 21 to 26/35. Apr 15 to 17/36. Aug. 10 to 15/36. Sept. 19 to 22/36. Sept 30 to Oct 5/36. Oct 12 to 19/36. Nov. 3 to 4/36. Dec 29 to 31/36. Dec 31/36 to Jan 2/37. Jan 4 to 7/37. May 13 to 15/37. May 27 to 28/37. Aug 9/37. Absent without leave: None. Absent without pay: July 22 to 23/37. Rating: None Education: Eighth Grade. Vocation: Railroad Laborer. John T. Whelan, Acting Camp Superintendent, McGregor, Iowa, makes the following estimate of Rialto Radloff, as a workman: "Radloff has been operating the heavy equipment in this camp for two years. He is an excellent man on any of the machines, neat and clean in his work and takes very good care of his equipment. He was also a very good man as a laborer in the field." Character: Excellent (initials) jaw Honorably discharged August 10, 1937 at Company 1754 CCC, McGregor, Iowa. (signed) Joseph A. Whelan, Captain, CA-Res., Commanding

Record of Service in Civilian Conservation Corps (transcription on the left)

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CCC Units Set Out 300,000 Trees to Prevent Erosion

The McGregor CCCs have finished their fall tree planting and 55,000 trees have been set out on farms in a 15-mile range of McGregor, where soil erosion work has been carried on the past few months. They were all the lack locust species, a tree described by D.C. Poshusta, superintendent of the McGregor camp and a graduate forester of Iowa State college as a "hardy, sun-loving tree, with a large, interlacing root system which holds the soil particles together, preventing erosion. It is one of the legumes and builds up the soil by contributing nitrogen."

The planting done this fall brings the total number of trees set out by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the two years the camps have been in McGregor, up to approximately 300,000. The trees came from the nursery at Ames and were planted by crews organized and trained in the work. Planting for the most part was on slopes of gullies where dams to check erosion had previously been built by the CCCs.

~Sumner Gazette, January 2, 1936 - contributed by S. Ferrall

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~unless otherwise credited, the photos and information were contributed by Jack Radloff from his personal collection. Jack's father, Rialto 'Hap' Radloff was at the CCC camp from 1934-1937.

~images of the token at the top of the page are from the Broward County Library Digital Collection, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps (1933-1942): the new Deal's Depression-Era Ecological Movement.

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