Deer Creek Dam, CCC Government Camp, Stone Oven, 591 feet/280° from Brick Residence No. 1, Charleston

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UT-137-K. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The government camp for Civilian Conservation Corps workers was established southwest of the Deer Creek Dam site in and was disbanded in with the completion of the dam's construction. The CCC was a federal work program introduced by President F. D. Roosevelt's historic New Deal plan in as a response to massive unemployment spurred by the Great Depression. The CCC workers housed at the Deer Creek camp played a major role in the construction of the Deer Creek Dam and the Provo River Project at large. They provided labor for railroad and highway reconstruction; dismantling of the old railroad grade and structures; clearing of the damsite and other project lands; and manual labor on the construction projects themselves, such as hand excavation and form building at the dam.

The Deer Creek Dam was constructed as the key structure of the Bureau of Reclamation's Provo River Project, the largest water resource development project undertaken in Utah. It was the second largest earth fill dam constructed by Reclamation at the time, and Deer Creek Dam, CCC Government Camp, Stone Oven HABS No. UT-137-K (page 2) Reclamation's first project intended to provide domestic water. The Provo River Project followed a precedent of 40 Federal reclamation projects that had been or were nearly completed by Its construction was during a significant period of accelerated American infrastructure development founded on technological investment intended to make the West a sustainable, viable, and profitable landscape.

The CCC workers housed at the Deer Creek camp played a significant role toward these ends. For additional information regarding the construction of the Deer Creek Dam, refer to "Deer Creek Dam," HAER No. UT-93. Project Statement: This HABS project was undertaken by the Utah Department of Transportation in order to document the historic features of the camp prior to the realignment and improvement of U. S. Highway 189 in the area. Preparation for construction of the project's Deer Creek portion has been underway since the and the work is expected to begin in The field work, site plan, historical reports, and photographs were prepared by Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Inc., Montrose, Colorado. Jonathon C.

Horn served as the Principal Investigator, and Gianfranco Archimede conducted the fieldwork, historic research, large-format photography, and report preparation.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UT-137-K. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Gianfranco Archimede, Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Inc., April Deer Creek Dam, CCC Government Camp, Stone Oven HABS No. UT-137-K (page 3) The stone oven is one of several structures and historic features within the 625-foot-long by 300-foot-wide fenced corral area of the camp, oriented east-west, including the stone oven, a rock alignment, a chicken coop, a pump house, three animal sheds, and a sidewalk remnant (see HABS Nos. UT-137-F through M). The 4 by 51h-foot stone oven, oriented generally north-south, is situated near the animal sheds in the corral area. The 4-foot-tall oven is set on a poured concrete slab base that extends 1 foot beyond the stone opening on the north side, and has an arched roof.

Two rectangular openings are on the north end separated by a heavy horizontal iron grate with round bars built into the oven's interior. Both openings together measure 21h feet tall by 11h feet wide. The lower opening provided access to the fire box, and the upper enabled food to be placed on the separating grate. Two round iron L-shaped pins protrude from the mortar on the left side of the openings, with four of the same on the right side. These probably served as latch anchors and hinges for iron doors. An 8-inch-diameter stone chimney was situated at the top rear of the oven. The chimney has broken off and lies on the ground adjacent to the oven.

The construction date is unknown, and it appears that the orientation and position of the oven is unrelated to the nearby structures, suggesting that it may have been saved from the original camp occupation. Ovens of this sort are generally associated with bread baking. The rectangular plan and arched roof are typical of ovens constructed by individuals of German ethnic background.