Virtual Presentation: History of the Civilian Conservation Corp at Pope Farm

Above: An end-of-project snapshot of the construction crew, 1938.

Wednesday, January 26th, 2022 (7:00pm)

Guest Speakers: Bob Moore and Jim Bolitho

Watch our virtual presentation about past and present infrastructure projects at Pope Farm Conservancy. Historian Bob Moore talks about the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) soil erosion dam site that was built on the Pope Farm property in the 1930s. We’ll learn about the men and boys (pictured right) who were housed at the CCC camp in Mt. Horeb. Bob will also talk about the importance of the CCC, especially in terms of its immediate impact to this area during the Depression years. Later on, Jim Bolitho answers questions about the Erosion Mitigation Project at the Ravine in the fall of 2021. Find out why the trail on the east side of the ravine was relocated.

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About the Speakers

Bob Moore

Bob Moore is a former high school American History teacher from Arizona. During his teaching days, he was honored by the DAR as Arizona’s American History Teacher of the Year. He was also a regional historian for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in AZ where he expanded his research into the project work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). After relocating to Wisconsin, Bob continued his study of this Great Depression era program. He is the author of four books on the subject, three of which focus on Wisconsin, including The Civilian Conservation Corps in Mount Horeb, WI. Recently, Bob has partnered with Friends of the Pope Farm Conservancy to create an interactive presentation for their website, about the CCC and its project work on the Pope farm in Middleton.

Jim Bolitho

Jim Bolitho is a retired engineer and has helped the Friends and the Town on many different projects. Jim was responsible for designing the circular parking lane located off Old Sauk Rd. He also laid out the parking scheme for Sunflower Days in the past, which took hundreds of volunteer hours for the required survey work. Jim also was instrumental in coming up with a solution to the erosion problem on the screened trail along the stone wall. He interviewed many experts and engineers, completed many hours of survey work, and helped find a solution to this problem. He has helped with other parking proposals in the past, and most recently tried to get information about a possible solution to the damage to the Ravines caused by the epic rainfall last August. He also has volunteered to mow grass on part of the ice age trail close to his home. Jim Bolitho has made a difference to both Pope Farm Conservancy and the Town of Middleton.