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C.C.C. Life At Ole Bull

                                                                                                                January 2000

 Ed. Note: Charles E. Gregg was a member of the original Company until July 1934, when he was discharged, having served the maximum time allowed them. He returned during August 1934 as a civilian carpenter and has held that capacity to date.

Organization and Arrival On May 9,1933, the members of the future 346th Co., Civilian Conservation Corps, were enrolled at the Greensburg Relief Board, and then taken to the Armory for a medical examination to determine their fitness to serve in this newly founded organization. After this examination we were transferred to Fort Hoyle, Maryland for further examination and for reconditioning duty. This reconditioning duty, consisting of various types of field work in and around the Fort, continued until the evening of May 28, 1933, when we were notified that we were to move on, the destination completely unknown to us.

The next morning, after one of those nights in a day coach, we arrived in Renovo, Penna., in a drizzling rain. From the station we were transported in trucks and buses on out into the mountains. The original plans called for the Company to occupy a site some four miles from Cross Fork, Penna., a place called Windfall Run, which was later occupied by the former 1322 Company. During the trip to the proposed site, it was found that the roads were completely impassable, so the Ranger who accompanied our Company, directed our party to a site in the vacinity of The Ole Bull State Park, some seven or eight miles out of Cross Fork, Penna.

After this tiresome and dreary ride, a total distance of about thirty miles, we arrived at our new location, an old railroad bed, covered by thick underbrush. The area had to be cleared as we had our homes on the trucks, namely tents. Out here in this God forsaken section of Potter County, Ole Bull Civilian Conservation Corps Company 346 took form. After a section of this area had been cleared, the mess tent was set up, and the cooks began preparing our first meal since we left Fort Hoyle the evening before. The first meal served at 346th Co. Co., consisted of crackers, corn-beef and coffee, and we were plenty glad to get that.

After this short recease we started work all over again, clearing sites for our tents, cutting underbrush, leveling the ground and setting up our homes, a task that was completed before nightfall. It was under the direction of those capable officers that accompanied us, Captain C. C. Griffin, 28th Inf., Captain Gomer L. Coble, Fa-Res and Lieut. R. Ware, USN, that this work progress rapidly.

During most of the afternoon on our first day here, the weather man had been our friend, but just as we completed the setting up of the last tent, it started to rain, and upon our return to our tents found about two inches of water in them. Those were the days when the true spirit of "We Can Take It" came forth.

Our Tented Homes. The ground in the vicinity of our new homes, tents, was overrun by a species of large creek rats, which soon made themselves at home in our tents. At night I use to lay awake and hear them running across the beams of our tents, and later when the floors were put in the tents, they could be heard knawing at the floors. Soon after the floors were put in our tents, about the first of June, our campaign for their eradication was successful. After a some- what lengthy survey in search of a suitable water supply, sufficiently large enough to meet our needs, our bath-house was put up. This was also a tent affair, but proved a welcome from washing in the creek, as we had been doing.

Construction of Permanent Buildings. The first permanent building to be constructed was our mess hall and kitchen. This work was under the direction of Captain G. Goble and was done by the members of this Company, completed about the middle of August, 1933. It was under the direction of Lieut. J. DiMartino, who replaced Captain G. Coble on Sept. 6, 1933, that the construction of the barracks began. This work began about October 28, 1933 and by November 5, 1933, the bar- racks were ready for occupation by the members. About eighty men were employed in this construction program, all civilian laborers. Although the barracks were not lined or electric lights installed, they were appreciated in ex- change for our tents, as the snow was nearly one foot deep.  It was also during this time that Captain Joseph S. Hoffman, FA-Res., arrived to replace Captain C. C. Griffin, Inf.