The public is invited to Pokagon State Park this Sunday, July 31, to help dedicate a new "pocket museum" that will tell the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

A dedication ceremony starts at 11 a.m., after the annual CCC Company 556 Reunion, which starts at 9 a.m. After the dedication, the park will celebrate the centennial of Indiana's state parks system with refreshments provided by Steuben County Tourism.

The pocket museum is in the historic gatehouse, built by Company 556 in 1934 while stationed at Pokagon.

Although the pocket museum is small, it showcases beautiful stonework and construction that has withstood 80 years of use, according to DNR Director Cameron Clark.

"That same story could be told in hundreds of buildings across our DNR properties," Clark said. "We are forever grateful for the impact these young men had on Indiana's natural and cultural resources."

The CCC was a government work program that provided jobs to young, unemployed men during the Great Depression. The workers developed parks, built roads, trails and fire towers, planted trees and more.

Pokagon State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2973.htm) is at 450 Lane 100 Lake James, Angola, 46703.

To view all DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.


Media contact: Ginger Murphy, deputy director of stewardship, Indiana State Parks, (317) 232-4143.