What a name for a park, huh? Who wants to go to a park called “Hard Labor” for a relaxing weekend? We did! …and if any one labors hard it’s Heidi!
Like FDR State Park, Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) is responsible for this recreation area that we can enjoy today. The site was originally created as a demonstration of how farm land could be reclaimed after poor land use. Land that had been eroded by cotton and corn fields was stabilized by the CCC. They planted thousands of pine trees and and built dikes, terraces, and roads.
Today the park is really geared towards golfers (it has an 18-hole course) and horse riders (22 miles of equestrian trails). It does have 2 miles of nature trails which we hiked on Saturday. The autumn leaves are starting to fall so the bright colors we’ve been enjoying these past few weeks are starting to fade. Nonetheless, the hike was fun and I was rewarded with some beautiful nature photos.
Great article on this park, the CCC action in Hard Laor Creek is described in the book, In the Shadow of the Mountain by Edwin Hill and is a great read.
I am trying to reactivate this great program with a grassroots effort look at the website http://www.wecantakeit.org.
Jay