Lienne's Diary Entry

When the stock market crashed in October of 1929, my family lost everything. I am a woman living in Northern Ohio with three kids in April, 1933. My husband has now been unemployed for three and a half years and our family of five is not fairing well. We had invested heavily in banks and stocks so when they went down, it took us with it. Former President Hoover did not do much to combat the effects of the Depression when it first began so now many more families like ours must face extreme difficulties to survive. I’m not surprised he didn’t get re-elected in the 1933 election and am glad to see that the new President is stepping up to the plate to help his citizens in these times.

When I learned about the “New Deal” program President Roosevelt had set up, it gave me new hope. The Civilian Conservation Corps were established in March of this year and we jumped at the opportunity. Our family moved from western Indiana to be closer to the camp in Cuyahoga. My husband, who is now 23, has gone to the camp and is now making 30 dollars a month, sending home to us a whopping 25 of that, a miracle in times like this. He is now working to build bridges, roads, and improve the national park in Cuyahoga Valley. It surprises me that he could become such a skilled laborer when he was trained to be a law consultant in Indiana.

My family is now doing well thanks to the efforts of our great President and our new very skilled handyman.

My new life

Today is not only the 6th of April 1934, it is also the first day of my new life.
This was the first day in five years I actually have a real job. I have been looking for jobs constantly ever since the stock market crashed in 1929. I used to live with my family, my wife and our two children, in the city. I do not live with them anymore. Our first child died soon after we had to move out from were we used to live, a not very fancy apartment, but still an apartment, to live with my uncle. He lives in an old house, were the water is dripping from the roof and rats are snoring under our beds.
My second child, left with my wife. I can not blame her for what she did when she left me for a new man wealthier.
I used to work in a meatpacking factory, but they could not afford to keep me employed.
The first time I heard about this program was when a friend told me. I signed up for it as soon as possibly, without knowing exactly what it all was about. All I know is that the new president is a great man. And finally we have someone who sees the problems and do something about them.
So now, thanks to that man, am I lying in a big tent exhausted after a good days work, whit 25 other men who, like me, have got a new chance in life. I do not earn much for what I do, but every single penny that I earn will I save. Because this is the first day of my new life, and it is going to be the best life of my life.

Personal Hardships in the 1930s

My situation is rather desperate. I lost my previous job several weeks ago thanks to this crushing blow the crash of the stock market has dealt to the whole country. I was not as unlucky as some others, I did not lose everything I owned. Thankfully, I had some money saved at home, as an emergency stash that wouldn't be held up by the bank. However, this money has all but run out at this point, and I fear that it will not last much longer. Many of my last few meals have come from whatever I can scrounge up from the dump. I am going to a CCC work camp in the next few days, since any other chance for a job in this point in time is short-lived and hardly worth taking.

My skills are minimal, and that's another reason why the CCC would be a good opportunity for me. I hear from friends that you are taught all the necessary skills on site, and you aren't required to know any beforehand. I hear that they're all simple tasks, but very manual labor oriented. I expect to be building structures or cutting stone or something of that sort.

I'm not really very concerned about where I'm sent to work at this point. All I'm really looking for now is my three square meals a day and enough money to support myself in other needs. I could really take anywhere, but I'd like to work in some of the forest conservation/beautification efforts, since the woods have always been a pleasant place for me.

I don't mind much what I learn either. Friends have told me that you aren't really taugh any skills that will be useful after my term with the CCC, since union leaders are causing a fuss over it. I imagine that I'll be learning manual labor tasks such as building, cutting, shaping, things like that, which i dont mind doing at all.

I really don't know much about politics, but I think Roosevelt is doing a fairly decent job in the whitehouse. At any other time in history, I wouldn't be able to work for an organization such as the CCC, so I think he's doing an ok job.

Reflection of the Day: 9/20

I really enjoyed this trip. The day was fun, very informative, and an overall great learning experience. It really gave us an opportunity to experience things through the Valley Voyages class that we may have not had the chance to do otherwise, and I expect future trips to provide the same. I liked having the chance to use the high quality equipment to document our trip, although even without it, I would have had a lot of fun on the trip. The orienteering was very fun, although I'd have liked to do it a bit more competitively, instead of just a walk through the woods most of the time.

I think although the binders were an effective way to document the fact that we were learning on this trip, I think, overall, they detracted from the experience a little bit, having to look around for certain little things, instead of taking the whole scene of the woods in at once.

As for a fix of the aforementioned problem, I think I may prefer a post-expedition worksheet, that still gives a good example of what we learned on the trip, but doesn't take away from the experience while it's going on.

I learned a lot about Virginia Kendall and the surrounding area; Where it is now, how it got there, and everything in between. I learned much about the landscape, including some incredible natural phenomena, as well as the man-made structures, and the general hilarity of scratching a few edits onto a waste receptacle message. I knew very little about the actual projects of the CCC before this trip, and now I have seen some of them in the flesh (read: wormy chestnut).

As I said before, I was not completely fond of the binders. I believe that they may have taken away a little bit from the experience, but there is no doubt that they did a fairly effective job of documenting our progress. As for the cameras, I thought they were a great addition to the trip, and offered, in my opinion, an even better way to document, record, and in the future, remember the trip and the things we were able to experience.

Journey for a Job in the 30's

It's 1935 and I am lined up alongside many others waiting for their free coffee and donuts also. As are many I am unemployed and in a tight situation. My name is Benjamin and like many others i have lost everything. My home and my money, it's not very pleasant. I am 29 and have a wife and two kids. They love me as i do them that's why i am leaving home soon. I have to do it to make things right.
I do have an advantage over some, which is i am very good at hard manual labor, and i can learn skills quickly. So i am leaving to go to the country, get out of the city where everything is failing. I hope that i can find a job so that i can send money home. I lost everything in the crash. all but the 5 i had from my last pay check was gone. I think that the government and the leaders of the White House are the one's to blame for this failure. So many people suffered a substantial loss. Now we are all paying for it. With our suffering, hopefully this whole nightmare will end soon.
Once I am able to find a job i can start to save up some money. Then maybe i can start looking towards the future and what i can do to get out of the whole problem. One day i may be able to buy a house or own some property where my family and I can all live without worries. Live the American dream is all i want to do, the dream that everyone wants. I am getting ready to leave now, hopefully it all turns out alright.

Benjamin

Valley Voyages 9/20

This is a great class. People ask me what this is and they say "O that sounds boring" and i tell them it isn't at all. I enjoyed the trip the other day very much. On the trail the other day I liked learning about the different parts of nature and how it had formed the things we were seeing. I liked being able to use all of the expensive high quality technology to take photo memories of the day. It really captured the feeling of what we were doing. The only thing I did not like about the day was the time frame. Certain parts of the day felt rushed while others in the morning were dragged out. I think next time will go a lot better because now we know how we work together as a group. I would also like to send a big thanks to Mr. Johansen's father in law for providing us with a nice snack.

Evan G

Unemployed in 1930

While I once found myself living a happy life, I must say the times have changed. One day that ruined it all, that's when it started. Six weeks later from that day I now find myself with my family living on the streets. We used to live in the city, a place where people went to school, had fun times, but not really anymore. We're broke, everyone's broke.
I heard of an opportunity though, a good one. I can leave my family and go work out in the country. By doing this I will be making 5 dollars a week, and then I can send the money home. Maybe things will turn around for my family. I'll have a job the kids will be able to go to school, and maybe even one day i could buy a house for me, my wife, and my kids. I just want the best for all of us. To get out of this depression would be a miracle.
This job I heard of, they will train me. It's great then afterward I will be able to go use my experience elsewhere. This isn't gonna be an easy job but it's what I have to do. It's the only thing i can do to deal with what has gone on in the government. Those guys don't know what they are doing. First everything is perfectly fine and then it all goes away, just like that. Something most had worked their whole life for.
TO think that I am only 33, imagine about those who are 50. They lost everything, everything that they had worked their whole lives for. As I get ready to leave, I am thinking about it over and over again, but now I have to go and fix it. I am leaving the city for camp to find a job, I will do whatever it takes.

George

Reflection of 9/20

I have to say that this is the funnest class I have yet to take in high school. I think this is more like a contemporary style class where everything isn't just book work, but instead getting out and doing things and learning about the place we live. I veryt much enjoyed last Saturday's trip. All in all I think that it went well for being the first time. One thing that I really enjoyed on Saturday was the orienteering. I have had some experience with orienteering in the past but it has benn at a much slower pace. I really enjoyed being able to go off of the trails and do some exploring, along with getting my legs all cut up. Overall I didn't think anything was bad except maybe we just need to stay on a stricter time guidline because we were falling behind a little bit. I also think that the questions we got to answer helped us to not just walk around but instead do things like read those signs that noone reads. Best of all I can't believe the equipment we get to use. Most of my teachers worry when i borrow a pair of scissors let alone a digital camera and camcorder, those are phenominal products. I can't wait until the next valley voyages trip I will be looking forward to it.

Response to Journal #1

Overall, there wasn't much I didn't like about it. It was fun, easy to understand, and went by too fast. Heh. That was about the only thing I didn't like, the fact that I was having so much fun, I kept forgetting I was learning at the same time. Oh if only all classes were as fun as that day.
I can't really say there is anything to fix. I mean, like I said, it was easy and fun. The activities in the binders weren't difficult, and in fact hardly dampered a thing about it. It in fact made me have a few more interesting sights as well as some thinking about what I was actually writing down and where we were going.
The most interesting thing that I learned was how Happy Days was and still is one of the oldest most intricate Wormy Oak structures in the United States. Not only that, but the sandstone work was also an added bonus of intrest, considering I've seen things like it, but I was unaware of where and how they got it. Whats more was the stone pillars buried under the ground of about four feet.
I gotta say, I've used a lot of digital cameras and camcorders, but those cameras were pretty fun. Quick shot, face finder, and a few laughs when it found "faces" in just pure rock walls.



Part 2, The Diary Entry:

July 12, 1933
I live in the city. I have to say, I hate it.
I have no job. No money, and luckily, no immediate family besides my parents.
I am 19 years old. I hardly ever have money.
My name isn't really important, but what is important is that I know I need to get out of here. I heard of this neat thing, the Civilian Conservation Corps. At least Theo is trying to do something to fix all this mess. I don't hate him, but I don't like him. In my own opinion, he's not doing as much as he could. But, he's still trying, which is enough for me not to complain too much.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I need to leave for some kind of job. I don't really care what I have to learn, but something, anything is better than where I am now.

Your indifferent friend
-Michael

Photos from "Geography in the Valley"

You can see photos from our day in the valley here:

Valley Voyages at SmugMug.com

Enjoy!

Reflection of the Day: 9/20

I had a lot of fun last Saturday. I really enjoyed hiking around in the woods and the asides that Mr. Testa and Mr. Johansson made throughout the day. I found their insight to be extremely informative and, overall, set the tone for the day.

I found the binders to be a little bit annoying. I understand that the intention was to force us to pay attention and be aware of what was going on during the day, but I found them to be a nuisance because many of the tasks or questions took away from the experience.

A lot of my new knowledge came from the handout that Mr. Johansson produced for our reading beforehand. I did not know that CVNP had been touched by the CCC until reading that. The local historical connection made it a fascinating experience for me.

The cameras were great. They allowed me to focus on the landscape and produce some pretty cool pictures for the smugmug.

I am a big fan of Mr. Boltz, he first introduced me to the concept of orienteering in 8th grade, and I've wanted to try it ever since. This was the opportunity to do so. It was rather difficult, but I'm planning on going to one of the events on the calendar that he gave us.

Jobless in the 1930's

This is Cyrus' Journal response to the 9/20 Orienteering / History of CVNP trip.

It's the summer of 1933, I've been unemployed for the last three years and penniless the entire time. All my money was in the bank, and when the stock market crashed in October of '29, I lost everything. All I had was my ledger that said, "Jay Fitzgerald and the two-thousand some dollars that I had saved up". I still carry that piece of paper around with me. It's worthless now, but it gives me some hope for the future.

Hope, something our government hasn't been able to provide. President Hoover is well aware of this crisis that we're in, and he's done nothing. "Free market, free market, oh don't worry, everything will work itself out". Sure thing, people are starving and there is no sign of this slowing.

But now our country has a new face, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the new president. In the spring he started up this new program called the "New Deal". This has given me some hope. I'm only 22 and I like this fellow's ideas. I worked as a carpenter here in the city and I invested heavily in the stock market. That was my undoing. One of Franklin's (I can call him by his first name see, because he speaks for me, and he's been helping me) new programs is called the Civilian Conservation Corps. What a grand name, eh? I'm hoping to join up and find work at one of their camps. They pay 30 bucks a month, and right now, you can't beat that.

I want to get out of this stuffy city and see the country, natural and unrefined. I want to have a part in shaping it to be enjoyed by future generations. But mostly I want the guarantee of a roof over my head and three square meals a day. I hit a big bump on the road of life, but it seems as if I'm finally getting over it and I have President Roosevelt to thank for that. We all do.

Lienne's Experience On September 20, 2008

My had an exciting experience on Saturday when we went hiking and orienteering. The cameras we were allowed to use were a good way of documenting our trip and made me look at things in differents angles in order to get a good photo. The binders could be a good idea when there is more information to record and carry around. However, I found it distracting me from nature by having to constantly check the scavenger hunt questions to make sure I was answering them and not missing any. I liked the simple questions where all you had to do was read a sign or observe something simple because it made me focus on my surroundings rather than leave them to answer a complex question. Orienteering was fun and it seemed like a good challenge if you really tried to get from place to place instead of just walking around following the person in front of you. I plan on using the free card Mr. Boltz gave us and go for a real orienteering experience.

A trip in the valley

I really like this class and I had a great time at Saturday. I enjoy being in the nature and this is a great idea for a class. The cameras is also a good idea, and it makes the experience more fun. Not just follow some questions, but explore on your own. I didn't really understand what we should do with the binder, but it is probably a good idea.
What I didn't really like was the orienteering, it is probably fun for those who haven't done it before but i done it quite a lot in school. An other thing is the questions, some of them were a little bit odd. I mean when we should write a dialog, it is probably a good idea, but when your are at such cool place, at least I don't want to think about such things. I just want to think about whatever I want.
Because I'm not from around here, it was fun to learn about the nature, and the history of the valley.

Journal # 1 Assignment - Geography of the Valley

The assignment for journal # 1 is two-fold. You must complete all parts of this journal in order to receive credit. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask either Mr. Johansson or Mr. Testa.

1. Reflect on the day.

• What did you like about it?
• What was bad?
• What can we fix for next time?
• What did you learn that you did not know before?
• What do you think about the binders?
• ... and the cameras?

2. Watch a few of the online videos available at the bottom of CCC Wikipedia article (find this by going to the main Valley Voyages website, then to the event).

After viewing, imagine yourself as a person, man or woman, living in the 1930’s and without a job. Construct a diary entry as if you were going off to find a camp to work at.

• Why are you leaving in the first place?
• What skills do you have?
• Where would you like to go?
• What would you like to learn?
• Do you think Roosevelt is doing a good job in the Whitehouse? Why?

Make sure to write as a first-person narrative, and in diary form. Create a personality, name, etc. The diary entry should at least be 300 words long (about one page typed, double spaced in Word).

DUE DATE: Friday, September 26th, 2008, by midnight.

Of course, do not forget to comment on everyone's post.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO POST

Here's how you post your assignment on this blog:

1. Make sure you have been added as an author - you should have recieved an email from Mr. Johansson on how to confirm this. If not, you need to contact Mr. Johansson in order to resolve this as soon as possible.
2. Once signed in to the Valley Voyages Blog, go to POSTING, and click CREATE NEW POST.
3. Give the post a title - make sure it makes sense. For example, if you're writing about the geography of the valley, then you might name it "The Geography of the Valley", or something like that.
4. Add your text in the main text box. You may mark it up, i.e. add bold, italics, etc just like any other text editor.
5. Label your post - located on the bottom right hand corner of the text box. Separate words with commas as appropriate.
6. Click PUBLISH POST.
7. You're done. Now, go leave some comments on the others' postings.
   

The Geography of Cuyahoga Valley

We were off to a great start this past weekend when we met in Cuyahoga Valley for some history, a great hike, and a lesson in map reading and compass work. We were joined by a sizable group of students, and gorgeous weather. We had canceled the previous weekend due to torrential downpours, so we were all excited to get out into nature.

Of course, the objectives for the course deal with more than the weather, and as such, we trooped off into the wilderness, new cameras in hand, for what became an awesome day.

We hiked over to the Ledges Shelter from Happy Days, and stopped along various places on the way to discover, learn, and explore. The students were responsible for completing a scavenger hunt of sorts that took them to various meta cognitive places within the park. We stopped at Octagon for an apple and some water.

Then, after lunch, we got to explore the sport of orienteering - getting around the woods using a map, a compass, lots of running, and all the spatial awareness you could ask for.

At the end, we were all a bit tired, but felt satisfied from the day's events. Make sure to read the students' own journal entries, reflecting on the day's events, as well as their constructed RAFT. Feel free to leave comments.