County lake to have statue honoring CCC
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
A state statue honoring the more than 38,000 young Kansans who served in the 1930s in Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps will be erected this fall at Marion County Park and Lake. The dam and drainage area were constructed by the CCC.
According to Helen Beckham, who spearheaded the project, the bronze statue of a CCC boy in service has been ordered and will be in place for an Oct. 2 dedication. It will be located in the area across from Kingfisher's Inn.
At least 28 similar statues can be found in 24 other states. The goal of the CCC Historical Association is to have at least one in each state.
More than $18,000 has been raised toward the approximate $20,000 cost, including shipping.
Fund-raisers included sale of aluminum cans, sale of $10 chances on a Larry Hamler sculpture, a large garage sale, a grant from Kansas Wildlife and Parks, and cash donations from people with connections to the lake or the CCC.
A donor's plaque at the statue site will list names of those who contributed $500 or more.
Approximately 100 tickets were sold for a June 8 meeting of Marion County Historical Society where Beckham shared her love of the lake and gave a brief history of the construction of the dam.
Several men who participated in the CCC were in attendance, including Bill Holdeman and Raymond Oursler of Marion and Paul Williams of Peabody.
Beckham said her parents bought a trailer at the lake in 1965 and later had a mobile home there, so she and her husband Dwight and their children and other relatives spent a lot of time there.
The Beckhams have made it their home. Helen jogs regularly around the lake, and Dwight composes music while walking.
She said lake roads have been a training ground for biking and hiking trips they have taken throughout the country.
Dam construction began in March 1936, and it was completed two years later. The CCC boys, a camp of African-Americans, worked under Army officers and the Soil Conservation Service.
The lake was dedicated May 26, 1940. Beckham said it was the only project of its kind in the state which was constructed under supervision of the county. The park lay-out was designed by county engineer James Meisner.
Beckham presented a slide show of the various stone structures constructed around the lake.
The 153-acre lake has at least 100,000 visitors a year. In 2002, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to the efforts of the Beckhams and many others, it soon will be host to the Kansas CCC statue.
