April 11, 1939: CCC Finish Work at Cabwaylingo State Forest

On April 11, 1939, Company 1558V of the Civilian Conservation Corps wrapped up its work at Camp Anthony Wayne, now known as Cabwaylingo State Forest, in Wayne County.

Two different CCC companies had occupied Camp Anthony Wayne between 1935 and ’39. The CCC surveyed timber and game, cut weeds and brush, cleared trails, and constructed log cabins, which are still in use at Cabwaylingo.

One of the CCC’s main roles at Camp Anthony Wayne—and across West Virginia—was to fight forest fires. Most of the land purchased to create Camp Anthony Wayne in 1933 had been small farms, with a history of forest fires due to arson and moonshining activities. The CCC was charged with combatting these fires and allowing the area to revert back to woodland.

The camp was named Cabwaylingo in honor of the neighboring counties of Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, and Mingo.  Today, Cabwaylingo State Forest offers a mosaic of trees, plus hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and swimming. Near the campgrounds stands one of the state’s few remaining fire towers, Tick Ridge, which was built in 1935.