Company 303 was organized at Fort Hoyle, Md., in May 1933, with 101 men and two officers. They were among the pioneers in the CCC movement, and the first movement of the company was to Tobyhanna, Pa. It stayed there about one month and returned to Fort Hoyle. On June 20, 1933, it was sent to its present location, near the old abandoned mining town of Wilmer, approximately six miles northeast of Benezett, Elk County, Pa.
The history of Camp S-84 at Benezett was included in the History of Company 303.
The camp published its own newsletter which included this handdrawn map of the camp.
Conservation of the forests of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the task assigned to the company. Up to the present time the company has completed 20 miles of forests, roads, partially completed 6 more miles, and has built 11 miles of foot-trails. It has completed 11 miles of roadside cleanup, 19 miles of trailside cleanup, 18 miles of stream improvement, 129 acres of forest stand improvement, and 145 acres of general cleanup. The enrollees have planted 16 acres of black locust, pine and Japanese larch trees, covered 443 acres of blister rust control, and 1930 acres of timber estimating. A total of 630 man days have been spent in firefighting, 433 man days in fire presuppression, and 25 man days hunting missing persons. Feed shelters numbering 45 have been constructed and three bridges have been built, with one bridge now under construction. A total of seven miles of telephone line is maintained. Work in progress at this time is mostly of re-construction, due to the damages done by the spring flood.
The abandonment of Camp S-131-Pa., at Hicks Run, Pa., added considerably to the mileage of roads that the camp has to maintain. One new bridge is being constructed at Mix Run, the birthplace of Tom Mix, the famous movie star.
The Educational Adviser was assigned to this camp in April 1934, and the foundation of the educational program has been laid by an enrollee, who became his assistant. The program has been centered mostly around the academic subjects, elementary and secondary. Vocational courses are offered, but they have not met the demands of the enrollees. This has been due mainly to a shortage of adequately trained instructors. Whenever there is a capable person available, his services are used to instruct classes. Classes for illiterates and academic courses are also held.
The relationship between the camp and the surrounding communities has always been pleasant. The camp baseball team, basketball, and track teams have participated in sports with most of these communities and proved ambassadors of goodwill in promoting better relationship. One of the DuBois elementary schools and the Benezett High School made contributions of books to the Educational Department.
