The Louisiana men found a camp which had been occupied only since November of the previous year, and was as yet incompletely landscaped or improved. The men soon adjusted themselves to conditions in the North and went to work with a will to improve their camp. Landscaping was carried on throughout the summer until by September the camp was a place of beauty. Flowers of various kinds were in bloom and planting of shrubs and decorative evergreens had been accomplished. A basketball and tennis court was built in the center of the quadrangle. A baseball team was organized and many games played with nearby teams. A track team distinguished itself by winning the district meet at the University of Maryland. All available funds were spent for the improvement of living conditions, education and recreation. An attractive educational center was formed from an empty barrack and woodworking machinery installed.

The men of the company made an enviable record on the work projects, landscaping the U. S. Agricultural Research Center, under the supervision of Mr. J. L. Stearns, camp work superintendent. At the end of the enrollment period, September 30, 1936, 75 men departed for their homes. New enrollees were received from South Carolina and the company strength thereby increased to 220, forming one of the largest companies in the Third Corps Area.

In January and April, 1937, new men were received from Alabama to replace members who had left for their homes. Additional members were transferred to the company from Swanton, Maryland, and Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, on June 3 and July 9 respectively, when their companies were disbanded. Capt. Hall was relieved from duty on August 5, 1937, being succeeded by Lieut. Moore, who was in command until September 11.

On September 11, 1937, Lieut. Raymond A. Wheeler took over command of the company, relieving Lieut. Moore, and in turn was succeeded by First Lieut. Herbert Martin on October 4.

At the end of the enrollment period, September 30, all but 76 of the men left for their homes on account of expiration of enrollment and on transfers. The remaining members entrained for California on October 5. The company arrived at Redding, in northern California, October 10 and finished their trip to Camp Big Springs by motor on the same date.

On October 24, 85 men were received from the conditioning camp at Fort McPherson, Georgia, the new enrollees being from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Under the direction of Lieut. Martin improvement was commenced in the Big Springs Camp, with remodeling and painting of the recreation hall and school building, complete refinishing of the mess hall, and alterations in the barracks. An extensive educational program is organized under the educational adviser, A. L. McLean, and assistant educational adviser, Milton D. Sherrill. The men go to the public evening high school twice weekly and classes in citizenship, current events, CCC administration, cooking and baking, vocational guidance and California geography are taught in the main and spike camps for the benefit of the men.

Camp Big Springs, F-17, now occupied by Company 5445 CCC, located on the Pit District of the Shasta National Forest, was first occupied by a Fifth Corps Area company in the winter of '33-'34 under the supervision of J. F. Mackey, who is now Superintendent of Construction and Maintenance on the Shasta Forest. The projects that winter were road construction and telephone line construction. In the spring of '34 the men built the Soldier Mountain road and lookout station.

The camp was vacated during the summer of '34 but a spike camp of 30 men was put here and had a very difficult fire season. The spike camp built the Pit District headquarters buildings at Fall River Mills that summer. In the fall a Second Corps Area company was moved in and spent the winter of '34 working on timber stand improvements, roads and telephone lines.

In the spring of '35 the camp was vacated again and was re-occupied in the fall by Company 1908, under the command of Capt. Raymond S. Holtzman. The project superintendent at that time was J. P. Davis, now superintendent at Camp Leaf, F-350. Company 1908 spent the balance of 1935 and all of 1936 and up to October 8, 1937, at Big Springs, the company being disbanded on the latter date. While at this camp the men of Company 1908 completed many miles of roads, telephone lines and roadside hazard reduction, thousands of acres of timber stand improvement, landscaped the Pit District headquarters grounds at Fall River Mills, built bridges, developed stock water reservoirs, improved public auto camp grounds, and fed game during the heavy snows of the winter of 1936. During the summer of '36 they worked through one of the worst fire seasons the Pit District ever had.

In the fall of 1936 Mr. A. F. Green was transferred as superintendent from Camp Leaf to Big Springs, succeeding Superintendent Davis. Mr. Green remained until December 31, 1936, when he resigned and was succeeded by Frank H. Peters, the present project superintendent who is directing the work activities of the members of Company 5445. In the summer of 1937 the Pit District had the most successful fire season on record, having had no fire over one-tenth of an acre.