creation of the park had immediate benefits to some virginians. during the great depression, many young men received training and jobs through the civilian conservation corps (ccc). the first ccc camp in virginia was established in the george washington national forest near luray, and governor pollard quickly filled his initial quota of 5,000 workers. about 1,000 men and boys worked on skyline drive, and about 100,000 worked in virginia during the agency's existence. in shenandoah park, ccc crews removed many of the dead chestnut trees whose skeletons marred views in the new park, as well as constructed trails and facilities. tourism revenues also skyrocketed. on the other hand, ccc crews were assigned to burn and destroy some cabins in the park, to prevent residents from coming back. also, u.s. secretary of the interior harold ickes who had jurisdiction over the nps and partial jurisdiction over the ccc, tried to use his authority to force byrd to cooperate on other new deal projects.