The GrubbyBoys Flat Franklin Trek

By Boyd & Wesley Sutton

May 2008

Dear President Roosevelt:

We are so excited to take the Flat Franklin challenge and learn more about the New Deal and the CCC. We first want to introduce ourselves. We are brothers, Boyd age 9 and Wesley age 5, together we are known to friends and family as The GrubbyBoys. For the last year we have been on a quest to visit all of the state parks and historical sites in Georgia. We take our parents along as well, after all, who would do the driving, cooking, and setting up camp while we explore and discover?

Last weekend we visited Hard Labor Creek State Park for a camping weekend, it was our 37th park visited. Our mom was especially excited about this visit since her Grandfather had worked their as part of the CCC. After we set up camp we went to see one of the dams that the CCC had built, and took some pictures. After that we visited the Rangers station.

Our parents were talking with the rangers about visiting the dam, and mentioned that our Great Grandfather had been part of the CCC at Hard Labor Creek. The Ranger pulled out a big notebook with all kinds of pictures and lists. In it on one of the rosters for SP-8 right in the middle of the page it said:

Otto JonesHigh Shoals GA

How cool it was to see the name of our Great Grandfather right their on the page!

We were sharing our current quest to visit all of the State Parks with the Park Ranger when he handed us the New Deal paper with the Flat Franklin picture. That night by the camp fire our parents sat down with a state Parks map and planned out how we could visit all 14 parks that the CCC helped build before next April. Our mom and dad are big planners; I think they would have been the kind of people you would have liked to work with, since you were that the CCC helped build before next April. Our mom and dad are big planners; I think they would have been the kind of people you would have liked to work with, since you were such a planner too!

We promise to write again soon to let you know where we are and what we have learned. Mom says the next trip is to Unicoi and Vogel!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

July 2008

Dear President Roosevelt,

This weekend we visited Unicoi and Vogel State Parks. What a great weekend we had seeing some fantastic waterfalls and playing in the water! We are learning to be able to spot buildings and walls built by the CCC by the look of the rock and large pieces of wood.

At Vogel we visited the CCC Museum. We were very glad we were able to visit it and learned so much from the exhibits!

We look forward to our next trip which Mom says will be to Indian Springs. We have been there before, and look forward to exploring it again!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

August 2008

Dear President Roosevelt,

This month we visited Cloudland Canyon and Fort Mountain State Parks. What a great summer weekend of camping, hiking, and getting dirty! We especially enjoyed going up the trail to the top at Fort Mountain and seeing the Stone Fire Tower built by the CCC!

Looking forward to our next trip!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

September 2008

Dear President Roosevelt,

So much has happened since our last trip; we have both had birthdays, and are now 10 and 6! This month we visited Indian Springs State Park, which we have visited before. But this visit was a “boys trip” because our Mom did not go. Instead we took our Dad, our Grandfather (who we call Ol’ Gran), and our Uncle and two cousins. Ol’ Gran was especially happy to join us on this part of our Flat Franklin journey as he remembers visiting Indian Springs when he was younger with his father. On that visit his father showed him the wall that he helped to build when he was in the CCC.

He took us right to that wall when we visited and told us all that he remembered. Indian Springs is such a cool place!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

January 2009

Dear President Roosevelt,

This weekend we visited Kolomoki Indian Mounds State Park. This was a wonderful visit, on a beautiful January weekend. We were very amazed at the excavated mound. We think that the Native Americans who lived there must have been very Spiritual people to put so much thought into the burial. We really loved seeing the ceremonial clay pieces in the museum.

We thought it was wonderful that a great historical place has been paired with a wonderful park with a campground and some of the best picnic areas and playgrounds we have seen on our many journeys. We think that the CCC boys would be proud that something they worked to help build has been kept so well maintained over the years!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

February 2009

Dear President Roosevelt,

This past weekend we visited Magnolia Springs State Park. We loved seeing the spring with the alligators and turtles, and comparing it to pictures of what it looked like when it was used for a swimming area. The history of this park and Camp Lawton was so interesting!

After one nights stay there we moved on to Elijah Clark State Park in order to make a stop by A H Stephens State Park on the way home. We had visited A H Stephens before, but since it was before the start of the Flat Franklin challenge we needed to revisit in order to get our pictures.

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

March 2009

Dear President Roosevelt,

What a great weekend we had! This weekend we visited a total of four state parks, three that were built in some way by the CCC. We started with a stop at Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site. We enjoyed the museum and a nice trail walk before heading on to our cabin at General Coffee State Park for the weekend.

On Saturday morning we stopped by Laura S Walker State Park. It was a fun visit for our Nana who came with us on this trip because she remembers going to summer camp there as a child! While we were there we saw the great plaques that are being put on many building to mark ones that were built by the CCC. We made a crayon rubbing of one!

On the way home we visited Little Ocmulgee State Park. We took the Short Loop Trail hike and believe it is one of our favorite nature trails at all of the state parks we have visited so far! We really enjoyed the displays in the Visitor Center about what life was like for young men in the CCC! It was interesting to think that they were able to be the first to use the buildings and facilities that they built. We hope that they had some real pride in those moments.

Sincerely

The GrubbyBoys

April 2009

Dear President Roosevelt,

This weekend we made our final visit on our year long Flat Franklin trek. We ended in Pine Mountain and handed in our entry at The Little White House Historic Site. We visited there last February, but enjoyed staying again at FDR State Park and visiting the Little White House. Last time we stayed in a cottage, but this time we tent camped which we love to do!

We have so enjoyed all of our visits and the things we have learned. It is fun to look back at the pictures and remember all the places. To date we have visited 49 Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, and just as our parents planned, that includes all 14 of those that the CCC had a part in building. We believe our Great Grandfather Otto Jones would be proud!

Sincerely,

The GrubbyBoys

Thank you President Roosevelt! Thank you CCC!

The GrubbyBoys

We submitted our entry in April, and stopped back by in June to pick up our free cabin-stay certificate… They had a display showing a lot of the entries, including our winning one…