Hidden among the rolling farmland of south-central Wisconsin are the remnants of an experiment in conservation, dating back to the Great Depression of the 1930's.

Mount Horeb, WI and the Civilian Conservation Corps camp just south of town became part of an unlikely partnership that saved critical farmland, uplifted a small town, and at the same time provided desperately-needed employment to hundreds of eager young men. It is told here largely through the eyes of young CCC recruit Louis Roedell, and is a story of achievement and adaptability, hardship and cooperation.