Events

Description: While many people in the Northwoods are familiar with the Civilian Conservation Corps, far fewer know about its Indian Division. The Wisconsin branch of the CCC‑ID operated an administrative camp on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation, overseeing projects in six Native American communities across northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In this division, Indigenous communities identified the projects most important to them and supplied the workforce to carry them out. This presentation will highlight how the CCC‑ID differed from the mainstream CCC and showcase several of the projects completed by its crews.

Speaker: Cindi Stiles is a Registered Professional Archaeologist with a Master’s Degree in Anthropology/Archaeology and more than 50 years of experience. Although her work has taken her across the Midwest and Plains, much of her career has been rooted in Wisconsin, collaborating with state, federal, and tribal agencies as well as the public. She served for many years as the Tribal Archaeologist for the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Historic Preservation Office before retiring in 2020. She now works as a semi‑retired archaeological and historical consultant.