Between 1933 and 1935, it functioned as a base camp for Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers who were employed on multiple construction and forestry projects in the area during the Great Depression.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated in South Dakota during the Great Depression, building and maintaining structures and government property across the state.

The Rockerville area was chosen as a temporary base of operations for CCC Company 1794, who were mostly employed in Black Hills forestry maintenance for the United States Forest Service.

The Rockerville camp was abandoned—buildings that could be dismantled were taken with the company for use in the new camp—and sat unused for decades, causing most of the remaining structures to crumble.

Today, only three log buildings stand: two officers' cabins and the hospital, plus a fireplace ruin that was once part of the mess hall.