Early Camp Development

1960 Lost Valley Master Plan

From the Scout Abouts (the newsletter of the Orange Empire Area Council) for May, 1962:

“Over the years Camp Rokili has seen thousands of Scouts come and go. It has seen the sons and grandsons of some of the original Scout leaders. It has been the site of good Scouting. But it is not enough. It has not been enough for some years. With some improvements in the water system and a swimming pool Camp Rokili will serve this council well for years to come. But for several years now the responsible Scout leaders of the council have known that other camping space was needed.

“So they went looking for a camp. First though they performed an old Scout ritual called ‘forming a committee.’ This committee looked up one mountain and down another. It wasn’t easy. It took time. Few Scouts who camp there will appreciate how much time and energy it took. Well, who was looking for this camp? Scoutmasters? No! Den Mothers? No! Boy Scouts? Again, no. The search party was composed of men on the executive board of the council. Sometimes you unit leaders think that the executive board members sit behind desks and push buttons and make grand decisions while you do all the work. But these men worked at finding a camp. And they found it.

“In the hills east of Highway 79 as it runs into San Diego County near Warner Hot Springs there is a valley called Lost Valley. As you approach it on the bumpy, winding jeep road you wonder how anything of beauty could be in those hills. There is thick brush everywhere and the terrain is rather desolate and most inhospitable. But then you top a rise and look down into a valley with an open grassy meadow, surrounded by beautiful tall pine trees. The brush has thinned out here and there are camping spots galore. This lost valley is bounded by state forest land and Indian reservation. It is still a bit of the wilderness. It is the kind of spot a Scout dreams of for camping.

“So a Lost Valley procurement committee was formed. The year was 1958. On the committee were Milford Dahl, Judge Karl Lynn Davis, Don Todd, Walter Schmid, William Spurgeon, Jr., Dr. Richard Kendall, Dick Richard, Leslie Petersen, Austin Sturtevant, Jim Bush, Leonard Zerlaut, Robert McCurdy, and Gene Wekall.

“A committee was formed to work out details on boundaries, etc. This committee included John Hoy, Elmer Osterman, and Adm. Jimmy James.

“And there have been details and details and details. Not the least of which was the $100,000 price tag which was put on the 288 acres of land. So, since 1958 the thousand and one problems and details have been tackled. Wells were dug. Boundaries were located. The entire area was surveyed. Money was raised, but none of it came from the operating budget. It came from foundations, estates, and bequests, and a few other generous donors. Nearly 80% of the price of the land has been raised.

“While all this was going on, Boy Scouts have come and gone. The council grows. The problems increase. The Scout Service Center is bursting at the seams. And it will be one of the city buildings to be condemned in favor of further civic center developments [in Santa Ana]. So a new Service Center must be built.

“The Sea Explorer Base in Newport Beach bustles with the activity of several hundred Sea Explorers a week. It is probably the most expensive property the council has. But improvements are needed in order for us to retain the property.

“So in 1961 the council executive board voted to proceed with the first capital campaign in the 42 year history of the Orange Empire Council. This campaign will be for a council-wide building program to include four projects:

“—Lost Valley Scout Reservation. A camp which will have room for over 600 Boy Scouts after it has been developed.

“—Scout Service Center. To house the office and training facilities of a growing council which will have a professional staff of 17 men and an office staff of 13 girls by 1970.

“—Camp Rokili. Improvements of water supply and program facilities.

“—Sea Explorer Base. Expansion of program and training facilities.

“To oversee this whole program a steering committee was selected. Robert McCurdy was named chairman. The committee includes Judge Karl Lynn Davis, Edmond B. Buster, W. Ed Crane, Bruce Sumner, Richard Taylor, Dr. Richard Kendall, Howard Bear, Joseph A. Long, Dick Richard, E.S. Missildine, and John MacLeod. Also there is Clayton L. Dorsey, Leslie T. Petersen, Donald A. Ramberg, William Spurgeon, III, Tom E. Smith, Chip Cleary, Milford Dahl, Richard Luckey, and Leonard Zerlaut. The last three are chairmen of the Lost Valley, Sea Explorer Base, and Camp Rokili Development committees respectively. Don Ramberg is chairman of the Council Service Center Building Committee.

“The committee has judged that with such a big project a skilled fund counselor should be hired. To do that they hired Don Rankin, who had 20 years of Boy Scout executive experience and is a successful fund counselor. He will be with us starting in November. And will stay with us for five months.

“Now where do you come in? Well every Scouter will be asked to help tell the story of the council building program. We all will have a part in making the dreams of thousands of boys come true.”

In addition to the committees named, there was also a citizens’ advisory committee established, with Walter Knott as chairman.

From the Scout Abouts, March, 1960:

“The Orange Empire Area Council has completed the acquisition of a new mountain camp containing 280 acres which are located eight miles northeast of Warner’s Hot Springs. To approach the property, you turn off State Highway 79, one mile south of the Oak Grove store, 16 miles though the Chihuahua Valley into the property. The property lies six miles from the nearest private land, bordered by the Anza Borrego Desert State Park and the Cleveland National Forest, providing a natural buffer strip from the encroachment of commercial development.

“The property lies at 4500-5000 feet altitude, heavily forested, with the exception of approximately 100 acres of meadow. The forestation includes: Coulter Pine, Jeffrey Pine, White Oak, Live Oak, Kellogg Oak, Incense Cedar, Scoular Willow, Lemon Willow, and White Alder. Surrounding the property, the forestation varies from timber to brush as one approaches the desert. There is a small stream that flows the year round through the property, that will be suitable for damming and check damming for the planting of both fish and beaver. Within the property, there are three springs that flow the entire year, indicating a sufficiency of underground water for domestic development. There have been two wells drilled assuring a minimum of 90 gallons a minute for domestic use.

“With the advice and counseling of the National Boy Scout Engineering Service, a general outline for the development and use of the property has been established:

“A. There will be two access roads leading to the property. The main road, coming in from the west, will be constructed for a length of 10 miles. A secondary emergency road will be established to the south through the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation.

“B. A dam will be constructed to provide a lake which will be used for all types of aquatic activities and fishing. This facility will provide an excellent opportunity for boating and canoeing activities.

“C. The camp development program will be based on a long range projected use. The ultimate maximum use will call for the development of three completely separate camps, each of which will serve a maximum of 200 boys per week. These camp areas would be served by a central administration and warehousing facility. Each camping area will have a swimming pool to provide the necessary training in the skills of swimming and life saving as well as for recreational purposes. Each of these camping areas would provide troop campsites for approximately ten individual units.

“D. Within each troop campsite area, there will be individual combination shower and toilet facilities developed. These will be heavy forestry type tables with attached benches located in each campsite plus water outlets. Adequate portable cooking facilities will be included.

“E. At the Central Service area, there will be developed the following facilities: Warehouse, kitchen facilities, program lodge foe nature, handicrafts, etc. and training lodge for adult training programs.

“The general plan calls for Scouts to camp with their own units, under their regular unit leadership. They will do their own food preparation. Each unit and the boys will have the opportunity to participate in Scoutcraft and campcraft activities supervised by a central camp staff. There will be extensive programs of overnight and extended pack trips into the Anza-Borrego park.

“Due to our need for construction and development the Camping and Activities Committee does not anticipate that this facility will be available for camping use for 18 months to two years.

“The acquisition of the camp property has been made possible through the efforts of many volunteers over a long period of investigation and study. While O.W. ‘Dick’ Richard was Council President [1957-58], E.E. ‘Gene’ Wekall was appointed to head the locating of a suitable property for the Council. As interest in the potential of the property began to increase, a special committee consisting of O.W. Richard, Leslie Petersen, Gene Wekall, Donald Todd, Austin Sturtevant, Elmer Osterman, John Hoy, Judge Karl Lynn Davis, Robert McCurdy, James L. Bush, William Spurgeon, Jr., Leonard Zerlaut, Richard Kendall, R. Adm. Thurston James, and Howard Bear with Milford Dahl, Vice President of the Orange Empire Area Council, was appointed. Through the efforts of this group and the generous contributions of funds of the Sherry Griswold Foundation, the Hoag Foundation, Mrs. Grace G. Hoag, the ‘Skip’ Fife Memorial Trust Fund, O.W. Richard, E.C. Missildine, Austin Sturtevant, Mrs. Lewis F. Moulton, Howard Bear, and Judge Karl Lynn Davis, the funds necessary to initiate the purchase of the property were forthcoming.

“Additional funds will be necessary to complete the payment of the purchase price of the property and to continue the development of the camp site. As the program develops it is hoped that every Scouter of the Council will take an active interest in the project that will result in high adventure camping in the lives of boys for years to come.”

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