Woodland Trails Scout Reservation
Encyclopedia
Woodland Trails Scout Reservation is a camping facility owned and operated by the Miami Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America
in Camden, Ohio
, USA.
Council of the Boy Scouts of America operated one camp, Cricket Holler Scout Camp. This camp is located in Butler Township
, a community approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Dayton, Ohio
. Cricket Holler was established in 1919 and occupies 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of forested land. Due to the vast increase in the number of boys joining the Scouting
movement in the Dayton area at that time, Cricket Holler could no longer adequately meet the burgeoning needs of the area's scouts, so the council leadership began to look for a large tract of land which could better serve the region's young men. In 1958, the Miami Valley Council succeeded in purchasing just over 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of land on the northern outskirts of the village of Camden in Preble County
.
With only a short time to prepare for the summer season, much of the property was still being developed as campers arrived. With the spillway construction only finished in early June, Mystic Lake was only about 1/3 filled, requiring boats to be carried across more than 50 yards of mud and tree stumps to reach the waterfront. Water lines across camp were limited, and were being run as required to accommodate the greatest need. Roads and campsites were established using a bulldozer with no specific plan. Initially 11 campsites were constructed, but each was nothing more than a cleared area with no physical structures. As much of the property was active farmland until 1958, there were few trees to speak of. Campers and staff planted young trees to help establish the current hardwood forest that covers Woodland Trails.
course in the southern area of the property. In the fall of 1999, the dam holding back the waters of Mystic Lake was found to be unstable, and the lake was subsequently drained for nearly two years to complete repairs.
to form the Woodland Trails Wildlife Area. This transaction provided a solid financial foundation, allowing the council to rebuild its endowment fund and to retain ownership of Cricket Holler Scout Camp in Dayton. With the repairs to the spillway complete, Mystic Lake was filled once again and reestablished as Four Eagles Lake to honor the benefactors responsible for the donations to the repair efforts. In 2002, a new 55 feet (16.8 m) climbing and rappelling tower was constructed, spearheaded by Miami Lodge #495 of the Order of the Arrow
. In 2003, the Wilbur Shoup Activity Center was donated by Dayton Power and Light, serving as a central meeting place in camp during the summer season. The camp celebrated its 50th anniversary in the summer of 2009 with the motto "Fifty Years of Service".
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
in Camden, Ohio
Camden, Ohio
Camden is a village in Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,302 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, USA.
History
At the start of the 1950s, the Miami ValleyMiami Valley
The Miami Valley, broadly, refers to the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and also includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well...
Council of the Boy Scouts of America operated one camp, Cricket Holler Scout Camp. This camp is located in Butler Township
Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio
Butler Township is one of the nine townships of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 7,894.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:...
, a community approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. Cricket Holler was established in 1919 and occupies 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of forested land. Due to the vast increase in the number of boys joining the Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
movement in the Dayton area at that time, Cricket Holler could no longer adequately meet the burgeoning needs of the area's scouts, so the council leadership began to look for a large tract of land which could better serve the region's young men. In 1958, the Miami Valley Council succeeded in purchasing just over 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of land on the northern outskirts of the village of Camden in Preble County
Preble County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,337 people, 16,001 households, and 12,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 100 people per square mile . There were 17,186 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
.
1959
The new scout reservation was originally planned to be a massive property divided into two camps for resident and day camping activities. Each camp would have its own man-made lake with campsites and other necessary buildings and support structures. Financial shortfalls and a decline in membership lead to the eventual abandonment of this master plan, with only the eastern camp being developed for summer resident camping purposes. By June 1959, there existed a new road cut into the interior of the camp, a food preparation building, the swimming pool and the spillway which would soon protect the waters of Mystic Lake. A name for the new property had not yet been selected, so for the first year it was simply referred to as "Miami Valley Scout Reservation."With only a short time to prepare for the summer season, much of the property was still being developed as campers arrived. With the spillway construction only finished in early June, Mystic Lake was only about 1/3 filled, requiring boats to be carried across more than 50 yards of mud and tree stumps to reach the waterfront. Water lines across camp were limited, and were being run as required to accommodate the greatest need. Roads and campsites were established using a bulldozer with no specific plan. Initially 11 campsites were constructed, but each was nothing more than a cleared area with no physical structures. As much of the property was active farmland until 1958, there were few trees to speak of. Campers and staff planted young trees to help establish the current hardwood forest that covers Woodland Trails.
1960 - 1989
In 1960, the property was officially named Woodland Trails Scout Reservation. 12 additional campsites were built, establishing a total of 23 areas each equipped with a pavilion, kybo, and wash stand. Buildings such as the chapel, an 18 feet (5.5 m) climbing tower, Dittmar Ecology Center, 32-pole flag quadrangle, Herb Smith craft area, Pointner Lodge and a water tower were constructed. With these facilities, the camp flourished as one of the finest in Ohio. Originally, there was no dining hall; units practiced the traditional "patrol cooking" method, serviced by the camp commissary. As the years progressed, Pointner Lodge was developed into the camp's dining hall. Because of size constraints, this facility was not able to accommodate the entire camp at one time, requiring units to eat in shifts and pavilion tents to be set up outside to add to the seating capacity.1990 - 1999
In 1990, the Miami Valley Council and the Dan Beard Council in Cincinnati completed the construction of a new dining hall. This was the last major joint venture between the organizations, as the Dan Beard Council received a large monetary gift and re-opened Camp Friedlander later in the decade. In 1991, Woodland Trails opened a new Project COPEProject COPE
Project COPE is an acronym for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience, a program in the Boy Scouts of America. It consists of different challenges for groups of scouts that involve teamwork and problem solving, or for individual scouts that test agility and individual skills...
course in the southern area of the property. In the fall of 1999, the dam holding back the waters of Mystic Lake was found to be unstable, and the lake was subsequently drained for nearly two years to complete repairs.
2000 - present
In 2000, the Miami Valley Council sold approximately 710 acres (2.9 km²) of the original 2000 acres (8.1 km²) property to the Ohio Department of Natural ResourcesOhio Department of Natural Resources
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was created in 1949 by the Ohio Legislature. It is a government agency in the U.S. state of Ohio charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, and recreation areas.Divisions of ODNR...
to form the Woodland Trails Wildlife Area. This transaction provided a solid financial foundation, allowing the council to rebuild its endowment fund and to retain ownership of Cricket Holler Scout Camp in Dayton. With the repairs to the spillway complete, Mystic Lake was filled once again and reestablished as Four Eagles Lake to honor the benefactors responsible for the donations to the repair efforts. In 2002, a new 55 feet (16.8 m) climbing and rappelling tower was constructed, spearheaded by Miami Lodge #495 of the Order of the Arrow
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...
. In 2003, the Wilbur Shoup Activity Center was donated by Dayton Power and Light, serving as a central meeting place in camp during the summer season. The camp celebrated its 50th anniversary in the summer of 2009 with the motto "Fifty Years of Service".
Campsites
- Anthony WayneAnthony WayneAnthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
- Baden Powell
- Barringer Ridge
- Blackberry Hill
- Broken Arrow
- Buckeye
- Bud Westendorf
- Buzzard's Roost
- Crow's Nest
- Daniel BooneDaniel BooneDaniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
- Davy CrockettDavy CrockettDavid "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
- Eagle's Nest
- Foxboro
- Frank Hess
- George Rodgers Clark
- Green Meadows
- Kit CarsonKit CarsonChristopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
- Pioneer
- Raccoon Ridge
- Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
- Sleepy Hollow
- Surfside
- TecumsehTecumsehTecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
Facilities
- Administration Center
- Chapel
- Climbing/Rappelling Tower
- Council Ring
- Dining Hall
- Ecology & Conservation Center
- First-Year Camper Pavilion
- Flag Quandrangle
- Handicraft Building
- Horse Ranch
- Lakefront and Dock
- North Shower House
- Pool and Shower House
- Scoutcraft Center
- Shooting Sports Ranges (Archery, Rifle, Shotgun)
- Sports Center and Fields
- Trading Post
External links
- Woodland Trails Scout Reservation Official Website
- Miami Valley Council, BSA
- Woodland Trails Scout Reservation on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...