| Camp Baldwin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Cascade Pacific Council | ||
| Location | Dufur, Mount Hood | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Coordinates | 45°24′15″N121°25′29″W / 45.404082°N 121.424839°W | ||
| Camp size | 640 acres (260 ha) | ||
| Founded | 1947 | ||
| Website cpcscouting | |||
Camp Baldwin is a 640-acre Scouts BSA summer camp located east of Mount Hood near Dufur, Oregon.
Camp Baldwin owes its existence and its name to a 1928 land donation by Ellen Baldwin. Mrs. Baldwin offered 160 acres of land in Wasco County, Oregon to the Scouts, who accepted and named the future camp in her honor. [1]
In 1937, Mrs. Baldwin's son, Ned, bequeathed $25,000 to construct a camp on the land. This land, lacking water, ultimately proved unusable as a camp. After a 1944 court ruling, the bequest—having appreciated in value to $42,000—was used to purchase more suitable property. The initial camp was built in 1947 on 160 acres along Ramsey Creek. [2]
The camp expanded in the 1950s, with the purchase of two adjoining properites along Eightmile Creek: "Dufur Mill" (320 acres) in 1955 for $12,000 and "Sweet Home" (160 acres) in 1957. [2] In 1958, the U.S. Forest Service began construction of Dufur Valley Road through the present camp property. [3]
Located in a deep draw, the lake was rather small—less than a quarter-acre—and very cold. As other camps modernized and post-war youth population grew, the camp was relocated across Dufur Valley Road in 1962 to the "Dufur Mill" property. [2] [4] That same year, the Scouts dammed Tamarack Creek to create the camp's iconcic Lake Hanel, named for lumberman and volunteer Don Hanel. [5]
Camp Baldwin hosts an organized camp for Scouts BSA youth and older Cub Scouts each summer and is available for Scout camping outside of summer camp. [6] It is also one end of the Cascade Pacific Council's semi-annual "Horse Trek"—a nine-day, 160-mile ride where Scouts and leaders relocate horses from Butte Creek Scout Ranch near Silverton, Oregon for the summer and return them to Butte Creek at the end of the summer. [7]
Camp Baldwin is located in the Mount Hood National Forest near the town of Dufur, Oregon. The camp is located at approximately 3,500 feet of elevation.
17-year old camp staffer, Adam Clark of West Linn, Oregon, died on July 7, 1994 while giving a rock-climbing demonstration. The Eagle Scout unhooked from his safety line, lost his balance, and fell 70 feet to his death from Vulture Rocks. He was not wearing a helmet. [8] The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division cited the Cascade Pacific Council for safety violations and issued a $2,500 fine. The Clark family sued the council in 1997 for wrongful death, seeking $1.26 million in damages. [9]
Offer by Mrs. Ellen Baldwin, Wasco county pioneer of 160 acres of timber land in the Mount Hood foothills to Boy Scouts of Wasco and adjacent counties for camp use in summer and winter has been accepted by members of the Mid-Columbia-Deschutes area council of the Scouts in quarterly session here.
1947: The first Camp Baldwin was built on Ramsay Creek, west of Dufur. Later, in 1962, a new Camp Baldwin was built on 320 acreage [sic] known as "The Dufur Mill."
