Camp Masonite Navarro
Encyclopedia
Camp Masonite Navarro is a camp near Navarro
in Mendocino County
, California
, United States
that is associated with Scouting in California
.
Camp Navarro began as a lumber camp of the Albion Lumber Company. A spur of the railroad from Albion to the mill at Wendling (now Navarro) and Christine (now Floodgate) ran through the camp and up Neefus Creek. There was a "Y" for turning engines around that is still vaguely visible in camp, A piece of rail and large chain are also some railroad remnants that are displayed in front of the dining hall. Lumbering and the railroad stopped in the 1920s but notches cut in redwoods for springboards, can still be seen in the Mohawk campsite and outside of the staff shower area. Goosepens, circles of redwoods sprouted from the roots of cut trees, are throughout the camp. All but one of the portable buildings, built on skids to be moved from camp to camp have disappeared. The one that remains is used as a tool shed. Part of a water tank on skids can also be seen.
The camp was used as a Civilian Conservation Corps
camp during the Depression, and as an army camp at the start of World War II. When acquired by Scouting it still had a row of decrepit plywood barracks along the river side of the parade ground. The lumber camp buildings on skids were used as Scout camp staff quarters for a number of years.
When Camp Navarro opened in 1956 the adirondack shelters were built. Many of these same structures remain today. The current craft lodge is all that remains of the original dining hall. The foundation of a metal flagpole is still visible where the "55 Navarro Salute" cannon once stood. A wood-frame dam was erected on the North Fork of the Navarro River each summer to create a swimming area; in 1965 it gave way and the practice of building a gravel dam began. The gravel dam has not been built since 2001, however.
In late 1955, the land became the property of The Masonite Corporation
. For 17 years, Masonite leased the camp to the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council BSA for one dollar per year. Masonite sold Camp Navarro to the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council on August 29, 1973 for one dollar, and it was renamed Camp Masonite Navarro. In 1993 the Redwood Area Council and Sonoma-Mendocino Council merged to form the current Redwood Empire Council. The camp is currently owned and operated by the Redwood Empire Council BSA and offers a summer program for Cub Scouts that lasts four days. It annually hosts two sessions of Family Camp, Webelos Woods, and occasionally hosts other Scouting events such as Woodbadge and BSA National Camp School.
Navarro, California
Navarro is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located west of Ukiah, at an elevation of 269 feet...
in Mendocino County
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that is associated with Scouting in California
Scouting in California
Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.-Early history :...
.
Camp Navarro began as a lumber camp of the Albion Lumber Company. A spur of the railroad from Albion to the mill at Wendling (now Navarro) and Christine (now Floodgate) ran through the camp and up Neefus Creek. There was a "Y" for turning engines around that is still vaguely visible in camp, A piece of rail and large chain are also some railroad remnants that are displayed in front of the dining hall. Lumbering and the railroad stopped in the 1920s but notches cut in redwoods for springboards, can still be seen in the Mohawk campsite and outside of the staff shower area. Goosepens, circles of redwoods sprouted from the roots of cut trees, are throughout the camp. All but one of the portable buildings, built on skids to be moved from camp to camp have disappeared. The one that remains is used as a tool shed. Part of a water tank on skids can also be seen.
The camp was used as a Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
camp during the Depression, and as an army camp at the start of World War II. When acquired by Scouting it still had a row of decrepit plywood barracks along the river side of the parade ground. The lumber camp buildings on skids were used as Scout camp staff quarters for a number of years.
When Camp Navarro opened in 1956 the adirondack shelters were built. Many of these same structures remain today. The current craft lodge is all that remains of the original dining hall. The foundation of a metal flagpole is still visible where the "55 Navarro Salute" cannon once stood. A wood-frame dam was erected on the North Fork of the Navarro River each summer to create a swimming area; in 1965 it gave way and the practice of building a gravel dam began. The gravel dam has not been built since 2001, however.
In late 1955, the land became the property of The Masonite Corporation
Masonite International
Masonite International Corporation is a company headquartered in Tampa, Florida, which employs over eleven thousand people worldwide. Masonite manufactures interior and exterior doors, door components, and door entry systems. It is one of the world's largest manufacturer and merchandiser of...
. For 17 years, Masonite leased the camp to the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council BSA for one dollar per year. Masonite sold Camp Navarro to the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council on August 29, 1973 for one dollar, and it was renamed Camp Masonite Navarro. In 1993 the Redwood Area Council and Sonoma-Mendocino Council merged to form the current Redwood Empire Council. The camp is currently owned and operated by the Redwood Empire Council BSA and offers a summer program for Cub Scouts that lasts four days. It annually hosts two sessions of Family Camp, Webelos Woods, and occasionally hosts other Scouting events such as Woodbadge and BSA National Camp School.