Treasure Island Scout Reservation
| Treasure Island Scout Reservation | |||
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| Owner | Cradle of Liberty Council | ||
| Location | Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Coordinates | 40°28′21″N 75°03′57″W / 40.4725°N 75.0657°W | ||
| Founded | 1913 | ||
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Treasure Island is a Boy Scout property located between Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania and Frenchtown, New Jersey, United States. The property is situated on two islands in the middle of the Delaware River and owned by the Cradle of Liberty Council. Treasure Island was the oldest continually operated Boy Scout Camp in the country and had been continuously associated with Scouting since 1913.[1]
In April 2005, storms caused some of the highest flooding since 1955.[2] As a result, Treasure Island was closed to summer campers in 2005 for the first time in twenty-five years. The council spent more than $1-million to rehabilitate the camp in preparation for reopening in June 2006. On June 28, 2006, the camp was once again inundated. While its long-term future was in doubt,[3] it opened again successfully in 2007 and 2008. However on September 10, 2008, the Council Executive Board voted to close Treasure Island for the 2009 season,[4] the camp remained closed for the 2010 season.
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[edit] Structures
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Among the important buildings on the island are the Kiwanis Lodge (HandiCraft), the Klein Lodge (nature), the Health Lodge, the Trading Post, and "City Hall," which was the main office in control of Treasure Island. During the summer, most of the lodges were used for merit badge instruction. There is also the Goodman Stockade, where the opening campfires are held on Sunday nights, and the Ceremonial Grounds, where the Order of the Arrow ceremonies and the Friday night closing campfire are held.
Treasure Island has a swimming pool, and boating was conducted in canoes and rowboats on the west side of the island at the Boathouse.
[edit] Camp program
Tube rafting was offered to Scouts during the summer, and scouts floated downstream to Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where they were driven by bus back up to the mainland across from Treasure Island, and taken by a boat back to the island.[citation needed]
Bike and canoe trips in the surrounding area were also conducted along the old Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal. Climbing and rappelling trips also took place at Ralph Stover State Park.
[edit] Marshall Island
Just to the north of Treasure Island lies Marshall Island (also known as Eagle Island). Marshall Island is connected to Treasure Island only by a small footbridge. Treasure Island is in New Jersey, whereas Marshall Island is in Pennsylvania. Because of this, the archery and rifle Ranges were sited on Marshall Island because New Jersey state gun laws are more stringent.[5]
There is a path leading from the archery and rifle ranges that runs north and branches off in two directions. The branch to the left leads to a series of abandoned buildings and an abandoned field, remaining from when Eagle Island operated as a separate camp (Camp Wilson) in the 1970s. The right branch leads to unused campsites and the C.O.P.E. course.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://media.theechoo.com/demo915/clips/JMCDONALD/jmcdonald_2006630_595.wmv
- America's Oldest Boy Scout Camps by David L. Eby
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://scoutcamp.org/oldestcamps.asp America's Oldest Boy Scout Camps
- ^ Naedele, Walter F. (June 17, 2005). "Roiled by the river: Boy Scouts struggle to restore a historic camp ravaged by floods". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/15028522.htm Scout camp digs out — again
- ^ Press release
- ^ New Jersey State Police - Firearms Information
- ^ See this map of the camp on the Cradle of Liberty Council website.
