Old Kia Kima is a restored former

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

summer camp now owned and operated by the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association. The camp is situated on a bluff overlooking the South Fork of the Spring River near

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, ...

, Sharp County, Arkansas. In 2015, Old Kia Kima was listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places for local historical significance and local architectural style.

History

Bolton Smith Bolton Smith (July 25, 1861 – March 27, 1935) was an American lawyer who was an early pioneer in the U.S. Scouting movement. Personal life Born in 1861 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Francis Smith and Sarah Smith, received his early education ...

, an investment banker from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

and the first president of the Chickasaw Council, purchased and donated the original Kia Kima site on April 11, 1916. The property consisted of a bluff overlooking the

South Fork Spring River The South Fork Spring River (commonly South Fork of the Spring River or simply South Fork River) is a tributary of the Spring River, roughly long, in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas in the United States. The river flows through the Sale ...

Sharp County, Arkansas Sharp County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,271. The county seat is Ash Flat, Arkansas, Ash Flat. The county was formed on July ...

, near

. The original Kamp Kia Kima opened in 1916 and operated (excluding World War II years) as a Boy Scout summer camp until 1963. For the next 33 years the property was in a state of abandonment and ruin until 1996 when the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association was formed with the mission to restore the camp. In 1964, Boy Scout summer camp activities were moved upriver to a new larger camp which now operates as the Kia Kima Scout Reservation. After having been closed for 39 years, in 2002 the camp reopened under the name Old Kia Kima for camping by qualified youth groups.

Old Kia Kima Preservation Association

The Old Kia Kima Preservation Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit youth leadership and service organization formed to restore the former Boy Scout summer camp and provide camping facilities to qualified youth groups so they can experience the spirit of Old Kia Kima.

References

External links

* * * * * {{url, http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/arkansas-register-listings/old-kia-kima , Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Local council camps of the Boy Scouts of America Summer camps in Arkansas 1916 establishments in Arkansas

History

Old Kia Kima Preservation Association

See also

References

External links