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Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council (#055), the result of a council merger between the Santa Clara County Council and the Monterey Bay Area Council, is a
Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...
council headquartered in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
. In 2004, the previous two councils served over 11,000 youth in over 400
Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...
troops,
Cub Scout Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
packs,
Venturing Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 (or 13 and graduated the eighth grade) through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Exploring ...
crews, and
Explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
posts. In 2012, the Monterey Bay Area Council announced that after 89 years as a separate council, it had agreed to merge back into the Santa Clara County Council. , the council served 13,000 youth in four different counties.


Organization

The council is divided into districts: * Coyote Creek - Serves the City of
Milpitas Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Mar ...
South into East San Jose in the communities of Alum Rock, Berryessa, Evergreen, Silver Creek, West to Monterey Highway including a good portion of downtown San Jose, including the neighborhoods of
Naglee Park Naglee Park is a historic residential neighborhood in San Jose, California, to the east of Downtown San Jose and San Jose State University. History Much of the Naglee Park neighborhood was developed on the grounds of the estate of Civil War Br ...
and Japan Town. * Quicksilver - Serves the area of Gilroy,
Morgan Hill Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech compa ...
, San Martin,
Willow Glen Willow Glen is a district of San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. Willow Glen is known for its historic downtown, dining and shopping, and is one of the most expensive neighborhoods to live in San Jose. Willow Glen was originally an indep ...
,
Blossom Valley Blossom Valley is a neighborhood of San Jose, California, located in South San Jose. Geography Blossom Valley is located in South San Jose. It is northeast of Almaden Valley, northwest of Santa Teresa, east of Cambrian, west of Edenvale, and s ...
,
Almaden Valley , other_name= , native_name= es, Almadén , nickname= , settlement_type= Neighborhood of San Jose , total_type= , motto= , image_skyline = , flag_size= , image_sea= , seal_size= , image_shield= , shield_size= , image_blank_emblem= , ...
, East and South San Jose. * Pioneer - serves the communities of North San Jose, Santa Clara, Western San Jose,
Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television n ...
,
Los Gatos Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of th ...
,
Monte Sereno Monte Sereno (Spanish for "Serene Mountain") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 3,479 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about southwest of San Jose, ...
and
Redwood Estates Redwood Estates is a rural unincorporated community along State Route 17 in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains in Los Gatos, California, United States. The Census Bureau includes it in a census-designated place named Lexington Hills. It lies ins ...
. * Polaris - serves the communities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Saratoga. * Loma Prieta - Santa Cruz County, plus Royal Oaks and Aromas * San Benito -
San Benito County San Benito County (; ''San Benito'', Spanish for "St. Benedict"), officially the County of San Benito, is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,209. The coun ...
, except Aromas * Santa Lucia -
Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monter ...
, except Royal Oaks


History

The San Jose Council of the Boy Scouts of America was founded on August 20, 1920 by John Crummey (president of Bean Spray and Pump Company, later known as
Food Machinery Corporation FMC Corporation is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer in 1883 and later diversified into other industries. In 1941 at the beginning of US involvemen ...
), Robert Bentley, Jr. (president of Muirson Label Company) and Archer Bowden (San Jose attorney). Bentley served as the first council president, Julius Rainwater was the first scout executive, and Edmund Richmond was the first council commissioner. In 1922, the council changed its name to Santa Clara County Council, and took over administration for all of
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together f ...
. The council was incorporated in 1923, and oversight of
San Benito County San Benito County (; ''San Benito'', Spanish for "St. Benedict"), officially the County of San Benito, is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,209. The coun ...
was added the same year.
Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
and Santa Cruz counties were added in 1927. In 1933 San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were split off to form the Monterey Bay Area Council. In 1939 the area around
Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...
split off to form its own council, the now-defunct Stanford Area Council. That council, which had been one of the smaller BSA councils in the nation by area, merged with San Mateo County Council in the 1990s to form
Pacific Skyline Council One of the six Boy Scouts of America councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area, the Pacific Skyline Council was founded in 1940 as the Stanford Area Council (#031). In 1994, the Stanford Area Council merged with the San Mateo County Council ...
.


Monterey Bay Area Council

The Monterey Bay Area Council was formed in 1933, when San Benito, Santa Cruz and
Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
counties were split off from the Santa Clara County Council. The council grew and was given the land for
Camp Pico Blanco Camp Pico Blanco is an inactive camp of (originally ) in the interior region of Big Sur in Central California. It is operated by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, of the Boy Scouts of America, a new council formed as a result of a merger ...
in 1948 by
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
. After the separation, they shared borders on two sides.


Council merger

The Santa Clara Council had successfully balanced its budget from 2002 to 2012 and had attracted new membership every month for nearly four years. It was recognized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America as a Centennial Quality Council every year from 2006 and 2010 and was a Gold level Journey to Excellence Council in 2011. The Monterey Bay Area Council was on “conditional charters” during 2010 and 2011 and was given specific goals to balance its budget and increase its membership. The Council failed to reach those goals and in 2012 the national BSA gave the Monterey Bay Area Council a “transitional charter” and instructed it to seek a merger. In July 2012, the Monterey Bay Area Council announced it would be merging with the Santa Clara County Council. The announcement attributed the merger in large part to more than a million dollars in debt accumulated by the Monterey Bay Area Council. Expenses included the construction of a fish ladder and a new dining lodge at
Camp Pico Blanco Camp Pico Blanco is an inactive camp of (originally ) in the interior region of Big Sur in Central California. It is operated by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, of the Boy Scouts of America, a new council formed as a result of a merger ...
. The Monterey Bay Area Council had also experienced continuous declining enrollment. In early 2012, the existing council board asked the Santa Clara County Council to operate the council while the merger was underway. The Santa Clara Council formed a committee to complete the merger and study which of the three camps it will continue to own—
Camp Pico Blanco Camp Pico Blanco is an inactive camp of (originally ) in the interior region of Big Sur in Central California. It is operated by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, of the Boy Scouts of America, a new council formed as a result of a merger ...
, Camp Hi-Sierra, and Chesebrough Scout Reservation. In September 2012, the combined councils announced that over 75 names had been suggested by volunteers for the new council, and that from among these names they had chosen Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council as the combined council's name. The merger was finalized in December 2012.


Order of the Arrow

In the summer of 2007 the Esselen Lodge celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Esselen Lodge has three chapters: Sit Caw Yu, which means White Bear Clan (Loma Prieta District); Yakiski Shanax, which means Thick Fog in Esselen (Santa Lucia District); and Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Q (San Benito District).


Council camps

The new council currently operates three camps and has operated several others in the past. As a result of the merger with the Monterey Bay Area Council, the Santa Clara Council studied which of the three camps it would continue to operate. , it is operating Camp Hi-Sierra and Chesebrough Scout Reservation.
Camp Pico Blanco Camp Pico Blanco is an inactive camp of (originally ) in the interior region of Big Sur in Central California. It is operated by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, of the Boy Scouts of America, a new council formed as a result of a merger ...
was in operation until a road failure in 2017 forced the camp to close. The council put the camp on the market in April 2022.


Camp Hi-Sierra

Camp Hi-Sierra is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, minutes from the small town of
Long Barn, California Long Barn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tuolumne County, California. Long Barn sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Long Barn's population was 155. Long Barn is located roughly 4 miles northeast of Mi-Wuk Villa ...
. This camp is at notably high altitude, with the majority of its buildings standing at approximately and the highest point of the mountain standing over a mile high at . The camp is used year-round with six weeks of Scouting camp during the summer. In the past it has played host to International Rendezvous, and is hosting one in the summer of 2020. During the 'off season' Camp Hi-Sierra is used for training sessions as well as council activities.


History

Camp Hi-Sierra was created in 1949 with land that the Santa Clara County Council bought within the
Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...
. Before the camp was a Scout Reservation though it was inhabited by the Miwok Indians. When logging scions discovered the forest, they decided to start logging in the spot where the camp is now located. To this day, as one walks through camp, they can still see remnants of the logging industry such as parts of the old mill. Small-scale logging continues along the main camp road. The Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council maintains the camp as well and a full-time ranger lives in the camp throughout the year. He is the caretaker for all of Camp Hi-Sierra.


Location

This camp is located within the
Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...
. Its official postal address is in nearby
Long Barn, California Long Barn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tuolumne County, California. Long Barn sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Long Barn's population was 155. Long Barn is located roughly 4 miles northeast of Mi-Wuk Villa ...
, although it is about one mile southeast of Cold Springs, California. The turn-off is about 30 miles East of
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...
and nearly one mile West of Cold Springs Market on State Route 108. The tourist town of Pinecrest, California and its popular
Pinecrest Lake Strawberry Dam (National ID # CA00388), also known as ''Main Strawberry Dam'', is a dam in Tuolumne County, California. Background The rockfill masonry dam was originally constructed in 1916 by the Sierra and San Francisco Power Company, with a he ...
are approximately five miles further East on Hwy 108.


Facilities

Buildings at Camp Hi-Sierra include a staff bunkhouse, dining hall, office, and other structures. The camp is bisected by the North Fork of the
Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River (Yokutsan: ''Tawalimnu'') flows for through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumn ...
. On the western side is Staff Hill, home to the camp staff during the summertime. Also, this side contains the camp office, health lodge, dining hall, flag meadow, and the ranger's home. On the southernmost end of the camp property is a small seasonal man-made lake. On the eastern side of camp is the Blackfoot Meadow, home to the baseball diamond. Directly across from Blackfoot Meadow is the archery range. Also near the meadow is the frisbee golf, disc golf course. Further south is the high adventure area; this includes the bike barn and rock climbing tower. Across from the climbing wall which was built in 2016 is the trading post, which was built in 2005. Next to the high adventure area is the Trail-to-First Class area and beyond that the Scoutcraft area. Opposite from Scoutcraft is the "livery", home of the craft shop. Behind this is the Nature area, formerly the High-Adventure Base. The log cabin has now been converted into the nature cabin, with space on the second floor for storage and a workspace, formerly a sleeping area. Across the road from the Nature area is Foxfire. On this fenced-in property, there is a tipi for Indian lore classes and a blacksmith shop with a coal forge and three anvils. This is home of the Mountain Man program, where scouts can learn blacksmithing, woodcarving, and tomahawk throwing. The eastern side of the river contains all of the scout camps, where 250-350 scouts can be housed in tents. High on the hill are the shooting range and chapel.


Chesebrough Scout Reservation

Chesebrough Scout Reservation, also called Camp Chesebrough is a
Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...
camp in the
Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean fr ...
of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. The camp is owned by the Memorial Foundation of the Santa Clara County Council, and is used year-round for troop campouts,
Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner ...
events and
Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, ...
trainings; and as a
Cub Scouting Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
day camp and a junior leadership resident camp during the summer.


History

The original of Chesebrough Scout Reservation in Santa Cruz County were donated to the original Santa Clara County Council by Paul and Nessie Chesebrough in 1977. Paul had inherited the camp and much of the surrounding area from his aunt Edith Van Antwerp in 1949. The Chesebroughs felt that the land should remain open and available for use by the people of California, so they donated much of it to the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District, the Sempervirens Fund, and of course, the Boy Scouts. The Chesebroughs donated another adjoining the property in San Mateo County in 1983. The council wanted to use Chesebrough as an undeveloped wilderness camp, but the closing of Camp Stuart in
Saratoga Saratoga may refer to: Places Australia * Saratoga, New South Wales, coastal suburb of Central Coast Council United States New York *Saratoga County, New York **Saratoga, New York, town **Saratoga Springs, New York, city (commonly referred to ...
in 1990 forced the council to move many of the activities from that camp to Chesebrough, including the Cub Scout day camp, which required the construction of additional facilities.


Location

Chesebrough Scout Reservation straddles the Santa Cruz-San Mateo county border, and is located south of Saratoga on California State Route 9, and south of that road's intersection with California State Route 35, or Skyline Boulevard at Saratoga Gap. The
Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail is a 29.5-mile (47.2-kilometre) hiking trail that descends from the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California to the Pacific Ocean, passing through Castle Rock State Park and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. ...
passes through the camp about from its Skyline terminus, in Castle Rock State Park. The camp is bordered by Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve and Long Ridge Open Space Preserves of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District, and Castle Rock and Portola State Parks.


Facilities

Chesebrough Scout Reservation has about 8 campsites, each capable of holding at least 30 campers. In addition, the camp has a large modern kitchen, a 300-seat campfire amphitheater, BB gun and archery ranges, and of hiking trails. The trails connect to the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, giving access to Castle Rock State Park,
Big Basin Redwoods State Park Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift ...
, and Cutter Scout Reservation.


Camp Pico Blanco

Camp Pico Blanco is an inactive camp of (originally ) in the interior region of
Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big S ...
in Central California. The camp is surrounded by the
Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Mon ...
, the
Ventana Wilderness The Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest is a federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Range along the Central Coast of California. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act redesi ...
, undeveloped private land owned by
Graniterock Graniterock is an American corporation, founded in 1900 as "Granite Rock", and based in Watsonville, California. It operates in the construction industry providing crushed gravel, sand, concrete, asphalt and paving services. History Beginnings G ...
, and is located astride the pristine
Little Sur River The Little Sur River is a long river on the Central Coast of California. The river and its main tributary, the South Fork, drain a watershed of about of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa ...
. The land was donated to the Boy Scouts by
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
in 1948 and the camp was opened in 1955. The camp was closed following the
Soberanes Fire The Soberanes Fire was a large wildfire that burned 57 homes and killed a bulldozer operator, and cost about $260 million to suppress, making it at the time the most expensive wildfire to fight in United States history. The Soberanes Fire was ...
in 2017 and remained closed after Palo Colorado Road was severely damaged the following winter. Monterey County has been unable to budget the approximately $20 million required to fix the road. In April 2022, the council put the camp up for sale, asking $1.8 million for the remaining parcel.


Former camps

*
Alum Rock Park Alum Rock Park, in the Alum Rock district of San Jose, California, is California's oldest municipal park, established in 1872 but serving as public land since the pueblo was established in 1777. Located in a valley in the Diablo Range foothills ...
(1921 – unknown). The council was given exclusive access to in the park. * Camp Swanton (1924 – 1930) * Camp Arroyo Sequoia (1931 – 1944, 1948) * Camp Bonnie Brier (early 1940s), now known as Boulder Creek Scout Reservation and operated by Pacific Skyline Council * San Lorenzo Scout Ranch (1941 – 1948) * Camp Totocano, near
Swanton, California Swanton is a small community in an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County on the Pacific coast, situated about north of the town of Davenport, to the east of State Route 1 on Swanton Road. The US Geological Survey designates Swanton as a po ...
(1927 – 1934) * Camp Wing, at Big Sur State Park (1937) * Camp Esselen, at Big Sur State Park (1938 – 1953) * Fort Ord Scout Camp


Camp Stuart

Camp Stuart (formally, the Stuart Scout Training Reservation), founded in 1944, is a defunct camp in
Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, its population was 31,051 at the 2020 census. Saratoga is an affluent residential community, known for its wineries, restaurants, and attra ...
. It was donated by Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Stuart, and named in memory of their son, Reginald Ross Stuart. The camp contains , and is located near
Sanborn-Skyline County Park Sanborn County Park is a 3,453 acre (13.97 km2) county park situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains, managed by the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. The deeply forested park features over 15 miles of trails, second-growth redwoods, ...
. The camp had a pool, dining room, multipurpose building, flush toilets, shower building, meeting lodge and many campsites. Bohlman Road, which was paved in the 1950s, divides the camp in two. One side served as a Cub Scout day camp, one of the largest in the United States, serving nearly 3000 Scouts each year. Camp Stuart's last summer of operation was in 1988. The Santa Clara County Council already owned two other camps, and decided to sell Camp Stuart to take advantage of rising land values. The camp was sold in 1989, shortly before several buildings were damaged in the
Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of ...
. The county has not demolished or developed the camp, and has no funds or apparent plans for the area.Mardi Bennett (ed); ''Scouting in the Santa Clara Valley''; 1990; Rosicrucian Press; San Jose, California;


Order of the Arrow

As a result of the merger, the two former council's OA chapters have merged from the former Santa Clara County Council's Miwok Lodge and the Monterey Bay Area Council's Esselen Lodge into the new Saklan Lodge.


See also

*
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 (1910–1950) In the early days of ″Scouting″ there were several different � ...


External links


SCCC Programs-Camping-Camp Hi-Sierra
Santa Clara County Council's official Camp Hi-Sierra page
Camp Hi-Sierra


References

{{reflist Organizations based in Santa Clara County, California Boy Scout councils in California 1920 establishments in California