Baldwin Lodge, Chimney Park Scout Camp, Wyoming

[rickeckhardt]

I am trying to gather any historical information, article, stories, contacts, photos, or documents concerning the history of the Chimney Park Scout Camp and Baldwin Lodge located in the Medicine Bow National Forest off of state Highway 230 west of Laramie, Wy.

 

I've been a user of this camp since my youth nearly 40 years ago and now work on a committee commited to preserving and maintaining this rural provisional campground.

 

A couple of years ago while on a family campout we discovered that our neighbor campers included the daughter of the man who was the first camp director of this campground when it functioned as a council summer camp. She indicated she had some information she would like to get to us. I gave her all my contact information but unfortunately did not get hers and have not heard from her since. Any help in re-connecting with her would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

 

[rickeckhardt]

Still looking for information regarding the history of Chimney Park Scout Camp and Baldwin Lodge.  Please let me know if you have any information.

[Wyobkr]

Good Morning Rick,

There is sometimes information available at USFS office and especially as related to the USFS lease.  I just looked at County parcel viewer and found nothing there.  I found some drawings of Chimney Park facilties in council files and will look again soon to see what I can find for you.  Ben

[MattR]

12 hours ago, rickeckhardt said:

Still looking for information regarding the history of Chimney Park Scout Camp and Baldwin Lodge.  Please let me know if you have any information.

I didn't see this 11 years ago. We go to Chimney Park all the time.

All of the fun trivia I know about the camp: There used to be a 65 mile backpacking trip from there to BDSR. It requires getting permission to cross one small piece of private property but was supposed to be stunning. I can get that route as someone digitized it.

Also, under the cabin is a really long (the whole length of the cabin) fire place where presumably entire tree trunks could be shoved in and burnt to warm the cabin through the concrete floor. I have no idea how such a fire was started or how enough air got to it. I think it connects to the stone chimney on one end. The opening is outside on the other end,

The council used to own the property but gave it to the forest service under the condition that the scouts could use the cabin.

That's all I know, which isn't much.

[Wyobkr]

I have the plans for the building.  Such good handwriting in early to mid 1960s.  The lumber and logs were obtained from Grothe Lumber in Walden, CO.  The total cost of logs and lumber, doors, etc. was $11,000.76.  I will try to get these documents scanned and sent to you.

[rickeckhardt]

The Longs Peak Council (now the Adventure West Council) never owned the property.   It has always been a lease from the USFS being in 1950 for over 100+ acres.   At some point in time the lease was renegotiated for a much smaller 25 acre area.

Regarding the radiant floor furnace.   There are clay pipes that were placed in the floor slab that connect to each chimney stack on each end of the cabin.  There is an opening at the base of the chimney's where a fire can be built (but no, do not try to shove a whole tree in there).  The heat travels through the pipes to heat the entire concrete floor slab.   There were times that folks in my youth when folks were a bit over zealous about stoking the fire.   The floor became too hot to walk on barefooted.   Alas, this can no longer be used for a couple of reasons.  The floor slab now has cracks that allow smoke to enter the cabin.   The west end of the cabin has a fireplace with a large hearth.   The flue in the chimney had failed and made the cabin quite drafty.   We placed a fireplace insert into the old fireplace to make it more efficient and to block the downdraft.  We replaced the old pot belly stove on the east end of the cabin with a newer wood burning stove.

At one time, there was a camp director's cabin, and outdoor shower house with an attached boiler connect to a pump that pulled water from the lake and pushed it into the boiler.   A wood fire would be built under the boiler to heat the water.   I have never seen the director's cabin but we used the shower house in the early 1970's when I first became camping there as a scout.   The boiler and shower were later destroyed and removed, I believe, at the request of the USFS.   The pump house was moved from the edge of the lake  to the location of a new well to secure the well head.

There was also a lifeguards tower and rack for canoe storage.  These were removed when they were no longer serviceable.

In the southwest corner of the cabin there is a hole in a raised portion of the concrete that is plugged with a galvanized bucket.  We do not know why it is there or what it's original use was.

@WYOBKR -  I would really appreciate receiving the images of the document you have found and also how you came to find them.   Thank you,

 

[TimMiller]

I was the BSA District Executive for both the Cheyenne and Laramie Districts way back in 1981-1982.  At that time, Warren Holm was the Scout Executive for the Longs Peak Council residing in Greeley, Colorado.  Sometime in 1981, Warren made the decision to *not* renew the $99/year annual lease on Camp Chimney Park as he wanted Scouts to focus their camping efforts on the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.   A lot of Cheyenne and Laramie Scouters were not happy about Warren's decision, so they put together a group of Wyoming Scouting supporters who paid the annual lease payment directly to the Forest Service to preserve the camp.  I do remember that Warren Holm said the Wyoming Scouters could not do this because the money had to come directly from LPC or else the lease agreement and BSA insurance coverage would become null and void.  Even though some Scouters said they would gladly donate to the SME program *if* their money was used to pay the lease for Chimney Park, Warren said SME money could not be allocated or dedicated to a specific cause.  I was truly dismayed by the amount of efforts that were taken to avoid making that annual $99 payment.  I resigned from the BSA and returned to the University of Wyoming in 1982.  I subsequently moved away from Wyoming in 1984, so I lost track of this lease arrangement at that point in time.   I wish I could share more with you than that, but it's been 40 years and a lot has happened since then. 

[MattR]

Welcome to the forum,  @TimMiller.

It's a great camp. At least for the past 10 years the volunteers taking care of the cabin ask for donations of money or material be given directly to them so they actually get it.

Anyway, we ran our summer camp there this year. It's great. I think the council now takes care of the $99 payments. I forget the name of the guy that likely took over from Holm, but he was the best council exec I've seen.

[BIC]

Hello -

I'm a fisheries biologist with Wyoming Game and Fish Department and we stock trout in Chimney Park Reservoir (just south of the cabin).  I'm trying to figure out if scouts using the camp fish the pond, catch fish, etc.  We suspect this pond is prone to fish kills (likely in the summer) when dissolved oxygen crashes, but we don't know much about this small fishery.

Passing on your knowledge of this water, either in this forum or a phone call would be mighty helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[RememberSchiff]

@BIC    welcome to scouter.com

Edited January 19, 2024 by RememberSchiff

[rickeckhardt]

@Wyobkr  Any luck in getting those documents scanned?   Anything I can do to help?   I have a portable scanner  if you are within driving distance of Cheyenne.

[rickeckhardt]

@MattRHey,  any luck in finding the digitized version of the trail from CPSC to BDSR?   I would be really interested in a copy.

Thanks,

 

[rickeckhardt]

@TimMiller  In the early 1980's I became involved with the volunteer group @ Chimney park when one of the founders, Charles Burke, my former scoutmaster asked if I would help on a work weekend.  That is the weekend that we moved the pump house from it's location at the water's edge to place it over the well head that Mr. Burke had arranged to have drilled next to the cabin.   I have been involved with the committee ever since, some 40+ years.

Sadly, a few years ago, Chuck's health degraded to the point that he can no longer participate, others have moved on from scouting.   This pass year saw the passing of Wally Rice and later Steve Sunderman.   I am hoping to rebuild the committee this year.

I wish to maintain the legacy of those before me a preserve the camp for the youth of today and tomorrow.

[rickeckhardt]

@BIC I know that Wally Rice, Joe Tate, Rees Johnson and Steve Sunderman all fished the pond whenever they were in came.   I know fish were caught by these gentlemen.   I know that scouts have fished the pond as well though now record was kept.   Every time I have been up to the cabin to work this past year there was always someone who fished the pond while I was there, Usually from the earthen dam but one in a while from a canoe on the water.

I was always told that the pond had to be stocked annually due to winter kill,  that the pond is shallow enough that it can freeze clear through.   That always seemed plausible to us.

[rickeckhardt]

@MattR  The council exec you may be referring to could be Reed Brannon.   I don't recall if there was anyone else between him and Warren Holm.   In the 80's I was a new adult leader for Troop 103 on the local air force base and didn't pay much attention to leadership and politics at the council level yet.

A little over 13 years ago Reed retired and was replaced by John Coleman who just retired at the end of last year to be replaced by Nathan Dutson.