The following history is from a sheet I picked up at Council office. It is from a book, I'm not sure which one. It features some old pictures of Cooper and the following passages:
One of the Council's most beautiful camp facilites is Camp Cooper, located in the heart of the Coast Range some 18 miles northwest of Willamina. A pioneer family, after whom the camp was named, settled in Yamhill County in the mid-19th century. In 1932, the heirs of Calvin Cooper deeded a 240 acre tract of land to a special group of trustees in Yamhill County. They were charted with the responsiblity for utilizing the property for Scout camping. In its first few years, the camp, being natural and rugged and having no facilities, was utilized primarily by troops from Willamina, Sheridan, and McMinnville. In the summer of 1939, the Portland Area Council inaugurated "District Camping" and set up eight weeks of camps located in various districts around the outlying council territory under the leadership of Field Executive Guy P. Miller. The first of these camps was at Camp Cooper in early June of that year. Some 150 Scouts camp from throughout the Yamhill District to camp for a week under the leadership of a five man central camp staff and college-age troop leaders from within the district. Similar camps were conducted in 1940 and 1941. The district camp program was discontinued during World War II and not reinstated as such.
In the early 1950's the Council determined that Camp Cooper should be developed as a major council camp, providing it could become a council property. This was accomplished in 1954, when the property was deeded to the Council by the Trustees. The remoteness of the area proved to be both a blessing and a challenge. Located in an area of 100 plus inches of rainfall annually, the setting provided an ideal environment for camping once the camper had arrived. Getting there in the early years provided a real trauma. Ten miles of logging road into camp consisted of red clay that, following a heavy rain, could turn into as much as ten inches of red mud requiring tire chains ona ny vehicle seeking to get to camp.Logging, conducted by the Bureau of Land Management, which owned most of the lands in the area, resulted in gravel roads. Later, paved roads took campers to within one half mile of the council property.
A clause in the deed of the property to the Council set up a contract to selectively log the property as needed, with the funds received to go into a special fund to be utilized for the developemtn of Camp Cooper. This contract activated a "love affair" between Camp Cooper and the Hurl brothers and their Oregon Alder-Maple Logging Company. The Hurl brothers: Roy, Al, and Bill became the driving force behind the development of Camp Cooper, donating literally hundreds of hours of volunteer service and inspiring the help not only of Scouters from throughout the Council but also local loggers and others in the neighborhood. They worked closely with Al Rettenmier, Yamhill District Executive, who was the Camp Director in 1955, when it opened.
Key facilities, developed over the years, include a three acre lake, christened "Lake Hurl", and a dozen troopsites of varying capacities. Central facilities include an equipment strage building and trading post and a central kitchen expanded to become a full fledged dining hall with a huge porch area to accommodate the entire camp for a portion of the meals. Additional facilities include a health lodge, staff family quarters and a complete waterfront.
Cooper proveides unique scenery and some special activities. Testament Creek, running through camp and providing the waters for Lake Hurl, flows over a sharp prcipice and drops some 130 feet, thus creating Paradise Falls, a scenic wonder, rare in camps throughout the nation. A pioneer Scoutmaster and great naturalist from Willamina, killed in a tragic hunting accident, was memorialized through the development of the Herbert Rydell Nature Trail, one of the finest anywhere. The trail was actually built by "Bud" jensen, a Willamina Scouter, who over the years has been deeply and constantly involved in the development of the camp.
A few huge cedar snags have been felled over the years and cut to length to provide "shake bolts". With the utilization of early day woodsmen's "froes", shake spllitting has become a regualr activity, with most boys splitting a half dozen shakes to roof camp buildings and take home as souvenirs. Lake Hurl has been annually stocked with Rainbow Trout, providing a mecca for Scout fisherman. In early days, Camp Cooper was a patrol cooking camp, with troops totally responsible for food preparation. With the completion of the dining hall in the mid 70s, the food service was altered to provide two meals a day in the dining hall with a third provided by patrols in their own sites. For nearly a decade in the 1970s, a horseback riding program was provided.
Another unique feature of Camp Cooper has been the annual spring Scouter' Weekend hosted by the Hurl Brothers and featuring a Saturday noon, multi-course feed-funded, prepared and served by the Hurl Brothers. This has attracted workers from throughout the Council and gorged them with delicacies rarely found in the finest restaurants, much less a camp setting.
Unfortunately, council financial problems and the decline in the number of Boy Scouts necessitated the close of Camp Cooper for long term camping in the early 80's. However, it is still utillized year round for short term camping and may, at a later date, be reactivated for long term camping
And as we all know, we are lucky that Camp Cooper has been re-opened for more than 10 years
Please submit any information you have regarding Camp Cooper's history!
