Camp Junipero Serra Site Today
In 2006 it's been 50 years since the summer of 1956. Mr. Seavers was the camp director in the 1950s. A fellow named Mike Shadow ran the camp store/post office as I recall. The camp offered hiking, baseball, boxing, archery, canoes, rowboats, a handicraft hall, indian lore, rock collecting, a campers skit night, capture the flag, dodge ball, long hikes to the summit of Mt. Baden Powell, swimming at the nearby YMCA pool and camp songs led by Mr. Seavers after meals in the mess hall. He's say: "What are we doing"? The campers would yell back: "Camping." He'd repeat it a few times to get the kids riled up.
Camp Junipero Serra
The Catholic Youth Organization of Los Angeles was issued a "special use permit on public grounds" from the U.S. Forest Service on September 3, 1940. It has been reported that Camp Serra closed in 1975. The camp was recorded as an historic site in October 1992.
James Francis Cardinal Mclntyre's former chancellor Monsignor Benjamin G. Hawkes vicar for finances in Los Angeles and the powers that were reportedly decided to close the facility for budget reasons.
The flat graded area at the site clearly shows the old baseball field location. Dodge ball games were played on that field as well.
Sketch from above
In the 1950s the camper tents would have been down the slope to the right.
This view is looking pretty much south, and the baseball backstop would have been on the right side of this image. Trees have now grown on the south slope behind the car in this photo. In the 1950s there were few trees and the camp flag pole was located on that slope.
This view is looking northwest. The baseball diamond backstop would have been at the northwest end in the distance of this photo.
This view is looking northwest from near where the mess hall was located back toward the baseball field in the distance.
Camp Junipero Serra - an Historic Site
The camp was recorded as an historic site in October
1992. It has been designated as a historic site with Forest Service Number
05-01-54-049 and Smithsonian Trinomial CA-LAN-2151H. At time of recordation,
the site had remnants of concrete foundations, stone foundations, stone
walls, and water pipelines at various locations particularly along the
site's margins. A few brick and concrete chunks were observed at widely
scattered areas. Leveled bench areas (that previously contained structures)
were also noted. Relatively small planted cedar and redwood trees were
observed. During the 1980s, unauthorized use by a group of flintknappers
left a sparse scatter of obsidian and chert flakes on part of the large
flat open area. I don't know a lot more about the camp but I hope this
information helps a little.
Douglas H. Milburn
Assistant Forest Archaeologist
Angeles National Forest
c/o Big Pines Station, P.O. Box 31, Wrightwood, CA
92397
(760) 249-3317
Camp Junipero Serra
The Catholic Youth Organization of Los Angeles was
issued a "special use permit on public grounds" from the U.S. Forest Service
on September 3, 1940. It has been reported that Camp Serra closed
in 1975.
U.S. Forest Service - Big Pines Information Center |
Youth Camps in the Jackson Lake Area of Big Pines
1930s
All Nations Camp - in Fenner Canyon - All Nations Foundation - June 2, 1937
Verdugo Pines Bible Camp - Boy Scouts of America
Verdugo Hills Council - Dec. 14, 1939
-- Directly behind Jackson Lake
-- Terminus of the Boy Scouts Silver Mocassin Trail
through the San Gabriael Mountains d
1940s
Harry James Camp later...
-- McKinley Home for Boys - Kiwanis Club - January
9, 1940 - later...
-- Camp Commerce - City of Commerce Parks and Recreation
- November 17, 1961
Teresita Pines - Catholic Daughters of America - permit reissued on Sept. 3, 1940
Camp Manzanita - - directly across from Jackson
Lake
Girl Scouts Los Angeles Council - Sept. 3, 1940 --
later permitee Santa Monica Council
***
Camp Junipero Serra -
Catholic Youth Organization of Los Angeles - September 3, 1940
Camp Metaka at Apple Tree Meadow - Campfire Girls Rio Hondo Council - December 31, 1940
Camp Mariastella - in Wrightwood - Sisters of Social Services - since 1941
YMCA Camp - Just beyond Camp Junipero Serra - March
24, 1943
-- closed in 1975
Campfire Girls Long Beach Council
-- Camp Hemohme - in Sleepy Hollow adjacent to Jackson
Lake - Nov. 40, 1944
Girl Scouts - Centinella Valley Camp - just below Big
Pines Divide - December 23, 1945
-- Girl Scouts Santa Ana Council - east of Big Pines
- January 2, 1953
-- Camp Deer Ridge - Camp Marion - Santigo Camp -
-- Campfire Girls San Bernadino Council - August 3,
1961
Camp Mountain View - east of Big Pines - Mountain View School District - January 21, 1947
Sherman Camp for Indian Boys - just across the highway
from Jackson Lake - Nov. 30, 1948 - later...
-- Camp Hawthorne - just across the highway from Jackson
Lake - 1961 - later...
-- Club Gunga Din Youth Center - City of Hawthorne
1950s
Twin Valley Camp - east of All Nations Camp
-- Girl Scouts Whittier Council as of 1954 -- permit
reissued March 8, 1956
-- Girl Scouts East San Gabriel Council 1965
-- Girl Scouts Spanish Trails Council 1967
Glendale Youth Camp - just east of Big Pines - later...
-- Camp Comiche - Compton School District - just east
of Big Pines - May 15, 1958
1960s
Southern California Bible Conference Camp - Baptist
Church - April 19, 1963
-- Directly behind Jackson Lake on site of former
Boy Scout camp from 1939
Camp Marion - Boys Christian League of Arcadia - east
of Big Pines - April 24, 1963
-- later Mt. Karl
1970s
Camp Kesaab - directly across from Jackson Lake - Los Angeles Education Assoc. - March 19, 1971
Permit dates Unknown
Neighborhood Youth Association Camp - Episcopal Church - east of Holiday Hill
Methosist Leaders Lodge - in Wrightwood
Indian Springs Ranch - Lone Pine Canyon
2006
Youth Camps near Jackson Lake in 2006 |
-- AYF Camp - 22214 Big Pines Highway N
-- Camp Mariastella - http://CampMariastella.com/ - Wrightwood
-- Camp Wrightwood - 1401 Linnet Road · Wrightwood CA 92397-0066
-- http://campwrightwood.com/ | live cam |
-- Kare Youth League - 24557 Hwy 2 - Wrightwood CA 92397 | http://mountkare.org/about_us.htm |
-- Wrightwood Camp and Conference Center - 22800 Big Pines Highway N4
-- http://wrightwoodecamp.org/ |
-- YMCA 21280 Big Pines Hwy. YMCA Camp E.L.K. |
-- YMCA 22401 Big Pines Hwy. YMCA Camp Coulter Pines | Home |
Big Pines camp research from:
Perl Comfort Fisher - Wrightwood Historical Society
Barbara Van Houten - Wrightwood Historical Society
Pat Cooper King - Wrightwood Historical Society
Mike Roberts - Special Uses Officer - USFA Headquarters in Pear Blossom
Charles Beardsley - Retired District Ranger