Written by Howard M. Bell, 1955
In 1924 the Los Angeles City Board of Education authorized the establishment of a site for a mountain outdoor education program. This first camp site was called Clear Creek Forestry Center and is located in the Angeles Crest area of the Angeles National Forest. It consists of approximately 200 acres of chaparral covered hillsides and canyons, and is leased free from the Federal Forest Service.
During the first 31 years buildings and other facilities have been gradually developed until, at the present time, 40 to 80 campers may be accommodated in safe and healthful comfort. In passing, it may be noted that most of the buildings and facilities have been constructed from salvage materials at very little cost.
It is estimated conservatively that more than 50,000 boys and girls have made use of the camp since its inception. For many years, groups using the center came chiefly from agricultural classes. The objective was to provide opportunities for learning forestry methods by direct contact with the natural environment.
Successively the instructional emphasis passed from forestry to nature study, to recreational camping, and finally to the present program of outdoor education. Approximately 40 classroom groups are accommodated each year during school weeks and about 1800 campers during week-ends and vacation periods.
Camp Clear Creek has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated school camp in America.
