Buckskin Reservation, WV

Buckskin Reservation: Helping Boys Become Men

Buckskin Reservation is a Boy Scout’s dream: 2,000 acres of unspoiled West Virginia wilderness—room enough for the most adventurous young camper to fully explore nature, learn crafts, practice sports, chant around a bonfire, perfect survival skills, bond with friends, and otherwise live a wild and happy life for a week or more every summer.

Nearly 1,000 youth, ages 11 through 18, visit Buckskin in Pocahontas County (pop. 9,131) each year. Camp, whether weekend or summer, is a highlight of the year-round scouting experience, and most Boy Scout councils across the nation either maintain or participate in camps. But the Buckskin Council—with members from 23 counties in parts of West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky—considers itself particularly fortunate.

“We’re real proud of Buckskin Reservation,” says Hoy Murphy, who has accompanied his son’s troop to Buckskin for several years. “I know it is the best Boy Scout camp in West Virginia, and probably the best in the eastern United States.”

His 15-year-old son Patrick, a five-year Scout, agrees. “I’ve been to other camps, but I’ve never been to a better camp than Dilley’s Mill,” he says, referring to Buckskin by its original name. “I actually know some boys who are mainly involved in scouting so they can go to camp there.”

What makes it great is subjective, but most enthusiasts mention the varied topography of mountains, forests, flatlands, and a river and lake; its location in the midst of thousands of acres of state and national parks; the numerous trails; and the sense of history from the property’s past as the site of a grain mill for pioneer farmers—evidence of which is still visible in the form of stacked millstones at the area’s entrance gate.

These attributes create a site that transfixes visitors. “It’s so remote. You’re out in the woods, and at night it’s just beautiful. It’s dark, and there are no clouds in the sky and no city lights to blind you … the stars are just brilliant,” Murphy says.

Don Ellis, a retired scoutmaster who shepherded two sons and numerous other boys through the camp during his 25 years of service, was one of the first to take a troop to Buckskin. They were there in 1959, when the camp was still under construction, for a tree-planting ceremony—and he’s been back every summer since.

“Because of the husbandry, the stewardship of those who look after the reservation, I can walk into that camp today and it looks just like it did in 1960,” he says, noting strict standards about how and where trails can be made, where vehicles can be driven, even how carefully timber is harvested from the forests (proceeds of which help fund the camp).

Murphy says strong support from the council has been key to making Buckskin Reservation a top scouting destination for campers from West Virginia as well as many other states.

“They’re constantly upgrading the facilities. It’s not just a few shacks out in the woods somewhere,” Murphy says.

A typical day at the camp includes rising no later than 7 a.m., eating breakfast, attending merit badge classes (chosen according to each child’s interest), swimming and boating instruction, and free time. There’s also a shooting range where interested kids can learn to safely operate shotguns, rifles, and bows and arrows; a craft area where they learn traditional American Indian crafts, as well as leather, metal, and wood crafts; instruction in campfire cooking; and—a popular favorite—learning survival skills, after which “they take them out in the woods overnight and let ’em survive,” Murphy says.

Although organized camps are held only in summer, the property is open to campers year-round. A couple of cabins are even open to non-Scouts and often attract skiers who bunk down for $30 a night during visits to the nearby slopes.

“To see the kids having fun and learning” is the best part about Buckskin camp, says Carleton Starr, program director for the council. “Because once these kids learn skills in scouting, it helps prepare them for the future.”

Don Ellis has a similar viewpoint. “My fondest memories are when I got to watch klutzes become coordinated … to develop mentally (and) physically, through those camping experiences,” he says. “That’s the joy of leadership.”

Kara Carden is a regular American Profile contributor.

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