Camp Name:
Name Pronunciation:
Name Origination:
Council Affiliation 1:
Council Affiliation 2:
Property:
Location:
Location Coordinates:
County:
First Year:
Final Year:
Years Active:
Disposition:
Acreage:
Elevation:
Address:
Phone:
Notes:
Loomer
“lou” “mer”
Named after Archie Loomer
Oakland Area Council #21 (1921-1964)
San Francisco Bay Area Council #28 (1964-2020)
Owned – Land Donated by Archie S. Loomer
Pollack Pines, CA
38.75787679609864, -120.60101582933866 (click on coordinates for Camp Location)
El Dorado
1957
1973
16
Property sold due to cost of operating six camps (Dimond-O, Willits Scout Reservation, Royaneh, Rancho Los Mochos, Lilienthal, Loomer)
48 Acres
3835 feet
2675 Blair Road, Pollack Pines, CA 95726
None
Wilderness Camp, No Ranger, Basic Amenities (water, kybo, showers), Leaders Cabin
In 1957 through the cooperation of Paul Bray, a member of the Explorer committee in the Chabot district, the Oakland Council was able to secure a gift from Mr. Archie S. Loomer for a piece of property located 15 miles north of Placerville. The campsite was located outside the town of Pollack Pines about 1 mile north of highway 50 on Blair road and consisted of approximately forty-eight acres of timber, grasslands and some cabins. The property was donated to the Oakland Area Council by Mr. Arch Loomer because he wanted someone to use the property that was conservation-minded and would use the site for camping activities without making it a commercial enterprise. Mr. Loomer had a great love of nature and the outdoors and preserved this 48 acre plot as a summer home for his family.
Because of its natural beauty the Oakland Council agreed both in writing and in the discussions with Mr. Loomer that they would carry out his idea of preserving the area in its native state as far as was consistent with the needs of the council in the development of a camping program.
One of the features of this particular camp site is that it is only about a half hour by automobile from the major snow fields on highway 50, thus making it a very natural base camp for winter camping and winter sports.
In the acceptance of this camp site, Mr. Loomer reserved a life interest in the property and the privilege of using the camp and the two story Loomer cabin as needed by him and at such times as it be desired by him. Mr. Loomer very graciously allowed the council to use his cabin as the center of operation when he was not using it. In addition, there were two other small cabins on the property, one owned by a Mr. Wilson and the other by a Mr. Kendall. Under the terms of the agreement these two men were also allowed to use the cabins as long as they wish.
Three areas were designated at Camp Loomer for Troop camping sites however none of the areas contained any flat terrain. The main building on the property was the Loomer cabin where the camp director stayed when troops where using the property. The Loomer cabin had no water heater so water was heated in the fire place.
Over the years some basic camp needs were added to the property such as a troop shower house in the camping areas. The camp also had a county maintained irrigation canal that separated the property from other land owners via two wooden bridges. Paul Bray constructed the Camp Loomer sign that hung over the entrance to the camp around 1967. Mr. Bray was related to the Loomers of Sacramento and he may have been instrumental in arranging for the transfer of that property to the council. Mr. & Mrs. Loomer and the others who held interest in the land, were Sacramento school teachers.
CAMP LOOMER IS SOLD
With the merging of the two councils in 1964, the San Francisco Bay Area Council now had six camps to operate and maintain. In 1973 due to very few Scouts using the camp, the encroachment of new housing around the property and the cost to operate so many camps, it was decided to close two of the council camps that had the least amount of use. Although it was a difficult decision by the board, it was decided that both Camp Loomer and Camp Lilienthal would close and that their properties be sold.
Ultimately the Camp Loomer property was not used a great deal due to its location and lack of amenities. The property in 2009 still exhibits the same look as it did in the 1960’s. However the three Loomer cabins have been removed from the property and two trailer homes now occupy its former site. The troop camping areas are still undisturbed and remnants of the shower house can still be found. The wooden bridges over the irrigation canal have been partially dismantled but are still intact. The Camp Loomer entrance sign that was built by Paul Bray was moved to Wente Scout Reservation in 1973 and is currently used as the entry way to the Oak Flats campground (site 11).
© 2024 All rights reserved, Golden Gate Area Council, BSA
STEM
Order of the Arrow
