Camp Jack Wright

Camp Jack Wright is a 40-acre Boy Scout camp in Roupes Valley adjacent to Tannehill Historical State Park and run by the Greater Alabama Council. The camp includes sandstone ridges and a forest made up of chestnut oak, white oak, black oak, southern red oak, hickory, and a few assorted pine trees. Various wildlife can also be found around the camp, including deer and turkey. The camp is accessed via a road from the state park.

History

By the 1950s and 1960s, Scout troops were already camping in the Tannehill area and assisted developing the state park via service projects during the 1970s. As attendance at Tannehill increased, Scouts began having problems trying to secure camping reservations. Jack Wright, who owned 32 acres near the park, made an unsolicited offer of the property to the Scouts. As plans for turning the land into a Scout camp progressed, the Scouts tracked down the owners of an additional eight acres, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd E. Benton, asking if they would be willing to donate that land as well. Upon consideration, they agreed.

Preparation of the camp was done entirely by volunteers. This included clearing land, building a road, picnic tables, latrines, and pavilion, plus running a water line. Volunteers also cleared the nature trail and labeled trees. The camp was dedicated on May 4, 1997. An orienteering course was completed in the camp on January 24, 2004.

Entrance to Camp Jack Wright. Photo by Robert Matthews

Facilities

The outermost portion of Camp Jack Wright is ringed by a fire lane. Closer in, the Benton-Burridge Nature Trail rings the camp. The camp has four campsites, each featuring a latrine, picnic table, and fire ring. They are named C. W. Sellers (site #1), Doc Baker (site #2), Jim Lewis (site #3), and Byron Wilson (site #4). The campsites are intended for "low impact" camping.

In addition to the campsites, there is a central activity and parking area with an activity pavilion and water spigots and the aforementioned permanent orienteering course. Scouts can earn a Camp Jack Wright patch by spending the night, doing an approved service project, and hiking the nature trail.

References

• Turner, Rob. (August 3, 2005). "Camp Jack Wright." Greater Alabama Council.

External links

• Camp Jack Wright at the Greater Alabama Council website