Home > Camps > Firestone Scout Reservation

Firestone Scout Reservation

Firestone Scout Reservation is located in Tonner Canyon, east of State Route 57 between Diamond Bar and Brea, California. Associated historically with Los Angeles Area Council and now operated by Greater Los Angeles Area Council, the reservation provides camping close to the communities it serves. Its facilities accommodate individual units, larger gatherings, and other nonprofit youth organizations. The camp’s history includes substantial community donations, extensive weekend use, leadership training, and changes in the ownership of the surrounding land.1

Origins and Dedication

The reservation developed during the 1950s. According to an April 1959 account in the La Habra Star, the search for a nearby camping property began about six years earlier. Land in Tonner Canyon was identified in November 1954, followed by efforts to assemble sufficient acreage through donations and purchases at cost. Leonard Firestone was a major supporter. Other substantial contributions came from the Chandler family and Arnold Haskell, president of the M. H. Sherman Foundation. John Northrop chaired the camp development committee during the drive to obtain land.2

Greater Los Angeles Area Council’s camping guide traces Firestone’s history to 1955. However, the La Habra Star reported in July 1959 that the reservation had opened in 1957. These accounts provide different starting dates, and the precise distinction between establishment and opening remains to be documented. The July article described Firestone primarily as a year-round weekend destination for Scouts and Explorers, with a separate Cubland area for Cub Scouts and family picnics. Facilities included a large swimming pool and an adult training center.3

Formal dedication ceremonies were scheduled for April 25, 1959, at the Chandler-Haskell training area. The announced program included reservation tours, an outdoor luncheon, and the unveiling of a dedication plaque by Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Firestone. Contemporary coverage described approximately 3,500 acres available for camping, about half owned by the council. It also reported that 47,000 Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, and leaders had picnicked or camped there during the preceding year.4

Early Camping and Leadership Training

Participation quickly reached another milestone. On July 24, 1959, the newspaper announced that Firestone expected its 100,000th youth visitor the following morning. Council executive board member David Salot was to welcome the Scout and his unit. The visitor would receive a uniform or a certificate for equipment, while fellow unit members would receive commemorative neckerchief slides. The announcement named Ed King as camp ranger.5

Smaller newspaper reports document everyday activities at the reservation. In March 1959, Cub Scouts and their families participated in the council’s “Camp and Plant” week. After preparing breakfast with their fathers, each boy planted a tree in Cubland. Firestone also supported youth leadership development. In September 1968, members of Troop 61 and Explorer Post 61-X joined participants from thirteen other troops for junior leader training, learning techniques and leadership skills through games.6

Land Sales and Continued Scouting Use

Land ownership changed substantially around the turn of the century. A 2009 newspaper investigation reported that Los Angeles Area Council sold more than 2,500 acres to the City of Industry in 2000 for $16.5 million, retaining land for Scouting. Proposed reservoir development prompted environmental opposition and unsuccessful litigation. The report noted that the reservoir had not been built and the camp remained in operation.7

Firestone continued serving Scouts from beyond its home council. In March 2015, California Inland Empire Council’s Temescal District held a camporee there with 330 Scouts, representing forty-eight patrols from nineteen troops. Activities included orienteering, fire building, first aid, archery, rifle shooting, and service. Today, Greater Los Angeles Area Council promotes Firestone for pack and troop camping as well as gatherings exceeding 1,000 participants. Its continuing role reflects the original effort to make outdoor experiences available near Southern California’s urban communities.8

Camps Pages

  1. Greater Los Angeles Area Council, “Firestone Scout Reservation”; SFGATE, “Lots of land, few new camps for scouts.”
  2. “Dedication Ceremonies Planned for Firestone Scout Reservation,” La Habra Star, April 22, 1959. California Digital Newspaper Collection, University of California, Riverside.
  3. Greater Los Angeles Area Council, Firestone Weekend Camping Guide, p. 2; “Firestone Scout Reservation Is Expecting 100,000th Boy Scout,” La Habra Star, July 24, 1959. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  4. “Dedication Ceremonies Planned for Firestone Scout Reservation,” La Habra Star, April 22, 1959. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  5. “Firestone Scout Reservation Is Expecting 100,000th Boy Scout,” La Habra Star, July 24, 1959. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  6. “Cub Scouts Plant Trees,” La Habra Star, March 25, 1959; “Local troops take special scout session,” Highland Park News-Herald & Journal, September 29, 1968. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  7. SFGATE, “Lots of land, few new camps for scouts,” 2009.
  8. California Inland Empire Council, “Monday Memo 3/30/15,” March 30, 2015; Greater Los Angeles Area Council, “Firestone Scout Reservation.”

Do you have information, updates, paperwork, or photographs related to this page? We would love your contribution. Feel free to leave a comment below, if enabled, or visit our Contact Page to let us know you can help. We appreciate all contributions and can't wait to include your content on this website.

Last updated: November 6, 2026 at 14:26 pm

Leave a Comment