Ventura County Council # 57 (1921 – Present)

Ventura County Council has been serving Ventura County for over 100 years. Its Order of the Arrow Lodge is Topa Topa Lodge # 291.

Timeline and Working Notes:

• 1916: Richard Bard charters Troop 1 in Port Hueneme¹.
• 1921:
  • June 23, 1921: Ventura County Council is chartered. Seven Troops are operating, with three remaining in continuous service. Those Troops are Troop 102 from Ventura, Troop 202 from Oxnard, and Troop 302 from Santa Paul.
  • July 11, 1921: Harvey R. Cheesman hired as first Scout Executive².
  • July 18, 1921: The Council opens its first Summer camp at the Gaviota Pass campsite of the Santa Barbara Council.
• 1922:
  • First County Eagle Scouts listed as Walter Whidden (later incorrectly written Wilton) and Arthur Schilder. Whidden was later acknowledged in articles as the first Eagle Scout to later become Assistant Scoutmaster. Whidden would later serve as a longtime Scout Executive in many Councils and with Region XI and Region XII.
  • March: Col. Rowland became the first Assistant Scout Executive.
  • April 1: The first Council Office opens at 337 W. Main, Santa Paula, CA.
  • July 31: The second Council Summer Camp opens at Santa Paula Canyon East Fork. Opening was delayed from July 10, so the youth could work in apricot-pitting season.
• 1923:
  • H.R. Cheesman listed as Scout Executive³.
  • Summer: The Council’s first permanent camp was opened above Wheeler Hot Springs, and later named Camp Gray.
  • Fred Meyer hired as Scout Executive⁴.
• 1924:
  • Fred Meyer listed as Scout Executive⁵.
  • August: The first Sea Scout Troop in Ventura County is organized.
• 1925:
  • Fred Meyer resigns as Scout Executive⁶.
  • Council headquarters moves to a remodeled school auxiliary building at 10th and Ventura, in Santa Paula.
• 1926:
  • Fred Meyer now listed as former Scout Executive.
  • Unit numbers are changed to three-digits with areas represented. 100’s are for Ventura. 200’s are for Oxnard Plain. 300’s are for Santa Paula. 400’s are for Fillmore. 500’s are for Ojai. 600’s are for Moorpark. 700’s are for Thousand Oaks. Others are left open.
• 1929: Elwood C. Greist becomes Scout Executive⁷
• 1931
  • February 18: Cub Scouts begins in Ventura County, with a Cub Scout Pack established at the Methodist Church in Santa Paula.
  • June: Camp Gray is lost due to construction of the Ventura-Maricopa Highway.
• 1932: Property donation of 10 acres that would become Camp Three Falls.
• 1933: Camping begins in June on the 10-acre site in Lockwood Valley that would become known as Camp Three Falls.
• 1935: Elwood C. Greist listed as Scout Executive⁸.
• 1941: Elwood C. Greist listed as Scout Executive⁹
• 1944:
  • Elwood C. Greist leaves for Imperial-Yuma Council¹⁰. John B. Gessford listed as Scout Executive, with Santa Paula, California, now the headquarters city¹¹.
  • June: The Order of the Arrow is established in Ventura Council Council as Topa Topa Lodge # 291.
• 1945: In October, the first Air Scout Squadron in Ventura County is established in Moorpark.
• 1947: In January, James N. Proctor completes 13 years of service as Council President.
• 1948: Camp Three Falls is expanded to use three canyons to the West of the Council property.
• 1949: John B. Gessford listed as Scout Executive¹²
• 1954: The first Scout-O-Rama in Ventura County is held. Camp Willett is developed from a 535-acre plot near Oak View, donated by Mrs. Edith Scott Willett.
• 1956: John Gerrford (sic?) listed as Scout Executive¹³. The Council Office movies to the old County Fire Department Headquarters at 8th and Santa Barbara in Santa Paula.
• 1968: In December, Council headquarters moved to the Rancho Camarillo Building in Camarillo. John B. Gessford listed as Scout Executive¹⁴.
• 1969:
  • March 31: John Gessford retires as Council Scout Executive after 25 years of service.
  • The “Golden Jubilee Development Fund” becomes the first Ventura County Council capital development campaign.
• 1971
  • February: Ventura County Council celebrates its 50th anniversary.
  • April: Council Service Center moved to the Ponderosa North Shopping Center in Camarillo.
• 1973: Camp Three Falls is purported to be the first scout summer camp to offer Rock Climbing and Rappelling as part of the summer elective program.
• 1974: In April, Scout Office moved to office complex on Daily Drive, donated by Hal Watkins¹⁵. The address is 509 E. Daily Drive, which was the Historic Daily Home.
• 1972: Hollis Spindle becomes Scout Executive¹⁶.
• 1978: Fritz Huntsinger, Sr., presented the first annual Golden Condor Award for distinguished citizenship and contributions to the Ventura County Council, BSA.
• 1990: Hollis Spindle retires as Scout Executive¹⁷.
• 1991: Dave Graska announced in April as Scout Executive¹⁸. He is the 7th Scout Executive.
• 1992:
  • Dave Graska listed as Scout Executive¹⁹
  • November 10: Barn fire destroys the barn and most of its contents.
• 1994: Dave Graska is Scout Executive²⁰.
• 1995: In June, Camp Three Falls receives a full-time ranger.
• 2001:
  • Dave Graska is listed as Scout Executive²¹.
  • May: Tom-Bob Carr becomes the first Ventura County Council recipient of the Silver Antelope Award, the highest regional award to volunteer Scouters.
  • June: Bill Belcher retires after serving the Council for more than 20 years as Assistant Scout Executive.
• 2003:
  • March: The Council’s new Scout Store and Conference Center is dedicated in to the Scouts and Scouters of Ventura County.
  • June: Dave Graska retires as Scout Executive on June 30, with more than 12 years of service to the Council.
  • December: Tim Thomton becomes Scout Executive in December.
• 2010: Howard Kern receives the Silver Antelope Award.
• 2013: Tim Thomton leaves to become Scout Executive of San Diego-Imperial Council in December.
• 2014: David Jones becomes Scout Executive in February²².
• 2019: David Jones leaves as Scout Executive in April to work at BYU. George Villalobos becomes Scout Executive in June.
• 2024: George Villalobos retires. Andrea McClellan becomes Scout Executive in July.
• 2024: Camp Three Falls is closed.

(Page Contributors: Wes Fish)