Camp Paxson turns 80, welcomes firefighters' return

SEELEY LAKE – Built 80 years ago, Camp Paxson, on the southwest shore of Seeley Lake, has been a confluence of natural, cultural and commercial history hosting a summer camp for boy scouts and various other youth organizations, events and schools. This year it returns to a historical use, opening its doors to welcome firefighters. In the early 1940s, it was the place were conscientious objectors trained to be smokejumpers. Today, it is lodging the Seeley Lake Ranger District fire crew in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory, Camp Paxson is the only rustic, high style recreation complex built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Montana and is the only known Civilian Conservation Corps/Works Projects Administration (CCC/WPA)-constructed youth camp in the state. It began in 1924 as a four-acre grant from the Forest Service to the Western Montana Council of Boy Scouts. Originally it was a tent camp with six small frame structures for administrative uses.

As a CCC/WPA project, the lodge was constructed under the direction of Clyde Fickes in 1939. By the spring of 1940, the crew completed three main sleeping cabins, 12 small sleeping cabins, a caretaker cabin, a pump house and two bathhouses. All are still standing and functional today. The camp was named in honor of Edgar S. Paxson, a well-known early 20th century Montana artist.

Current facilities manager with the Camp Paxson Preservation Project John Torma said he met George Horvath from Cleveland, Ohio who was on the original crew in 1939 and 1940.

"These young teenagers and young men were not experienced log builders, said Torma. "[It's not fancy but] This is some of the best log craftsmanship I've ever seen."

In 1940, recruiting began for the first smokejumpers in the west. In a Jan. 5, 2005 Pathfinder article "Smokejumper Center replicates jumpsuit for Museum," Addrien Marx wrote, "These men belied the moniker "yellow bellies" for their assignment was one of extreme danger and required not only superb physical stamina but conclusive, quick and accurate thinking. Only 250 men out of 60,000 applicants were accepted into the US Forest Service first smoke jumping unit."

In the book "Cabin Fever" Marx wrote that one of two smokejumper squads were based at the old CCC "spike camp" next to the Seeley Lake Ranger Station. They took their first jumps on the open spaces of Blanchard Flats, known today as Clearwater Junction. They were paid $193 and room and board for two and a half months of hazardous duty.

The smokejumper training program transferred to Region One and moved to Nine Mile Ranger District in 1941. With the onset of World War II, the program had a staggering impact in 1942 with only five experienced jumpers and occasional discarded military chutes available.

However, by 1943 the smokejumping program had an influx of WWII Conscientious Objectors who chose to serve their country without bearing arms. Approximately 80 Civilian Public Service Smokejumpers returned to Camp Paxson for their spring training. They were taken by boat each day to the Seeley Lake Ranger Station. It was said that this was done in order to save gas, since it was war time. Shortly after mid-June, the trained jumpers were sent to Moose Creek, Big Prairie, Edmond, Oregon and McCall, Idaho. About 27 remained at Seeley Lake, with one squad going to Nine Mile later. Both Travelaires and Ford Tri-motors, some of the first smokejumper planes, used the old Seeley Lake airstrip, what is now the Fawn Creek Heliport.

Following the use by the smokejumpers, the Camp Paxson facilities were administered through the Granger-Thye agreement by several groups including the Missoula Jaycees, Campfire of Missoula, Missoula Children's Theatre and now the Camp Paxson Preservation Project.

The Granger-Thye permit, a special use authority granted by the Granger-Thye Act of April 24, 1950, Section 5 and administered by the Forest Service, allows a non-profit organization to use funds earned by charging a graduated fee for special events and camps at Camp Paxson to make improvements to the site. These improvements include restoration in line with the historical significance of the property or other general maintenance and up-keep/improvements. These projects are prioritized in partnership with the Seeley Lake Ranger District and the amount of in-kind labor and materials is around $10,000 annually. Everything is done to support the mission, "to preserve and improve historic Camp Paxson and to advance the public's appreciation of this cultural and natural resource both locally and regionally through expanded appropriate use."

"The best part about the Granger-Thye agreement from our perspective is that the lease fee can be worked off, not paid," said Torma. "Everybody, Forest Service, us and I know Camp Paxson does too – appreciates that we don't have to pay anything because that money would go to Washington, D.C. and get lost and we would never see the light of day. We always wish we could do about five times as much."

Camp Paxson was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March, 1986. When a place is placed on the Historic Register, there is a distinct process that includes a restoration team with the Forest Service for any maintenance done on the buildings to ensure the work is in keeping with the National Historic Preservation Act standard.

In 1995, Torma and other facility managers went through training with log restoration experts onsite while they replaced the roof on the caretaker's cabin. Torma learned how to shingle with sawn, cedar shingles.

"It was just the most fascinating schooling in building that I have ever had," said Torma.

Since Torma's training, they have restored eight cabins, including the caretaker cabin and both bath houses. They also replaced the shingles on the main lodge.

With all the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 this spring, Torma was in regular contact with Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver about their summer operations. Following the Forest Service Closure Order through June 30 that affected Camp Paxson, the Forest Service's social distancing recommendations were released requiring one person per room in Forest Service facilities and one person per vehicle. Based on these recommendations, the Seeley Lake Ranger District bunkhouse capacity went from 36 to 12 people.

Because there are 15 individual cabins at Camp Paxson, Carver and Torma agreed to move the 13 firefighters to Camp Paxson. The Granger-Thye agreement was temporarily suspended for the summer and the District contracted with CPPP to act as their facility manager through the fall.

"This really gives us an opportunity to give the most minimal exposure to our fire crews and keep it isolated," said Carver. "It also opens up our bunkhouses for sivilculture, rec and other forest needs."

"It was really a bummer to say for about a month-and-a-half 'I don't know, I'll call you next week.' In spite of the fact that they weren't anxious to hear 'No,' they were anxious to hear something for certain," said Torma about all the groups that were scheduled at Camp Paxson starting the first weekend in June. "We were really glad that the Forest Service was able to come up with the collaborative solution. The hardest thing for Camp Paxson to deal with is not being used."

Six weddings were canceled as well as annual camps like the Missoula County Sheriff's Youth Camp. Torma said five of the weddings rescheduled for next year.

The Seeley Lake Ranger District fire crew is broken into modules to provide seven-day coverage with contingency throughout the fire season. Each firefighter has their own cabin and they keep the lodge and the bath house as sterile as possible. The fire crews are helping with some of the deferred maintenance projects that they weren't able to do in the past when groups were using the camp.

"I think we are extremely fortunate to have a place that has the capacity and has been so well maintained for so long. There aren't a lot of places like this left in the Forest Service," said John Perrin, Seeley Lake acting assistant fire management officer. "I feel pretty fortunate to be on a historic compound, staying in a cabin on the lake. This is something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

All of the firefighters' visitors must be approved and Camp Paxson is closed to the public.

"Things are different. We are all really conscious of preserving the health of the critical people who are going to be called on if the hillside starts on fire," said Torma.

Firefighter Ariel Rodriguez said, "It is inspirational to know that even during a time like this, we can still be operational and safe with the job that we do. Camp Paxson provides all the necessities and more. Even though we are social distancing, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else doing this than Camp Paxson surrounded by a peaceful area in light of the situation of what's going on today."