Scouting has always been a big part of my life, and the lives of so many in our area. The organization teaches important life skills in addition to fostering a love for the outdoors.

As one can imagine, many changes have been made to scouting over the years since its founding in 1910, especially with programs, merit badges and campsites. On April 30, officials with our local Scout Council, now the Mountaineer Area Council, voted to sell the Fort Steuben Scout Reservation in Harrison County. While the decision, I am sure, was not taken lightly, those of us with a history of scouting here in our area feel that this is an end to an important era in our lives. I spent, like so many others here in our area, weeks camping out there as a youth, learning about the outdoors, swimming in the lake, connecting with friends and generally growing up at an important part of our lives. It was home for us in the summer. Revisiting the camp to me, especially when my son camped there a few times, was always like coming home. Some of the best times in my early life were at that camp. I am thankful I had the opportunity to spend a night or two with my son there to share this important part of my childhood with him.

With this history in mind, I wanted to revisit a little history of scouting in our area from a previous article.

Scouting in the Ohio Valley has a long history. Since its founding in 1910 there have been scout troops here in our area. Troops are grouped into councils based off of geographical areas in which the troops reside. In our area we had the Ohio River Valley Council, although the history of it included mergers with other smaller councils over the years. According to the history of the council, the Ohio River Valley Council was founded in 1917, by five troops out of Wheeling. For Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties, their organization was the Fort Steuben Area Council, which was in existence from 1946 through 1991. In that year, it merged with the National Trail Council and became the Ohio River Valley Council. In October of 2024, the Ohio River Valley Council merged with the Mountaineer Area Council.

During the height of scouting in our area the Fort Steuben Area Council often boasted that more than half of the eligible boys of scouting age from Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties were enrolled in the scouting movement and it was far above the national average. In 1958 alone, just in the Weir-Cove district, 726 boys were enrolled and more than 364 adult leaders were registered to guide the scouts. There were troops and packs in most of our area churches, schools and halls. It would be a job compiling a list of all those that were in existence during the years.

My father was in Troop 132 from Sacred Heart, my uncle, Joel Carpini, was in Troop 63 out of St. Joseph the Worker Church. There was Troop 4 from Second United Presbyterian Church in Steubenville; Troop 13 from Mingo Junction; Troop 85 from Brilliant; Troop 69 from New Manchester; Troop 159 from Wellsburg; Troop 67 from New Cumberland; Troop 62 from Broadview Elementary; Troop 131 from All Saints Greek Orthodox Church; Pack 130 from Edgewood PTA; Pack 61 from Lauretta B. Millsop PTA; Troop 34 from Cove United Presbyterian Church; Troop 64 from Kings Creek Union Chapel; Pack 39 from the Weirton Lions Club; Troop 38 from Trinity Lutheran Church; Troop 33 from the First Christian Church; and Pack 36 from First Methodist Church — all from Weirton. This isn’t by any means an all-inclusive list.

Opportunities for camping for the boys in the Fort Steuben Council were limited until the council purchased a 403-acre site on Lake Clendening, naming it the Fort Steuben Scout Reservation in Harrison County, near Deersville. The sale was announced in the Weirton Steel Employees Bulletin in the February 1956 edition.

The camp was large and gave the scouts of the Fort Steuben Area Council a home base for camping activities, especially for summer camps. As a youth, I spent many happy summer days at that camp, swimming in the lake; hiking in the woods, especially to Morgan’s Cave, the site where legend has it that Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan hid out during his famous raid of Ohio; and spending nights under the stars by a campfire.

Since the 1950s, area scouts have taken advantage of the opportunities at Fort Steuben. In 1962 Fort Steuben Scout Reservation was expanded by 219 acres, and the facilities there were improved. New tents, canoes, boats and other important infrastructure improvements were made or planned. The dining hall, trading post and a home for the camp ranger were built in 1964. The previous dining hall was originally a church built in 1839 and with the improvements, came better facilities.

During the summer of 1969, 758 scouts attended summer camp at Fort Steuben Scout reservation earning 892 merit badges.

For a scout, the culmination of their career is obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout. This is the highest honor one can get in the scouting program. I am fortunate to be an Eagle Scout, following in the footsteps of my father, Paul Zuros, who obtained the rank in 1965 and my uncle, Joel Carpini, who reached the rank in 1969. Mine came a few years later, in 2005. I hope that my son and nephew, who have been in the program since they were Cubs, stick it out to obtain that high honor. It is something that they will treasure forever.

Today scouting is not just for boys, but girls can now take part in the fun. My own daughter is interested in the program, and who knows, someday she might be my family’s first female Eagle. With the changes to the rules everyone can now enjoy the great program that is scouting. I am sorry, though, that when she is old enough to go camping, we will not have the experience to camp at Fort Steuben Scout Reservation, as did her grandfather, great uncle, father, brother, cousin and countless others during the camp’s 70-year history.

I am certain, however, that she will make her own memories and those will be as strong and as important as ever. I hope to share them with her for many years yet to come.

(Zuros is the executive director of Historic Fort Steuben)