About Camp Curran
A small camp with a long story.
Generations of Scouts, neighbors, and volunteers have made Camp Curran a place to learn, gather, and enjoy the outdoors. Today the Camp Curran Community Association cares for the property and keeps that opportunity going.
The camp
Built by a community for its youth.
Troop 92 began in December 1930, meeting at the Sunshine Community Club. As the troop grew, it met at Collins Elementary School and later the Collins Grange. Its charter partners and meeting places changed over time, but local families kept the troop going.[1]
According to a history shared by Troop 692 and CCCA, Scouts and adults raised money through scrap drives and donations to acquire approximately five acres from Curran for $300 in 1952. The troop began meeting at the camp. The exact transaction details are still being checked against property records.[1]
By November 1959, neighbors were working on a Boy Scout and Cub Scout meeting hall. Tacoma Public Library’s archived photographs name some of the people who helped build it.[2][3]
Troop 92 became Troop 692 during the council reconfiguration in the 1990s. The troop continues to make Camp Curran part of its home, along with Pack 692 and other youth and community groups.[1]
Through the years
Camp Curran’s story
These milestones draw on a history shared by the troop and association, Tacoma Public Library’s photo archive, and published reporting.
- December 1930
Troop 92 begins
The troop forms with Sunshine Community Club as its charter organization. It later meets at Collins Elementary School and the Collins Grange.[1]
- 1952, according to troop history
A place for Scouts
Families and supporters raise funds to acquire the nearly five-acre Camp Curran property. The reported $300 purchase awaits confirmation from the original land record.[1]
- 1959
Neighbors build a meeting hall
Archived photographs document work on a Scout and Cub Scout meeting hall at Camp Curran in the Collins District.[2][3]
- 1990s
Troop 692 continues the tradition
Troop 92 becomes Troop 692 as the local council changes, continuing to use Camp Curran.[1]
- 2016
Community stewardship begins
Troop families and supporters form the Camp Curran Community Association to keep the camp in use. Pacific Harbors Council deeds the property to CCCA in August.[1][4]
The association
Community stewardship since 2016.
The mission of the Camp Curran Community Association is to preserve, maintain, and enhance Camp Curran as a safe, welcoming, and affordable gathering place where youth, families, and community organizations can learn, grow, connect, and create lasting memories.
When the camp’s future was uncertain, members of Troop 692’s committee, friends, and families formed the nonprofit Camp Curran Community Association. Pacific Harbors Council transferred the property to CCCA in August 2016. The association now oversees the camp, coordinates improvements, and makes it available to youth and community groups.[1][4]
Volunteers and supporters have kept the lodge and grounds in use through steady maintenance and practical improvements. Camp Curran’s continued life belongs to everyone who has contributed time, skills, funds, and memories.
Volunteer work
Care you can see throughout the camp.
Since 2016, CCCA and its supporters have worked on the essentials that make Camp Curran welcoming and usable.[1]
Inside the lodge
Roof work and insulation, heating, lighting, electrical and plumbing improvements, a hot water tank, and new tables.
Around the grounds
Ongoing maintenance, a rebuilt bridge and fire bowl seating, pond and entrance fencing, renewed picnic tables, and grass for the assembly area.
Ready for visitors
A new water line, gravel parking improvements, a new entrance arch, internet service, and a storage shed.
Volunteer with Camp Curran
Current needs include installing an in-ground sprinkler system and grounds maintenance. Have time or skills to share? Contact CCCA to discuss the work and how you can help.
Email [email protected] about volunteeringThese are highlights of many projects made possible by volunteers and community support.
Sources and historical notes
- Historical account provided by members of Troop 692 and the Camp Curran Community Association. Early charter dates and the reported 1952 acquisition are being checked against original records.
- Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, “Boy Scouts—Camps (in area) – 1”, photo record TNT0988B (November 1, 1959). The caption names early Camp Curran organizers.
- Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, “Boy Scouts—Camps (in area) – 2”, photo record TNT0989B (November 1, 1959). The caption documents construction of the meeting hall.
- The News Tribune, “Boy Scouts shedding camp properties across Puget Sound region as losses mount” (December 2018), for CCCA’s formation and the August 2016 transfer.
The library’s historical photographs are linked as archive records and are not reproduced here. We welcome corrections and additional records as this history grows.
Be part of the next chapter.
Help by making a donation to Camp Curran so future generations of our community can continue to enjoy Camp Curran for many years to come.