Man collecting memorabilia for Treasure Mountain Scout Camp display wants your help
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IDAHO FALLS – Participating in Boy Scouts was a highlight of Jason Stucki’s childhood and some of his fondest memories revolve around the time he spent at Treasure Mountain Scout Camp.
Though it’s been several years since the 76-acre property in Teton Canyon ceased operation, the 43-year-old Iona native is actively gathering patches and other memorabilia and is hoping to eventually have a public place to display it.
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“I want to build a display box that represents the entire history, or as much of the history as possible, of Treasure Mountain,” Stucki tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It would include patches, vintage postcards. There are a few mugs and a few little chachki-type memorabilia pieces — belt buckles and little wooden nickels with engraved images on them.”
Stucki has a vast collection of patches already that includes almost every patch from the year of its founding in 1939 to its final year of camp in 2018. Stucki says the early patches and the most recent patches are the easiest to find, but there’s a range of years where tracking down patches is difficult.
“There’s this window from like 1978 to about 1982 that is hard to find,” he says.
There are another series of patches created between 1989 and 1994 that Stucki says are “almost impossible to find.”
“In those five years, there are some larger versions called a jacket patch … that were only for scout leaders, or only for scouts or staff members,” Stucki explains.
He’d like to complete the collection and he’s asking the community for help.
Along the way, he’s hoping to collect items from others who’ve attended the camp over the years to be part of the display.
Though he hasn’t spoken with anyone about it, he thinks having a spot in the Special Collections Department at Brigham Young University-Idaho or the Museum of Idaho might be a good fit.
Wherever the items are placed, Stucki wants it to be a neutral location that’s not operated by the Grand Teton Council.
“I don’t want it to go to the scout office because I don’t think very many people in eastern Idaho are involved in scouting anymore,” says Stucki.
Stucki is an Eagle scout and attended Treasure Mountain as a scout and a leader. He was involved every year from 1993 to 1999 and then again in 2002 and 2003. He now lives in Mapleton, Utah.
One of the highlights of Stucki’s experience at Treasure Mountain was his interaction with Dale Marcum. Marcum, who passed away in 2021 at age 93, was a staff member at the camp for many years and Stucki describes him as a “legend.”
Dale’s son, Tom, tells us his dad was involved in scouting throughout his life. He was able to eventually get his Eagle as an adult, a rank that is now only available to scouts before their 18th birthday.
Tom says his dad loved the scouting program because it taught boys important life skills and the value of integrity and hard work. Tom attended scout camp at Treasure Mountain for several years, where he served as an assistant scout master to his dad.
Though Dale had many experiences at Treasure Mountain that stood out to him, Tom says what his dad loved most about it was “being with the boys” and interacting with them.
The Grand Teton Council acquired the camp in 1939. Vernon Strong, the council’s first Eagle Scout, and Oscar Kirkham, a music teacher at Ricks College who wrote many scout-themed songs, played a role in the camp’s founding, according to historical records.
A council committee selected it after looking at dozens of sites in the area. Chief Rock is one of the main reasons it was chosen, Grand Teton Council CEO Clarke Farrer told us in 2020.
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The scouts used the site through a special use permit with the Forest Service. It was allowed to expire in December 2021.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jared Fisher says Grand Teton Council is in the final stages of rehabilitating the area before giving it back to the Forest Service.
Once the Forest Service takes over, Fisher says they’ll begin a planning process to discuss the site’s future.
“Our intention is to make the site accessible to the public. We know this is a beloved area that is important to a lot of people in eastern Idaho and the Teton Canyon area receives a high amount of use. Through the Great American Outdoors Act, we have been investing in a number of upgrades in that area, including enhancements to the road and increasing bathroom facilities,” Fisher says.
Additional details will be forthcoming as the discussion gets underway.
Meanwhile, anyone who has items they’d like to contribute to Stucki’s collection can send him an email via jasonlstucki@gmail.com.
