Located on the scenic north shore of Diamond Lake stands the Boy Scouts of America Cowles Scout Reservation, named in honor ofSpokesman-Reviewnewspaper publisher William Cowles, Sr. In 1920, Cowles purchased an 80-acre lakefront tract and then donated it to the Boy Scouts. The Finch Lodge, named after Spokane businessman John A. Finch, was completed in 1923 and served as the camp’s main lodge for many years. Architect Julius Zittel designed the lodge and is also credited with designing other buildings in the Pacific Northwest, including buildings on the Eastern Washington University and Gonzaga University campuses, churches, and the Kootenai County Courthouse in Idaho. In just a few short years, the national president of the Boy Scouts of America had deemed Camp Cowles as “the best Boy Scout Camp in the nation.”

 

From 1920 until 1964, the camp grew from 80 acres to just over 900 acres, thanks to the continued land donations from the Cowles family. The Cowles Scout Reservation now has four camps: Camp Cowles, Camp Fosseen, Camp Ponderosa, and Camp Sunrise. As the camp grew, cabins, staff housing, administrative buildings, and the Carbon Lodge (completed in 1990) were built and facilities were expanded to accommodate scouts and visitors alike. Every year about a thousand Boy Scouts take part in summer camps at Camp Cowles along the beautiful shores of Diamond Lake.

 

 

Credits and Sources:

Bamonte, Tony, and Susan Schaeffer Bamonte. History of Pend Oreille County. Spokane:

Tornado Publications, 1996.

Boy Scouts of America, Inland Northwest Council. http://www.nwscouts.org/camping/cowles-scout-reservation/4702.

Help Save Finch Lodge. www.savefinchlodge.com.

Pend Oreille County Historical Society. Resource Files—Camps.

Photographs courtesy of Save Finch Lodge, Spokesman ReviewArchives, and Boy Scouts of America, Inland Northwest Council.