California Inland Empire Council
The California Inland Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves the Inland Empire of California. The service area comprises San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The CIEC is headquartered in Redlands, California where it has offices and a Scout Shop.
The CIEC was formed in 1973 by merging the Arrowhead Area and Riverside Area Councils. In 1974, Grayback Council also merged into the new council. In 2006, the council acquired the San Bernardino County portions of Old Baldy Council. The council territory includes all of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
History
The Riverside Area Council was founded in 1919 as the Riverside Council. 1927 the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Council merged into the Riverside Area Council. In 1944, the council changed its name to Riverside County and Redlands, and then in 1945, it went back to Riverside County. The Grayback Council was founded in 1945 as the Redlands Area Council. It changed its name in 1952. The Arrowhead Area council was formed in 1922 as the San Bernardino Valley Council. Before adopting Arrowhead Area in 1933, the council was known as the San Bernardino District from 1923 to 1933.Organization
- Gray Arrow District - Redlands and San Bernardino Area
- High Desert District - Hesperia to Barstow
- Mt. Rubidoux District - Greater Riverside, Hemet, and San Jacinto
- Sunrise District - Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and other desert communities.
- Tahquitz District - Temecula, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore
- Temescal District - Corona, Norco, and Chino Hills
- Old Baldy District - Ontario, Montclair, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga
Camps
- Camp Emerson, in Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California. The council has operated since 1919, largely on land donated to the former Riverside County Council by developer and humanitarian Lee Emerson. Camp Emerson has two major distinctions: it is the longest continuously operated Scout Camp west of the Mississippi and has the highest climbing tower for a scout camp west of the Mississippi. Camp Emerson provides a year-round program and camping to Scouts, their families, and outside organizations.
- Camp Helendade SOLD 2000, near Running Springs, California. Council operated since 1960. It was partially burned in the California October 2007 fires. Camp Helendade was given to Arrowhead Area Council in 1960 by Helen and Dade Davis, replacing Camp Arataba, which is located in the Barton Flats area. Camp Arataba, part of the history of Arrowhead Area Council since the 1920s, was the victim of a lodge fire in 1960. The loss inspired the Davises to donate the land for a camp to the Boy Scouts. Camp Helendade was originally called Camp Running Springs. Still, Edward Saxton, the Scout Executive of Arrowhead Area Council at the time, wanted to name the new camp in a manner that honored the donors. Hence, the name Helendade was selected.