HISTORY

1954 – 1998 “The Old Millennium”

From 1954 to 1974, the Western Montana Council of the Boy Scouts established Camp Melita Island and operated a summer camping program. The council held a twenty year lease costing $1 per year and also had the first option to purchase the island from the Masonic Order at the end of that lease. All meals were prepared and served in the main lodge. Troops camped in designated locations throughout the Island, and a summer staff provided instruction in boating, swimming, canoeing, archery, marksmanship, pioneering, nature study, and other Scouting skills. Besides summer camp various council and regional Order of the Arrow events were held on the island and the OA functioned as caretakers.

From the Sunday Missoulian, August 1, 1954:

“ Western Montana Boy Scouts are having the time of their lives and learning some lessons too. For a $3 registration fee and a$15 charge the boys get their meals and the supervision and care of trained leaders for a week at Camp Melita Island. Thrown in are sunshine and scenery, murmuring pines, lots of fresh air moved by lake breezes. The island located in Big Arm Bay on the western shore of Flathead Lake will be one of the finest Boy Scout camps in the nation if officials and the Western Montana Council can scrape up the money to carry out their plans for developing it.”

From the Great Falls Tribune, Sunday, July 15, 1962:

“Members of the Western Montana Boy Scout Council are mighty lucky fellows—as far as is known, they are the only inland BSA council to have an island summer camp. Some of the coastal councils have island summer camps but not inland groups. While camps at Melita are limited to scout troops in Western Montana Council, members often bring visiting scouts from out-of-state. Some of the staff members are also out-of staters.”

For economic and administrative reasons the Boy Scouts of America merged all four existing Montana councils into one large statewide council in 1974. Montana Council was formed with headquarters in Great Falls. In the same year the island’s lease between the scouts and the Masons expired. In 1975 the Masonic Temple decided it wanted to sell the island to fund an eye bank. They offered the newly formed Montana Council the option to purchase the island for $300,000. At the time the council had little operating capital and several extra camp properties due to the merger.

From the Flathead Courier, Polson, Montana, June, 1975:

“Negotiations are underway for the sale of Melita Island in Flathead Lake as a result of action taken by the Grand Commandery of the Knight Templars of Montana. Voting to dispose of the island, which they have owned since 1916, the Commandery further agreed all proceeds derived from the sale would be devoted to charitable purposes of the lodge. Since sale of Melita is still tentative, officials would not identify the prospective buyers. It was understood the island was to be developed as future home sites, with emphasis on recreational facilities. Montana Boy Scouts who have had free use of the island for more than 30 years will continue to use the island this summer, as far as was known. No immediate change was predicted.”

The decision was made by Montana Council not to buy the island but to actually reduce the number of statewide properties by selling them off focusing available resources on fewer camps to maintain. An effort was mounted by a group western Montana scout volunteers to raise the money to purchase the island but it was short-lived and ended when time ran out to exercise the purchase option. Camp Melita Island was closed for good at the end of the 1975 season.

The Sunday Missoulian, August 3, 1975:

“Smile you guys….you’re not going to a funeral,” admonished the Scout leader to the 35 scowling passengers. For the past 30 years thousands of young boys and their leaders have worked played and learned together on beautiful Melita Island in the southwest portion of Flathead Lake. When they depart this summer they know it’s for the last time. “My heart just fell apart this morning when I saw those little lads get off on the dock,” remarked Red Tucker. “It really got to me to think it was all over for them.” Tucker is also a Knights Templar and he is distraught over the organization’s decision to sell the island.”

Dwight Held, a 25-year-old aquatics director instructs the young boys. “When the kids get to thinking about it they come to us with tears in their eyes. They can’t understand it,” held commented.

Another young man, Dave Compton of Spokane has been the Melita island camp director for two years and he feels badly about the loss of the privilege. “Its all over with…30 years and its all over with,” he said shaking his head. “I’ve seen about 25 scout camps around the country and this is by far the best one.”

The island did land in the hands of developers. However they were only able to sell three pie-shaped lots to private homeowners. Sanitation and waste removal difficulties for the 17 existing lots and a couple of Lake County officials who didn’t want to see the island developed luckily defeated their effort.

In the early 1980s a local speculator bought the island and acquired all the separate lots with the intention of selling the island to a buyer in Florida, however a recession eliminated that buyer and in 1989 he sold Melita to Fred and Harriet Cox of Nevada.

The Coxes, originally from Texas, had done well in the telecommunications industry. Fred and Harriet had family in Montana and wanted to be close to them. They had heard about the island and after flying over it decided they needed to see it that day. Harriet tells the story, “We were standing in the meadow after walking parts of the island. Even though the old lodge and staff cabin area was like a ghost camp and I felt spirits there, the island was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. There was an eagle nest at the top of a dead tree that got my attention right away. I turned to Fred and said I just love this place. Let’s buy it!”

Originally Fred and Harriet had hoped to build several Cox family homes on the island. Plans were made for a home for themselves at the southwest end of the island and others for their grown children. However the annual fluctuating lake levels made that plan impractical. The island came with 17 acres on the mainland which had been used as a parking area for the camp. Over time and circumstance they decided to build their homes on the mainland acres with a view of the island they cherished. By 1998 they had settled in and were “beginning to wonder what to do with the island.”

Despite that early subdivision by the Masons and being sold several times after the 1975 camp closure Melita Island has never been developed nor lived on. It has remained relatively natural and free with only forest creatures as its permanent inhabitants.