Castle Rock Lodge
In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia. Formally incorporated in 1915, the Girl Scouts grew rapidly, with troop leaders across the United States embracing its mission of “home-making, health-getting and citizenship.” In Butte, in the 1920s, Girl Scouts camped, hiked, and swam and learned knot tying, archery, first aid, and semaphore signaling. They also practiced folk-dancing, handcrafts, and the proper way to make a bed. In 1923, philanthropist Harriet Armstrong donated seventy-three acres of land bordering the Deerlodge National Forest to the Butte Girl Scout Council. Girl Scouts began camping on the property in 1924. In 1925, the Council installed tennis courts and a swimming pool. Construction of the Rustic-style Castle Rock Lodge began in 1927. Built with local logs and cobblestones, the lodge features a sturdy stone foundation, chimney, and pergola. Inside, it holds a dining room, kitchen, assembly hall, and a large sleeping loft. Log walls, two split-log staircases, peeled log rafters, and a cobblestone fireplace brings the natural world into the lodge. Over time, the Girl Scouts modernized and expanded the lodge, adding indoor plumbing in 1933 and a dining hall in 1958. Though ownership briefly transferred to the Butte Lions Club in 1968, the Girl Scouts continued to camp here and regained title in 1985. Over time, the Girl Scouts’ mission evolved to helping girls “discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges,” but Castle Rock Lodge remained a gathering place. It still stands as a “lasting monument to Butte and Montana girlhood,” just as its founders intended.
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