This historic bell and marker are centrally located between Scout Lake, Clyde Lodge and the Trading Post. The historical marker is attached to the bell mount, describing the history of the bell; it reads:
HISTORIC
CAMP
BELL
SOON AFTER THE UTAH NATIONAL PARKS COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, PURCHASED THIS QUARTER SECTION OF THE OLD JOSEPH L. TOWNSEND HOMESTEAD IN OCTOBER OF 1945, IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT SOME DEVICE, THAT COULD BE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE CAMP, WAS NEEDED TO CALL THE SCOUTS TOGETHER FOR CAMPWIDE ACTIVITIES AND IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.
THE IDEA OF A BELL WAS PROPOSED AND THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF T. EARL PARDOE, A SILVER BEAVER SCOUTER WHO HAD ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE ORGANIZATION OF OUR PARENT COUNCIL, THIS BELL, THAT ORIGINALLY HUNG IN THE B.Y. ACADEMY IN PROVO, UTAH, AND THAT HAD BEEN IN STORAGE FOR SOME TIME, WAS GIVEN BY THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY TO CAMP MAPLE DELL AND WAS MOVED HERE IN 1947.
WHEN BROUGHT TO THE CAMP, THE BELL WAS HUNG FROM TREE LIMBS NEAR A BRIDGE OVER THE LITTLE STREAM THAT DRAINED SCOUT LAKE. FEARING THAT ITS 700 POUNDS OF CAST IRON MIGHT FALL AND INJURE SOMEONE OR BREAK THE BELL, IT WAS DECIDED TO MOVE IT TO A SAFER PLACE.
AS THE FIRST SERVICE PROJECT OF THE NEWLY FORMED TU-CUBIN-NOONIE LODGE OF THE ORDER-OF-THE-ARROW. THE BELL WAS MOVED, IN AUGUST 1954, TO A MOUNT OF TELEPHONE POLES AND WAS MORE PROMINENTLY PLACED IN FRONT OF THE OLD PAVILION. LATER IT WAS PAINTED RED AND RUNG ONLY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
DETERIORATION OF THE POLE MOUNT LED TO A DECISION TO RESTORE THE ROCKER MOTION AND TO HANG THE BELL IN A PERMANENT STEEL MOUNT. IN JULY 1988, THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE JOHN L. CROSS FAMILY, THE BELL WAS MOVED TO THIS SITE AND ENSHRINED AS BEFITTING THIS HISTORIC CAMP RELIC TO HONOR ALL SCOUTS AND SCOUTERS WHO HAVE AND WHO WILL YET CAMP AT MAPLE DELL
BELL MOUNT DESIGNED BY BRUCE JOHNSON
AND ERECTED BY CHAD AND BRETT CORNABY
This bell was one of seven bells used, over time, at Brigham Young Academy. The following is an account of this bell, from the point of view of the Academy:
"When a new Brigham Young Academy building was built and finally dedicated in 1892, its distinctive landmark belltower stood curiously empty, probably due to lack of funds. Class changes were announced by clanging on a steel triangle in the main hallway.
BYA, primarily a high school but with a few college students, became Brigham Young High School and Brigham Young University in 1903, and the student bodies of the elementary, middle school, high school and university continued to grow. In the eyes of many students and faculty, growth further increased the need for a bell in the Lower Campus belltower.
In 1912, a 36-inch diameter cast-iron bell was purchased from the American Bell Foundry in Northville, Michigan. This bell was installed inside the belltower, not an easy task. It turned out to be a disappointment since it could barely be heard outside of the Education Building where it was housed.
It was replaced seven years later in 1919 with a nickel bell donated by the presidency of the LDS Utah Stake in Provo. This bell was taken from the old Provo Meeting House when it was razed in 1919.
The American Bell Foundry cast-iron bell was given to the Boy Scouts of America for use outdoors at Camp Maple Dell, where it can still be heard clearly over the whole camp today. Camp Maple Dell is located in Payson Canyon." (
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Maple Dell Scout Camp has been the flagship Scout Camp for the Utah National Parks Council for many years. It is situated in scenic Payson Canyon and is the closest Scout Camp to the largest population concentration of the Council residing in Utah County, commonly referred to as Utah Valley.