In 1949, the Timber Trails Council Board decided to find a larger site for local scouts to camp. Their current site Camp Merritt was only 17 acres and bordered on all sides by other area summer camps, with no room to expand. In 1950 the board purchased the original 80 acres of Gerber Scout Reservation that included most of Britton Lake. This purchase was made on credit, but later paid off by the donation of stocks from Dan Gerber. The site was originally called "Camp Britton" or "Britton Lake Camp", but was renamed in honor of Dan Gerber and named Gerber Scout Reservation in 1951. Between 1950 and 1952, the first buildings were completed on the property. Bruce Cleveland Lodge, the original Rangers House, now used as the Reservation Director's house, was completed early in 1951. Evans Lodge, the original Boy Scout Camp Dining Hall, was completed in 1951 with a generous donation from the Elks Lodge. The Ranger Station, a large maintenance building used to service the camps many maintenance and building projects, is believed to be completed in the first few years of the camp's opening. Tryon Lodge, a log cabin used for staff housing in the summer and troop rentals and events during the year, was finished in 1952.
