A 50-year-old time capsule holds artifacts of a bygone era and details the founding of Lawrence’s Hidden Valley Camp.

If only it could be found.

“We have been looking and looking and looking for things that would point us in the right direction,” said Ellyn Owen, a Friends of Hidden Valley member. “And we haven’t found anything.”

Hidden Valley Camp, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, occupies 40 rugged acres near Kasold Drive and Bob Billings Parkway.

Often called an urban wilderness, it has been a sanctuary for camping Girl Scouts for decades. As camp supporters prepare for the anniversary celebration, they are searching for the hidden capsule.

“You need to know where you’ve come from in order to know where you want to go,” Owen said.

But they aren’t having much luck.

Ellyn Owen, left, a member of the board of directors for Friends of Hidden Valley Camp, and Durand Reiber, board member and camp manager, search for a hidden time capsule buried 50 years ago on the Hidden Valley land. Girl Scouts buried the time capsule, and current scouts and leaders want to find it for their 50th anniversary. Owen and Reiber were searching Friday using a metal detector.

“We’re still trying to find it, hopefully by April 30,” Camp manager Durand Reiber said. A day camp and anniversary celebration is set for April 30.

Reiber and others seek the capsule because it holds pieces to a unique time in the camp’s history.

The camp’s organizing founders included Mrs. Henry D. Remple, Mrs. E. R. Hall and Mrs. L. E. Bice. All are deceased.

“They didn’t even have a first name in our minutes,” Owen said. “I don’t think they’ve been honored for all the hard work they did.”

Old records indicate that in June 1957, campers had a dedication ceremony for the newly purchased campgrounds.

They filled a metal box with Girl Scout pins, an autographed book, a program of the dedication ceremony and information about the purchase of the camp.

The box was wrapped in plastic and buried beneath tall trees on what is called Flagpole Hill. Each scout then placed a rock on top to form a cairn.

Well, that was then.

“There’s only one tree on Flagpole Hill now,” Reiber said. “And there are no rocks around it.”

Flagpole Hill is a large swath of land. Today, it is surrounded by dense woods.

The sleuths go with the few clues they have: tall trees and rocks.

“When I poke around in the woods surrounding the area, I do see a lot of stones,” Reiber said.

It’s an understatement. The slopes around Flag Pole Hill are rocky and covered with dense brush and trees. Reiber and others have explored the woods, overturning rocks in hopes of finding the box.

They’ve scoured through old photos and memorabilia, searching for clues. A picture of the dedication ceremony? More detail about the cairn’s placement?

On a recent cool day, Reiber and Owen took a metal detector to Flagpole Hill. They swept the lawn, looking and listening for evidence of a metal box below. The contraption whistled in many spots. Too many.

They ventured into the woods, sweeping the metal detector over rocks. In one spot, it whistled loudly. They fetched a shovel and tore away the earth. They came up empty-handed.

They don’t plan on quitting. They’re hoping to get ground-penetrating radar. And the campers will help too, by digging some holes. It’s daunting, but they don’t get downcast.

Owen laughed as she stood hunched beneath tree limbs inside the woods.

“If it weren’t so much fun, we’d be frustrated,” she said.