Scouts Plant Memorial Tree for Travis Creighton

Family and fellow Scouts gathered at Sand Crest Reservation nearly a year after 19-year-old Travis Creighton died in a Wheeling creek flood.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Hiking

Scouts Plant Memorial Tree for Travis Creighton

Members of the Mountaineer Area Council planted a tree at Sand Crest Reservation in memory of Travis Creighton, who died during flooding in a Wheeling creek in June 2025. Family, friends, and fellow Scouts attended the planting.

Why it matters

The memorial honors a young Eagle Scout whose death drew attention to the dangers of flooding in West Virginia. The planting gives his community a lasting place to remember him.

Creighton was 19 years old and became an Eagle Scout in 2022, a rank achieved by only a small percentage of Scouts. The source does not detail the precise planting date or the full flood circumstances.

The players

Mountaineer Area Council

The Boy Scouts of America council serving West Virginia that organized the memorial tree planting at Sand Crest Reservation.

Travis Creighton

A 19-year-old Eagle Scout who died during flooding in a Wheeling creek in June 2025 after reportedly helping his mother survive.

The details

Members of the Mountaineer Area Council planted the tree at Sand Crest Reservation. Creighton is said to have helped his mother survive the flood before he died.

June 2025: Creighton died during flooding in a Wheeling creek.
2022: Creighton became an Eagle Scout.
Nearly one year after his death: Family and Scouts planted the memorial tree at Sand Crest Reservation.

Seasonal Patterns

The memorial follows the June 2025 Wheeling creek flooding that killed Creighton, an event tied to the region's flash flood risk during summer storm season. The tree planting marks the first anniversary period of that flood.

Hikers and Scouts visiting Sand Crest Reservation can now see the memorial tree planted in Creighton's honor. The planting offers a designated place for the community to gather and remember him.

The takeaway

Honoring a loved one through community projects like a memorial tree can provide a lasting way to remember them. Local outdoor spaces often serve as gathering points for such remembrances.