Daveeby

I just became aware of the T.I. situation. I wrote the article on the oldest camps a number of years ago that some of you are referencing. In my estimation Owassipe (1911) is the oldest BSA camp in the country followed by T.I. and Camp Teetonkah (in Michigan), both dating to 1913 as far as being local council summer camps. As far as I know, Owasippe, or rather the disposition of it by the Chicago Council is still mired in legal issues. The third of the three oldest camps, Teetonkah, was on the sale block a number of years ago after a council merger. The local folks in Jackson Michigan did the impossible and raised $1 million to save it. Their efforts were extraordinary to say the least. A handful of local Scouters raised it all locally without asking for donations from around the country. I believe that Teetonkah is exempt from any future sales because of an agreement that was signed. Not sure how the T.I. situation will play out but I have to add to the dialog that there are a number of Scout buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places with three of them being at Camp Manatoc near Akron, Ohio. Being on the National Register does not prevent the owner of any property from selling it or doing what they wish with it. I have learned that from working on such status for another camp. I hope that the island will continue to be a Scout property.

Dave

Here is the history that I have researched since I first posed to question.

The Silver Beaver award was created by the National Council and first presented in 1931 as an award program to be utilized by a local council with National Council approval of the recipients. The intent of the award was different in 1931 than it is today. The award program was optional as far as any local council using it. A number of councils in the early years chose not to use the program. The Toledo Council did not start until 1932 and the Wolverine Council in southeast Michigan did not make their first presentation until 1943. A discussion of the Silver Beaver award at the 1936 national gathering of Scout executives included problems of jealousy among Scouters and how you could fairly present them to a limited number each year when you might have many deserving. There was concern that councils would start traditions of giving the award to a "position" rather than the person. An example was given of a council giving one to their current council president because he was the council president as they had presented one to the council presidents who preceded him. Virtually every council represented had difficulties with selection and presentations. Different councils used different methods for selection.

James E. West, the first National Scout Executive, and one of the founders of Scouting in the U.S. gave his opinion in 1936 when the award had been in use just five years at that point as follows: "This" (Silver Beaver)"is an award recommended by the local group. We try to steer it and guide it as far as possible, not toward the administrative officer" (local council level positions) "but towards the man who is working with boys and in the actual operation of Scouting, the Scoutmaster preferably. You would be amazed at the number of times when we don't just reject but reason with the local recommending committee, and we are getting very good cooperation. We detest the recommendation that sometimes comes to us on the basis that a man has given the council a camp or something else. God forbid that we offer rewards for gifts to us! This award is for men giving outstanding service to Scouting whether the man is outstanding or prominent, or otherwise, in the community".

The award was originally a male only award. In the early 1970s the Silver Fawn was created for women and 3-4 years later the Silver Beaver was awarded to men and women and the Silver Fawn discontinued.

There have been approximately 50,000 Silver Beavers presented in the nation since 1931 among the many millions of adult Scouters who have come and gone since then. A wall at the national BSA office in Irvine, Texas has all 50,000 names listed, or so I am told. There have been approximately 12-14 individuals who have received the award twice from among the 50,000 recipients. They each received it from two different councils they served in. The first year they were presented nationally (1931), they were on a pocket ribbon like an Eagle medal. After that they were placed on neck ribbons and remain so to this day.

I think there is some confusion. The neck ribbon did not start because of women getting a Silver Beaver. The neck ribbon started in 1933. Women didn't start getting the award until 1976. The original medal was quite heavy for a pocket ribbon although I am not sure if anyone really knows why it was switched.

Looking for ideas and thoughts about what makes a Boy Scout trade-o-ree a good if not great experience? In reverse what things make for a bad experience? Would like to hear from those who have organized or who attend trade-o-rees.

Looking for a 4-B conclave patch for a museum collection. Let me know if you have one to trade/sell.

Hi,

I am looking for a gold mylar border flame bottomed flap from Tindeuchen OA Lodge 522 in Toledo Ohio. Have quite a bit I could trade depending on your interest. Want it for a museum display and not a private collection.

We have some GREAT stuff in our museum. It is housed in the original building erected at Camp Miakonda in 1917 when the land was purchased. Miakonda is the oldest Boy Scout camp in Ohio and the 6th oldest in the nation. We have a display case on the Tribe of Gimogash which is the oldest known honor program in national BSA history, predating the OA by one year. We have one of the three largest Hornaday Award collections in the country. Miakonda's history is considerable and can be read at:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9426/miakonda.html

A page on the museum itself can be viewed at:

http://www.toledobsa.com/Museum.asp

Official Boy Scout shoes literally date back to 1911. There is an advertisement for them on the back of the very early issues of Boys Life. Those were patterned after the U.S. Army shoe of that time and were all leather although they were really what I would call boots as they were tall and went above the ankle. As I recall they were made by the same manufacturer of the Army shoes of that time period. At the Miakonda Scouting Museum in Toledo Ohio we have two pair of official BSA shoes on display. Both are in the original boxes and are both mint in unused condition. The one is the Buster Brown brand from the 1940's. The other which has to be the coolest BSA shoe ever made is the tracking shoe of the 1950's. The leather soles had merit badges pressed into them. One kid could walk around camp and others could track the highly distinctive footprints. The BSA also made official BSA sneekers in the 1950's and 1960's. They had more than one style of these. - Dave Eby, Miakonda Museum Curator

One mess kit that I did see mentioned was the only square official BSA mess kit ever made. It was the Upton variety and was made by the Upton Machine Company of St. Joseph Michigan. It was a telescoping set and included a folding steel firerack. It had a tall stew pot and square steel cup that slid together and the rectangular fry pan, three wire handles and fire rack all fit inside. It was stamped with the BSA logo and was manufactured in the late teens and early twenties. They are very hard to find and I believe most were destroyed during the massive scrap metal drives of WWII. Upton also made a non BSA type almost identical to the BSA model but it did not have the logo stamped into the stew pot and was called the "Kamp King" model. I have had two of the offcial BSA models and one Kamp King. One official BSA model is now on display at the Miakonda Scouting Museum in Toledo Ohio and I sold the other for about $200.00. The Upton was 100% steel. If you look at the tall narrow stew pot it had to be near impossible to clean. The Upton Machine Company became the Whirlpool Corporation which it remains. Before they were making washing machines they made very early BSA mess kits and quite a number of steel toys during slow sales times. The BSA square mess kits are one of a kind and should be the central piece of any BSA mess kit collection.

The standard round design mess kit that you are all familiar with dates back to at least 1915 and there are a lot of the 1915 BSA sets still around that have the date stamped into them. They used a somewhat heavier gauge material and I believe they were also steel at that point. Aluminum sets came later. -Dave Eby, Miakonda Museum Curator

Does anyone know if there is an existing history of the Silver Beaver award given to adult Scouters within a local council? I am curious as to why the beaver was chosen over some other type of animal. My guess is because a beaver is such a known dedicated worker. Also wondering who originally designed it. I know that since 1932 about 50,000 have been awarded and I have been told that about 12-14 people have received it twice since its inception. (I was also told that two people have received the Silver Antelope twice) I know that during the first year they were presented with a pocket ribbon like an Eagle medal has and that after the first year they were presented on a neck ribbon and still are. I also know that from 1973-1975 women were given a Silver Fawn that was suppose to be their "Silver Beaver" then in 1976 everybody male or female started receiving a Silver Beaver. Anyone know of a written history online or know of any other tidbits of inforation obout the award? Thanks!!

There are at least two honor programs that predate the Order of the Arrow and possibly if not probably more. The Tribe of Gimogash was created in mid 1914 and the Order of the Mystic Circle at least as early as 1914. Both programs were used in the Toledo Ohio Council. Gimogash was created in the Kansas City Council and it is likely that the Order of the Mystic Circle was as well. The scout honor society pages at the USSSP site were written by myself and Paul Myers with a lot of help from a lot of people. There are over 100 known programs that existed around the country. Among the biggest or most widespread of the early programs was Gimogash, Ku-Ni-Eh and the OA. A number of programs existed in multiple locations including Tipisa, Nani-Ba-Zhu, Mic-O-Say and others. Many of them had patches, neckerchiefs, beanies, etc. They also had their own ceremonies and purpose.