“Scenes From Explorer Island” continues with something perhaps more unique than most give credit.  The photo below is of the Pump House and the OA Lodge.  What makes this photo special is the Pump House.  In 1971, the Pump House is still a working part of Boxwell.  You can see here the reservoir and silt tanks are still available. In short, the Pump House pumped water from Old Hickory Lake, purified it, and then sent it up to the Water Tower where it was distributed to the rest of the reservation. The Pump House was replaced in the late 1970s by water from the Laguardo Water District.

In this photo of the Pump House, you can see the reservoir and silt tanks still in place. This was a working pump house!

The “Scenes from Explorer Island” series continues. Here we get a real rarity–a photo of Parnell Waterfront, up and operational for the summer! Photo by Michael Seay, July 1971.

Here is the Parnell Waterfront from Explorer Island. Note that at this time, there was no Camp Craig at all!

We’re always looking for good themes here at VirtualBoxwell.  While there are lots of fantastic photos out there, we generally like having a series of pictures with a related theme.  This week we’re going to do a dedicated series of landscapes taken from Explorer Island.  All these photos were taken in July 1971 by former Business Manager Michael Seay.  Now, keep in mind, that in 1971, the reservation has only been open for a little over a decade.  As a result, things look a bit different!

Here is the Cripple Crab from Explorer Island. Notice that there is no amphitheatre yet and the trees are low enough both on the island and on the banks of the mainland to allow for this photo.

Before there were staff hats, there were the staff t-shirts and the staff patch. A staff hat didn’t become a regular part of the Staff uniform until about 1975. Here is an early staff patch, 1972.  The patch tradition carried on until at least 1979.

An original, and slightly used, Boxwell Staff patch from 1972.