Naming the Unknowns, February 24, 2016

This week’s unknown dips back into more recent history, specifically the collection of Jeremy Gillard.  Jeremy helped a great deal by making a strong effort to name the people in his photos, but there are still a few that managed to slip through the cracks!

The photo here is from 2004 at Camp Stahlman.  Obviously, this is a campfire.  We know the middle person (Joe Toplon) and the person on the right (John Hutchins), what we don’t know is the person on the left.  Who is this 2004 Stahlman Staff member?

Unknown Toplon Hutchins

2004 Stahlman staff: Unknown, Joe Toplon, and John Hutchins

From the Archives, February 21, 2016

Boxwell Patches II

With the 55th Anniversary of Old Hickory Boxwell in 2014 a not-that-distant memory, it is sometimes hard to remember that there were earlier anniversaries.  This only stands to reason and it further makes sense that these anniversaries would be marked.

The patch shown here marks the 25th Anniversary of Boxwell in 1984.  If you remember, the first staff reunion was the year before in 1983, completely by coincidence!

What makes the patch interesting for us is the dates listed here: 1959-1984.  There has been a running “controversy” for many years about how to mark anniversaries of camp.  Clearly, using the traditional method of anniversaries–one full year leading to the next–the patch marks 25 years.  However, camp “years” can be counted another way.  As camp staff only exists for one summer, that one summer counts as a year.  Therefore, unlike a marriage anniversary which needs a calendar year to complete, a camp “year” is completed every time a staff ends.

Why 1959? As we pointed out last week, this is when the first camporee occurred at the reservation, even if summer camp that year was still held at Rock Island.

25th Anniversary

This patch marks the 25th Anniversary of Boxwell on Old Hickory Lake. The dates of how to demarcate the years of Boxwell continues to this day

From the Archives, February 28, 2016

Boxwell Patches III

While virtually non-existant today, the Two Week Camper patch was at one time a big deal. To earn it, a Scout simply had to stay at Boxwell for two weeks.  It was that easy to earn this “rider” patch.

Of course, most troops didn’t stay for two weeks.  Generally, a single Scout was the one who earned the patch.  In the 1960s and 1970s (not so much today), there were Provisional troops.  Provisional troops were made of Scouts from various troops who were staying for additional time.  In short, they existed for a week and were no more.

Provisional troops of course needed leadership.  Being a Provisional Leader is how Jerry Barnett came back to camp after his initial run in the 1960s!

2 Week Camper

A Two Week Camper Patch from the 1970s.

From the Archives, February 14, 2016

The Very First Boxwell Reservation patches

As a camp that has been serving Boy Scouts for almost 100 years now, Boxwell has more than its fair share of patches to choose from.  Some clearly have better images than others and some have historical significance in their own right.

This week’s patch(es) as from the first camporee at the “new” Boxwell on Old Hickory Lake in 1959. Before the reservation opened for summer camp in 1960, it was open for camping.  There is some evidence we are trying to tack down about when the first camping at “new” Boxwell was exactly, but the first true camporee was 1959. Indeed, for some future Boxwell staff members, this was their introduction to the new area, even though the facilities were far from complete.

The patches here are nothing particularly exciting.  They are camporee patches, after all.  The two shown here were taken by a Scouter who still had the patches in his possession and took a low resolution photo of them.  That simple.  Sometimes the story isn’t that interesting!

1959 camporee

The first known Boxwell Reservation (the Old Hickory Lake Boxwell) patches