The 1994 Capital Campaign: Return of the Ski Dock…er, Boat Harbor
While the creation of CubWorld was clearly the centerpiece of the 1994 Capital Campaign, the major program renovation for the Boy Scout side of the program was the return of the Ski Dock, which was now known as the Boat Harbor. Actually, according to the signage, it was actually called “the Boat Dock” when the area returned to operation in 1995.
The original Ski Dock had opened in the early 1960s with the rest of the Reservation. Old Hickory Lake was still quite new at the time and the Ski Dock staff felt like they ran the lake over the summer. Unfortunately, maintenance on the boats as well as the rising fuel costs of the period put the Ski Dock on the chopping block as the Council tried to batten down the hatches (see what we did there?) after the Akers “scandal” in 1975. When Boxwell reopened in 1976, the Ski Dock was closed.
Aspects of the program limped along. On and off through the 1980s, the Stahlman Waterfront ran some boating program. By the early 1990s, Reservation Director Tom Willhite had begun collecting boats and deploying them at both camps with an eye toward re-opening the harbor. By the 1990s, High Adventure was increasingly seen as a growth area and a good way to keep boys in Scouting and at camp. COPE had been a huge success in this regard, but another older boy program would be an enormous asset.
Further, the waterfronts simply weren’t set up for safety. A swimming dock doesn’t have boat bumpers after all. Nor is having swimmers and motorboats in close proximity particularly safe. And when dealing with motorboats and sailboats, having a central location with a properly trained staff was going to be better for Scouts and for the reservation.
And so, in 1995, the Ski Dock–now known as the Boat Harbor–reopened thanks to a generous contribution by the Pfeffer family. The site was dredged and new infrastructure–docks and a fueling station–were installed. With the return of the Harbor, so too came the merit badges Motorboating, Water Skiing, and Small Boat Sailing. These options would continue to grow as the years passed.
Seen here are photos of the Boat Harbor in 1995. As you can tell, the re-opened Harbor was still quite primitive and quite small all things considered. But it was a re-start to a needed program.
