Electric Eagle

For a LONG time, Stahlman’s closing campfire has ended with an Eagle. Not a real eagle, but an Eagle symbol. Meant to provide an inspirational ending to Scouts, the Eagle has been a solemn way to say good-night and good-bye.

The Eagle Closing goes back at least to 1971 and the Commissioner system. Stahlman’s Commissioners that year–Dutch Mann, Kerry Parker, Jerry Barnett, and Tommy Clark–and they engaged in a variety of shenanigans, often at the instigation of Dutch. The elder Commissioner had the idea of floating Eagle. The group, with the help of the ranger, built a grid out of old bed frames and welding it to two empty metal drums. Old canvas was soaked in diesel, secured to the frame, and voila! Burning Eagle closing. This idea continued for decades, though a new grid was eventually placed on Explorer Island opposite the Friday Night Campfire Area stage.

But things change, including regulations and culture. The grid remained but a Burning Eagle raised some flags. Seen here in 2023 is the new version, an “electric” Eagle. Same concept, but now with LED lights that can be turned on and off at the appropriate moment. Still inspirational, but a lot easier clean up!

Stahlman’s new “electric Eagle,” 2022. Collection of Ben Whitehouse.

Camp Stahlman office

In the days before the permanent cabins, both Stahlman and Parnell had “camp offices” that were simply tents. These tents were in basically the same location as the modern buildings are, but clearly, they were a bit different.

The tent in the back was the “office.” None of the camp leadership stayed here. The adults–the Camp Director and Program Director–were both at Camp Murrey. There was a “night officer” who kept an eye on things in the evenings. You can see there is a bulletin board behind the three Scouts with postings of various kinds. Under the tarp one can clearly see a green box. A variety of tools were kept here staff and Scouts could use to do simple work around camp. Also note the metal trash barrel under the white railing. When trash was done around camp, these 50 gallon drums were loaded onto a tractor and taken to the dump.

What is truly fascinating to us though is the hand-carved “Camp Stahlman” sign in the tree. This sign is not visible in any other photo we’ve seen or even in the Boxwell promotional film from this period. It’s an important little detail in the character of camp at the time.

Camp Stahlman Office tent, 1965. Collection of Bob McGhee