this brochure - Many Point Scout Camp

MANY POINT
SCOUT CAMP
HISTORY CENTER
Self-guided Tour
Copyrighted 2012, all rights reserved
Many Point Staff Alumni Association
Northern Star Council, BSA
By Douglas Palmer
Many Point Staff Alumni Association
Historian
Scout Oath
Published by
On my honor, I will do my best. To do my
duty to God and my Country and to obey
the Scout Law; To help other people at all
times; To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law
A Scout is:
The association wishes to express it’s sincere thanks to all
the members who contributed countless hours of time researching, editing and printing this booklet.
Scouting. Good for Life.
1
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
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Preface
FIRE TOWER
Consider
climbing the
100 foot Fire
Tower
for
some very
spectacular
views
of
Many Point
S c o u t
Camp.
In 1995 the
Many Point Staff Alumni Association completed the purchase and construction of this Fire Tower. As you climb the
tower steps you will see the names of the staff members
who contributed to this project.
To climb the Fire Tower check with the Administration Staff.
The Many Point Scout Camp History Center opened to Scouts in
the summer of 1996.
This original building was constructed in the early
1960s with the generous support of the Sheldon
V. Wood family.
The building was originally designed to be a reception center for Scouts arriving by bus. Buses
would discharge Scouts and they would be taken
to their campsite by smaller vehicles. But by the
1990s as cars and vans became more available,
fewer and fewer Scouts were arriving by bus.
In the early 1990s a group of volunteers, primarily Many Point Staff Alumni members lead by The author in
Camp Director Bob Gagner, worked nearly two his new Scout
Uniform (1949)
years to develop the plans for the History Center.
Then came assembling the photographs and artifacts. Models
needed to be made, artifacts properly displayed, cabinets and
staging built, photographs printed and mounted, videotapes edited from old movies, and hundreds of small details resolved.
This building became the ideal place for the new History Center.
It was centrally located and was under-utilized. Again the Wood
family generously provided financial support to enclose and remodel this building.
Today this History Center is unique in Scout camps. Its mission
is to tell the story of those who have left their mark upon this land
and to tell the history of Many Point Scout Camp. This History
Center is a living and changing place. New artifacts are constantly being added and displays are improved yearly.
I would like to express my appreciation to the following current
and former Many Point Staff members for their help and assistance in producing this guide: Camp Director Travis Sutten, Curt
Cheese, Dave Price, Bruce Sund, Lee Cornell, and Brent Martin.
Douglas Palmer (1954-1964)
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Welcome to the Many Point History Center.
This
History Center and Museum was created to help
Scouts and Scout Leaders better understand the
history of the Many Point area, how Many Point
Scout Camp came about, and how the camping
and program have changed over the years.
Thank you for touring
with us today.
We hope this tour has brought back fond
memories of the past and gives you a renewed
sense of the purpose and goals of the Scouting
program in general, and of
Many Point in particular.
As you enter the History Center you are greeted
by the groups that have lived and influenced the
history of Many Point: Native Peoples, Fur Traders, Loggers, Sportsmen, and today Boy Scouts.
Today we are seeing the third generation of Scouts
to camp at Many Point.
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TODAY’S PROGRAMS/
WALL OF BADGES
GEOLOGY DISPLAY
The programs at Many Point have also changed with the
gins 50,000 years
ago when Many
Point and most of
Minnesota were covered with glaciers.
These
massive
sheets of moving ice
were in some places
almost a mile thick.
You can see by the
model of the present
day fire tower just
how massive these
sheets of ice were.
Their
size
and
weight acted like a
giant bulldozer as
they moved south
across the land.
Hills and ancient volcanos were leveled and valleys were
filled in.
times. While basic camping skills are still a basic part of the
camping experience, new programs and activities have
been added such as: climbing towers, COPE, Hunk Fin
Raft, tree houses, sailing, Ethics in Action, and kayaking.
CHANGING CAMP BADGES
OVER THE YEARS
Our story today be-
At least four glaciers left their mark on Many Point.
Glaciers create lakes in two ways. The power of moving ice and
the huge weight of a glacier can gouge out the land as they
move, for example the lakes in the boundary waters. Or
they can form a lake by leaving a huge block of ice in the
glacial debris as they melt; most lakes in central Minnesota
were formed in this way. The model shows what the ice
chunks might have looked like and how they formed the
bays and points of Many Point Lake.
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4
NATIVE AMERICAN DISPLAY
The
ICE HARVESTING
Until the late 1960’s
Native Americans were the first
people to live here.
At the time of European settlement the
Dakota people inhabited the Many Point
region. As European
settlement
moved
west
the
Ojibwa
tribes also moved
west, forcing the Dakota tribes into what became southern Minnesota and the
Dakotas. The Ojibwa tribes were a hunter and gathering
society. Their diet consisted of game, fish, and wild rice.
Since there were no large animals, their homes were made
of local materials such as birch bark. Many clothing items
were made from deer hides. They also developed canoes
made of birch bark to travel the lakes and waterways.
the camp had to rely
on ice for refrigeration. There was no
electricity
in
the
camping areas. Each
campsite had an “Ice
Box” to keep food
and beverages cold.
Each
winter
the
Camp Rangers would
cut ice from the lake.
These 120 pound
blocks of ice were
stored in a large Ice House, packed in sawdust. Each day
a 30 pound “block of ice” would be delivered to each
campsite.
An example of a birch bark canoe can be seen overhead.
In the early days of
HIKING
AWARDS
the Native Peoples and the French and later British traders
who exchanged furs for European tools, firearms, household items, and alcohol.
Many Point, hiking
was a popular activity. A neckerchief
slide was created
that could record
various hikes by
painting the Hobnails a different color for each trail. Today with most troops camping for only one week, hiking has
fallen out of the program; it just takes too much time.
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Notice that modern day canoes have adopted the same
form. Birch bark was used because it was a water tight material. Pitch from pine trees was used at the joints and the
frame was made of cedar, a light weight wood that can be
split and bent without breaking.
In the early days a trading economy developed between
CANOES IN THE CEILING
FUR TRADING DISPLAY
The history of North American
Canoeing
has always been a popular activity at Many
Point. The early canoes came from Camp Tonkawa and
had wood frames covered with canvas. While they were a
pleasure to paddle they required constant maintenance
and great care in their use. The last canvas canoe was retired in 1964. The first aluminum canoes purchased by
Many Point were made by the Grumman Aircraft Company.
They required almost no maintenance but were easily damaged due to their light weight aluminum.
exploration and settlement is
the story of the fur trade. Europeans were attracted to the
North American continent by the
hopes of reaping profits from
furs. The profit from the fur
trade was the principal source
of revenue for the early Dutch, French, and English colonies.
French fur traders were first explorers in this region.
In the
French language they were given the name Voyageurs
which means travelers. During this period fur clothing was
an important industry in Europe. The felt hat made from the
fur of beavers was in great demand. (see sample)
The French fur trade was centered in Montreal (see map)
and extended throughout the Great Lakes area. In the
spring traders in large cargo canoes traveled west to various trading posts throughout the Great Lakes. The Grand
Portage in Minnesota was a major trading post during this
period. At these annual “rendezvous”, traders who had
spent the winter gathering furs from the Native Peoples
would exchange their furs for the European goods from
Montreal. The furs would then make their way to Montreal
for shipment to Europe. After the French and Indian Wars,
the British came to dominate the fur trade through the Hudson Bay Company. After the American Revolution the
American Fur Company came to dominate the trade.
The other fur pelts in this display are of native animals.
For the most part they played no part in the fur trade.
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6
LOGGING DISPLAY
COMMUNICATIONS:
The
cross section
of the white pine log
shows the size of
the trees that were
found in Northern
Minnesota. In the
late 1890s through
1918 loggers came
to the Many Point
area to cut the
stands of virgin
white and red pine.
These were huge trees. An acre of these trees could produce enough lumber to build over 50 modern homes.
Most
of these loggers were local men from farms and
small towns who worked six days a week all winter long for
a few dollars a day. Logging camps were temporary and
the men slept in bunk beds on straw mattresses. It was not
uncommon for the men to not take a bath until spring. Food
was served in a large dining hall and the men were not allowed to talk during the meals.
Here are some of the common tools used by the loggers.
Can you identify: double bitted axes, two man saws, cant
hooks, pick-a-toons, boom chains, and the other tools?
These were days before chain saws, trucks, and power
equipment. All work was done by human power and horses.
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Switchboard, Army field telephones, early
camp computer
Communications
has always been important at
Many Point. In the days
before cell phones, radios,
and other modern equipment, the backbone of the
camp was older telephone
technology.
(Standard
telephone service did not
come to Many Point until 1962.) Telephone wire was used
to connect telephones to a central switch board. This
switchboard system required a 24 hour operator to connect
you to the place you were calling within the camp. This
switch board was used until the late 1960s when it was replace by a dial system.
Hanging
on the wall is a military
field telephone used during the Second World War and used at Many
Point until the dial system was installed.
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Equipment and camping styles changed. Open fire cooking
became a problem as fire bans became more widespread,
and the availability of unlimited firewood dwindled.
To
solve this problem sheepherder stoves which were very
fuel efficient were introduced.
Food services also changed. The commissary system,
where food for a given meal was either delivered to the
troop site or (in Voyageur) picked up at the commissary,
improved each year. These improvements came with better food selections, better cooking instructions, and better
delivery schedules. As these services improved, some of
the meals that had been delivered in hot stacks were
phased out.
During this period, there was a strong programming emphasis to move away from troop activities and to instead
focus on patrol activities. This provided greater opportunities for leadership development by giving the patrol leader
a role. It also allowed for programs to focus on smaller
groups interests.
The most popular merit badges continued to be those that
fit into the Many Point experience: cooking, camping, swimming, lifesaving, fishing, rifle and shotgun shooting, archery, and nature. As specialty programs developed, merit
badges such as sailing became increasingly popular.
Logging went something like this:
1. An area was examined for the amount of standing timber available.
2. Once an area was selected, temporary buildings were
constructed. A typical camp consisted of a dining hall,
bunk house, office/store, stable, blacksmith/saw sharpening, and outhouses.
3. A tree to be cut was first notched with an ax, then a twoman team made a cut on the other side causing the tree
to fall.
4. The tree was then cut into lengths.
5. The logs were then “skidded” by horses to a loading area.
6. The logs were loaded onto a sled or later a railway car.
7. The logs were transported to a river or lake.
8. The logs were transported by water to a sawmill.
9. At the mill the logs were cut into lumber.
The small model shows how logs came to Many Point Lake
via a railroad to Buckskin Bay. You can still see the pilings
of the trestle in the lake by the Maxwell campsite in Buckskin. All winter long the logs were piled on the ice. When
the ice melted in the spring, the logs were floated in large
rafts across Many Point Lake to the Otter Tail River and
then through a series of lakes and streams to the mill at
Frazee, Minnesota.
Uniforms were becoming increasingly flexible. Shorts or
jeans pretty much replaced Scout uniform pants. Uniform
shirts were generally worn with some regularity but Many
Point sweatshirts and t-shirts became increasingly popular.
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8
SPORTSMEN DISPLAY
After the loggers,
sportsmen came to
this remote area to
hunt
and
fish.
Rustic camps were
established. Their
cabins were primitive by today’s
standards. There
was no electricity
or running water.
Cooking was done on wood cook stoves. Heat was provided by small air tight stoves. Light consisted of Coleman or
kerosene lamps. Water was from a pump or from the lake,
and the toilet was an outhouse. Baths were taken in the
lake. The only refrigeration was ice, which had been cut in
the previous winter and stored in an “ice house”.
Today Many Point
Scout Camp occupies the land of
several of these
camps. The north
part of Many Point
was
purchased
from the Many
Point Rod and Gun
Club.
Christie’s
Resort, and Robbers Roost make
up what is today Voyageur Camp. Family Camp occupies
what was once Bill’s Resort.
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With increasing summer programs in their home towns, it
became problematic for Scouts to leave home for two
weeks, abandoning their summer baseball, band, and other
programs. The expanding programs and changes in the
State High School League rules also brought about an increasing number of specialty camps that would focus on
activities like baseball, band, football, soccer, language,
and computer. Summer camp was still important for
Scouts, but a two week commitment became more difficult. Obtaining adult leadership for two weeks also became a problem.
Many Point also recognized that they needed to offer activities that could compare with some of those being offered by
specialty camps. The closing of Flintlock as a troop camping area in 1972 was a difficult decision, but it also opened
up the opportunity for Flintlock to become the location for a
variety of specialty programs that included horsemanship,
sailing, water skiing, and leadership programs.
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This period saw
great improvement
in equipment with
modern
materials
replacing the older
cotton tents. The
7x9 wall tent became the standard
camp issue along
with other personal
tents. Most Scouts
slept on army cots. “Official” Scouting equipment replaced
the army surplus of the earlier period. The basic Scout
uniform remained olive green and the army hat was replaced with other styles.
BACK WALLS —TIME LINE
The program retained basic camping and aquatic skills
and the merit badges of the past remained popular. However, the program started to expand to additional merit
badges and activities. The trend to more one week troops
began.
In 1940, the Minneapolis Area Council (Became the Viking
1970’s-1980’s
The high point of Many Point Scout attendance during the
1960s was followed by a drastic decline in the 1970s and
into the 1980s. During this period Many Point and the
Scouting program faced many new challenges.
Nationally, Scouting was undergoing major changes in
program, advancement and in required merit badges for
higher ranks. The old olive green uniform was replaced
with a light green shirt and darker pants. Scout shorts became more popular at Many Point.
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Council in the 1950s) and part of Northern Star Council in
2008, operated seven camps in the Minneapolis area.
These camps were small and were patterned after Scout
camps in the eastern United States. In many ways these
camps were like camping in a city park. The major summer camp was Camp Tonkawa, located on the North Arm of
Lake Minnetonka. (See pictures) In 1940 there were six
troop campsites at Camp Tonkawa located with a view of
Lake Minnetonka.
Each troop campsite had its own kitchen and dining units
with wall tents on platforms. One site allowed for troops to
bring their own equipment.
10
According to the 1940 camp manual, “Although it is desirable that Scouts should come with their Troops and regular
leaders, this season’s plan provides for those whose Troops
do not manage to have them come together.” Many activities and programs were centralized. There was an evening
meal, a centralized waterfront, and many Scout skills were
conducted in class setting. There was a limited attempt to
keep a troop operating as a troop using adult and boy leaders. (The camp fee in the late 1940’s was .80 cents per
day.)
Today it is hard to underestimate the influence of the military on Scout Camps. Baden Powell, the founder of the
British Boy Scouts, had been a General in the British Army.
Most Scout Leaders during this period (1910-1950s) had
been in the military and were used to camping military-style
with tents in a neat rows and most program and activities
centralized. But new thinking in Scout Camps was taking
place. The new emphasis would be on the development of
troop leadership using the patrol method in a more wilderness environment.
Camping gear of this period consisted of “Official Boy
Scout” equipment along with a great assortment of World
War Two items.
The “Official Boy Scout Uniform” of this period was olive
green with the “red flap” pants pockets. Shorts were not
popular and were seldom worn at Many Point due to insects, poison ivy, and heavy brush in most campsites. An
“Army” style cap was part of the basic uniform.
The program of this period consisted of basic camping
skills, hiking, aquatic activities, archery, rifle, and nature activities. The most popular merit badges were: camping,
cooking, pioneering, swimming, lifesaving, rowing, canoeing, and nature.
1960s
The late 1950s and early 1960s were the golden era of
Many Point, with record numbers of Scouts and Explorer
Scouts. During this period there were five camps in operation (Buckskin, Ten Chiefs, Flintlock, Explorer Base, and
Pioneer). Many Point Scout Camp changed it name to
Many Point Scout Reservation to conform with other Scout
Camps.
The major changes during this period were in equipment,
food preparation, and program. Food preparation was still
for the most part over open fires. A commissary food system replaced the Trading Post where troops bought and
planned their own menu. Buckskin troops ate all their
meals in the Dining Hall and the other camps, with the exception of Pioneer, received one hot meal each day and received a pre-planned food service for other meals.
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20
WINT HARTMAN
CAMPSITES
As you examine the three campsites from different peri-
First Camp Director
ods, notice how Scout uniforms have changed, how food
was prepared, how tents and basic equipment have
changed.
At
the
Annual
Meeting of the Minneapolis Area Council
on
January
8,1940, the following
resolution
was
adopted: “That in
1940 Camping by
troops as suggested
by
the
National
Council be made
our major activity”.
1940s-1950s
Early troops came
to Many Point with
a mixed collection
of tents and camping gear. The tent
in this display was
called a “Baker
Tent”. While this
open face tent was
popular, it didn’t
provide good protection from insects and heavy weather. The tents of this
period were made of heavy cotton that had been waterproofed. These tents when wet became very heavy and
subject to mold and mildew.
The idea of Troop
camping with a real
outdoor experience as a member of a patrol and troop was
taking hold in the Scouting movement of prewar America.
At the same time, there was a movement towards the idea
of developing larger camps to replace the many small urban
camps. The idea that summer camp should promote and
develop troop and patrol leadership became widespread. It
was also felt that camp programs should become more decentralized to develop and encourage troop leadership.
Cooking was mostly over open fires. Altar fireplaces were a
popular pioneering project and made cooking more pleasant. Buckskin troops ate two meals in the Dining Hall, Ten
Chiefs, and Flintlock troops received one hot meal each
day, and Pioneer troops cooked all their meals. The food
for troop-prepared meals was purchased in the Trading
Post. Most troops camped at Many Point for two weeks.
It was into this environment that a young man named Wint
Hartman became the Director of Camping for the Minneapolis Area Council. With the backing of the Council Board,
the decision was made to find property and to establish a
new camp in northern Minnesota.
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12
THE DREAM AND
THE REALITY
Developing a new camp at the end of the Second World
War was a big undertaking. Land had to be purchased
and, more important, money needed to be raised. In preparing the public to help support a new camp, the campaign
to raise money reminded the public of the importance of the
Boy Scout movement in developing youth. The youth
movements prewar Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union
had left a profound impression on post war America. For
many Americans, the goals and ideals of the Boy Scouts
presented a more democratic alternative. In promoting a
new camp, Minnesotans were reminded of the recent youth
groups abroad. (See the promotional materials of the time1946)
THE HONORS CASE
These
small hats were an
advancement program first
started at Camp Tonkawa
and then used at Many
Point until the mid-1960s.
There were nine honors
(hats) and their requirements closely followed the
Scouting advancement program of the day. A Scout could
earn three hats each summer.
The idea behind this program was
to give Scouts an immediate reward for advancement.
DOORWAY TO SCOUT
CAMPSITES
In the first part of the History Center you have seen what
the Many Point land and people were like before the camp
began in 1947. In the final displays you will see how the
camp has changed since 1947.
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18
THE WINDOW AND LANTERN
The
lantern has become a
symbol of Many Point. This
display represents those dark
days when everything seemed
to be against the opening of
camp in 1947.
On one occasion the Camp Director, Wint Hartman, was driving to camp to see how things
were going. As he entered
camp, everything was dark except for a lantern in the window
of the Ranger’s home. (Electricity did not come to Many
Point until the early 1950s). To Wint Hartman this was a
sign that there was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel,
and that camp would be ready in the summer of 1947.
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PROPOSED NEW CAMP
TAKES SHAPE
The Boy Scout program of the 1940s was very different
from today. There were Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and for
older boys Sea Scouts, Air Scouts, and Explorer Scouts.
As you can see on the large planning map, these programs
were to be included in a new camp.
Land was found for sale on Many Point Lake.
Through a
series of land purchases the Minneapolis Area Council was
able to purchase most of the land on Many Point Lake. As
the goal of a wilderness camp started to take place, it was
time to develop the camp infrastructure of buildings, roads,
and campsites.
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BOOTS HANSON AND THE
MANY POINT PIONEERS
SAW MILL
Boots
Hanson from Minneapolis was hired as the first
camp ranger. This picture taken in 1955 shows Boots Hanson and Assistant Ranger Ale Niemi operating a camp saw
mill. Many of the original buildings were built with pine logs
cut here at camp. To Boots Hanson and the camp’s first
employee, Severt Rasmuson, would fall the task of making
a camp out the wilderness. The goal was to have camp
ready for Scouts in the summer of 1947. In these post-war
years there were constant shortages of building materials of
all kinds. There were many fearful moments that the new
camp would not be ready by the summer of 1947.
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This picture shows Boots Hanson and a group of young
men who came to Many Point in the summer of 1946 to
clear campsites, build roads, and gather building materials.
These older Scouts were recruited from the staff of other
Council Camps. They worked each morning and then had
the afternoon free for recreation and personal advancement. Each “Pioneer” was given a double bitted axe and
was admonished to keep it sharp.
Legend has it that one day Boots was reminding one of the
Pioneers about keeping his axe sharp. The Scout replied,
“I know Boots, but it’s your axe.”
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