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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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. 25

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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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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. 22

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.

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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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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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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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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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