| ATTEND NATIONAL JAMBOREE
- Boy Scouts and Scouters of the Comanche Trail Council who attended the
National Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa., June 27- July 6, 1950, are pictured
here during their preparation camp at 36th Division State Park, Lake Brownwood.
The group loaded equipment on a Santa Fe train Friday night and then proceed
to Fort Worth with Scout groups form the San Angelo and Lubbock areas.
Other Scout groups boarded the special train out of Fort Worth for Valley
Forge.
(Jimmy McDonald
Photo).
|
| The second Jamboree was
not held until after World War II. It was held at Valley Forge, PA,
in the summer of 1950. The Comanche Trail Council sent two
troops to this Jamboree. They were Troops 26 and 27 and were camped
in Section 14 at the Jamboree. Again, the group went by train
and had their Indian costumes with them. Dr. T. C. Graves of Goldthwaite
served as trainmaster and health officer for the 22-car train of 636 Scouts.
During the ride up to the Jamboree W. L. Pevey of Breckenridge showed a horned toad to one of the railroad yard workers. When the worker asked him what they fed the toad he told him , “We feed them sauer kraut and cornbread.” The man was observed walking off “in a satisfied mood.” Fifty thousand Scouts attended this Jamboree. The new Boy Scout 3 cent stamp was dedicated and every post office at the Jamboree sold out of the stamp in very short order. The Jamboree opened with an aerial bomb after which all the flags of troops, states, nations and possessions all went to the top of the flag poles all over the camp. At 8 p.m. troops from all over the Jamboree site moved to the main arena for the opening program. There were about 120 acres of Boy Scouts and visitors present to hear first a speech by President Truman and then witness a pageant about Valley Forge. It include Washington on a white horse, foot soldiers in the Continental Army uniforms, covered wagons, cabins and other items. The highlight of the evening came when Washington kneeled on the huge stage, with blue lights focused on him, and offered the prayer that came from his lips when his troops were in such dire distress during that winter of some 175 years ago. The biggest thrill of the local Scouts was when the cameraman from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios came into their campsite and wanted to take pictures of the group in their Indian dress. They had five minutes in which to get dressed, but only took three. As they reported back to the Brownwood Bulletin, “News paper cameras and thousands of other cameras and movies came moving in at the same time and there is no telling how many thousands of pictures were taken of the Comanche Trail Council Comanche Indians. Special poses were required of the larger newspapers of the East. We surely will make somebody's headline pictures for the week.” On one night the Indians were asked to participate in the flag lowering ceremony. C. L. Pouncey gave the Four Winds campfire opening ceremony that was followed by a few Indian dances.
When the 1950 Jamboree came up, K. N. Clapp of Lubbock, who was a fishing buddy of Wood, gave his indian outfit to John R. Wood to wear to the Jamboree. He also paid half of Wood's Jamboree fee with the council paying the other half. Wood was with the Texas Game and Fish Commission stationed in Brownwood and he and Clapp had fished together for some twenty-five years. They were personal friends. During the Jamboree at Valley Forge, Wood was selected to be the Chief of all Indian Chiefs at the July 4th Arena Show in front of some 47,000 Scouts. John was in the center of the stage, and when he raised his hand, some 750 Indians (Scouts) started dancing. When he raised his hand a second time, the Scouts stopped dancing and disappeared off stage. Following the Jamboree, Wood wore the outfit during Western Parades in Brownwood. HIs wife, Pat, dressed as an Indian Squaw. He rode a paint horse pulling a travois with her on it. Most of their personal friends failed to recognize them. Wood gave the outfit to the Comanche Trail Council and they still have it today. The outfit has been placed on display by the Order of the Arrow many times as a fine example of older Indian outfits. Troop 26
Troop 27
Both Troops 26 & 27
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| Troop 26
C. L. Pouncey, Scoutmaster, Brownwood John R. Wood, ASM, Brownwood H. M. Corneileus, ASM, Brownwood Burts Kennedy, Senior Patrol Leader, Brownwood Bill Micham, Quartermaster, Cisco Bill Swaney, Scribe, Ranger Mitchell Phelps, Patrol Leader,
Brownwood
Jerry Don Gore, Patrol Leader,
Bronwwood
Don Anderson, Patrol Leader,
Eastland
James Pippen, Breckenridge
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Troop 27
Less Tesson, Scoutmaster, Richland Springs W. A. Pippen, ASM, Breckenridge Charles Sparks, ASM, Bangs Oran Ellis, Jr., Senior Patrol Leader Larry Walton, Quartermaster, Mullin Joe Paul Tupin, Scribe, Comanche Merlin McAnelly, Bugler, Lometa Arlie Brown, Jr., Patrol
Leader, Stephenville
Jimmie Terrell, Patrol Leader,
Stephenville
Sammy Neuman, Patrol Leader,
San Saba
Kirby Keahey, Patrol Leader,
Goldthwaite
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| Section 14 Staff Leaders
Rio Cox, Trainmaster, Health Lodge Aide, Brownwood O. W. Winebrenner, Service Corps Leader, Brownwood Dr. T. C. Graves, Health Lodge Chief, Goldthwaite Elmo Letbetter, Commissary Chief, Brownwood |
Shakedown Camp of Troop
26 at 36th Division State Park, Lake Brownwood.
Hey, we are now in the big city! |
Getting ready to perform our Indian Dance |
| These photos were found in a scrapbook turned over to the Comanche Trail Council from a Scout from Troop 2 of Brownwood, Texas. Several other photos from the scrapbook are used in Elmo Letbetter's Jamboree Diary. | 
Showing off for the cameras! |
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|
 |
| First Row: Gus Benner, Bob
Glew, Charles Rutledge, ? , Marsh Ammerman, Pete Cook
and Bob Etzel
Second Row: Herb Gaskin, ?, ? , Harvey Price, ? , ? , Mack Love, Kay Bentz, Warren Green, and Jim Polk Third Row: ? ? Jim Tarr, Mr. Silver?, Pop Churchill, ? , F.M Arnold, Marshall Monroe, Oris Day, Ray Nunnally, Jim Cavalleri but not sure. Harvey Price and Jim Tarr both later became Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. |
For more information on the 1950 Jamboree look at the three pages below:E. Ray Smyth's 1950 Jamboree JournalRay's Memorabilia of the 1950 JamboreeReturn to Jamboree Comanche Trail Council Return to Home Page |
The
Philadelphia
Inquirer reported that "The most picturesque contingent to move into
camp so far is the Comanche Trail Council of Brownwood, Texas, Indian tepees,
supported by bamboo poles, are arranged in a council circle. The
Scouts will perform an Indian ceremonial dance in full feathered headdress
during the Jamboree.
