Participants to 1950 National Jamboree

Comanche Trail Council

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. 

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.

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
 

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
Rickard W. Ziock, Brownwood
Ronald  E. Lyon, Brownwood
Joe Weatherby, Jr., Brownwood
Tommy Carter, Brownwood
Wayne Pike, Brownwood
Harry Craig, Brownwood
Donald Morris, Bronwwood

Jerry Don Gore, Patrol Leader, Bronwwood
Richard Adcock, Brownwood
Jackie Eaton, Brownwood
Jackie Ledbetter, Brownwood
Larry Piper, Brownwood
Murray Allman, Brownwood
Jerry Elledge, Brownwood

Don Anderson, Patrol Leader, Eastland
Roy Clyde Mathews, Bangs
Ronald D. Bauer, Bangs
J. F. (Buddy) Dean, Cisco
Don Anderson, Eastland
Doug King, Eastland
Phillip Porter, Cisco

James Pippen, Breckenridge
Bill Pippen, Patrol Leader, Breckenridge
David Manser, Breckenridge
Jakie Sandifer, Breckenridge
W. L. Pevey, Breckenridge
Ray D. Anderson, Breckenridge
Robert Mehaffey, Breckenridge

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
Richard Snider, Dublin
Charles Threatt, Dublin
Jack Crouch, Dublin
Kirk Keahey, Stephenville
Jerry Rex Shugart, Stephenville
Truman Powers, Stephenville

Jimmie Terrell, Patrol Leader, Stephenville
David Cunyus, Stephenville
Harry Lee Braeuer, Stephenville
Pearson Grimes, Eastland
Jimmie D. Huckabay, Eastland
Joe Muirhead, Eastland

Sammy Neuman, Patrol Leader, San Saba
Jimmy Ward, San Saba
Tony Kirk, San Saba
William Glen Gamel, Lampasas
Gary Alan Martin, Lampasas
Robert Carl Cloud, Lampasas
Azell Tesson, Richland Springs

Kirby Keahey, Patrol Leader, Goldthwaite
Ray Campbell Hudson, Goldthwaite
James Gilliam, Goldthwaite
Penn Barnett, Goldthwaite
Lathon Jernigan, Goldthwaite
Travis Herring, Lometa
Lamar Johnson, Cherokee
 

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!
Staff for one of the Sub-Camps
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:

1950 Jamboree Diary by Elmo Letbetter

Color Photos of 1950 Jamboree by John Wood

More Photos of 1950 National Jamboree

E. Ray Smyth's 1950 Jamboree Journal

Ray's Memorabilia of the 1950 Jamboree



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