Sunday, July 19, 2009

BSA National Jamboree 1969

Nostalgia strikes. In composing my blog posting last week on the Apollo 11 mission, I was curious to see if there was any historical information on the 1969 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree in Idaho that I attended.

I can still remember a lot about the trip to Idaho and the actual Jamboree. Our troop (representing the Chief Okemos Council) took a train from Lansing, MI to Chicago. We then boarded a special train in Chicago that was just for Scouts who were on their way to the Jamboree in Idaho. The actual Jamboree was a lot of fun at the very scenic Farragut State Park in northern Idaho. What made it extra special was that Neil Armstrong was the first human being to set foot on the Moon during the Jamboree. Due to the limits of technology in 1969, we were not able to watch the Moon landing live at the Jamboree. We saw it 24 hours later by tape.

Unfortunately there's very little information on the Internet about the 1969 Jamboree.

I did find a link to photos of the 1969 Jamboree at... http://usscouts.org/usscouts/history/jambo1969pictures.asp

24 comments:

  1. I was also at the Jamboree. On the evening of July 20th, my troop (Last Frontier Council, Oklahoma City) was scheduled to do flag retirement at the main plaza. One of the Asst Scoutmasters told me that there was to be television set up at the Trading Post back at our area (Camp 9). I was SPL and after assigning all the scouts to the flags we were responsible for, he and I snuck off and went to see what we could find. When we got to the TP, there was a large crowd of scouts around a small television. I couldn't see the screen well but they had the sound turned up and we listened to the broadcast.

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  2. I too was on that train from Chicago! But I watched the landing from on top of a picnic table while listening to it on the radio. Those photos brought back memories of the campfires and especially the fireworks at the close.

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  3. Karl BaumgardnerTuesday, July 21, 2009

    I also was at the Jamboree. I recall that Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8 that first circled the moon, came with greetings from President Nixon and played the tape of the moon landing for us on the huge screen at the amphitheater. I missed the live broadcast on the tv at one of the trading posts because I did not know they had any tv's around until a fellow scout told me about it after the fact! Other memories are of Lady Baden Powell being at the Jamboree, the cold water in the lake and showers, and the lumberjack demonstrations of sawing trees and climbing poles. I am from Texas and we rode in buses and toured much of the western U.S. Lots of great memories!

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  4. any other Tulsa folks checking this out??

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  5. I attended the Jamboree with 3 bus loads based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had forgotten the name of the astronaut that presented the moon landing, thanks Karl for listing that. I remember after the big gathering walking back to our camp site every tent had a small American flag on it - even at 15 years old I was moved by the sight. I have thought a lot about the jamboree since the moon landing anniversary - great times, great memory's - we were all lucky to be able to experience what we did. Would like to go back some time

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  6. I was there as well with a contingent troop from Kentucky. Someone in an adjoining camp site had a portable TV and had somehow managed a power source. I remember the whooping and hollering from the camp which must have been at the point of touchdown or the first foot step. It was an amazing time.

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  7. where in texas?

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  8. I was there- its stuck in mind all these years- what an experience!

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  9. We traveled to the Jamboree by bicycle from Western Pennsylvania. Ours was the smallest official contingent, consisting of 5 boys and 2 adults. I was the 20 year old adult. 3 local Western PA councils combined to form 1 contingent. We joined them at the Jamboree site. I remember the ice cold showers and I remember the campfires, with the moon video and the one with Up With People show. (If you look at the souvenir Jamboree newspaper book you'll spot one of the UWP singers at the Jamboree named "Glennie Close." She grew up to be the acclaimed actress.
    I still have lots of stuff from the Jamboree, including the official belt which I still wear.
    I'm still active in Scouting and I'll be retired from my real job before the next Jamboree. I'll probably be there.

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  10. I was from Brownfield, Texas, at the time. I now live in Amarillo.

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  11. i was there from charlotte nc i was 12 and i think and talk about that experience all the time so many memories and such an awesome time the sound of 40,000 marching to the amphitheatre still sticks with me

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  12. Winston BeLisleSunday, July 04, 2010

    Hey I was there too... I was a corespondent for our local weekly newspaper for our troop. I was in Troop AH30! It happens to be that the Lt. Governor, of the state of Missouri, was also in our troop! What I really remember is that I had gotten some cotton bolls and packaged them up and traded them for patches all around the Jamboree! I also remember watching Neil walking on the moon, while 30,000 Boy Scouts were sitting on a hill side looking at a screen, like a drive-in movie, watching them. We were told it was a delayed transmission, directly to us there at the Jamboree. Another thing, I especially remember, are the showers that we had... they were supposed to have had a fire under them to heat them up, but most times the water had been used up and that shower was cold...brrr! I also met Sumio Kamada, a Scoutmaster from Japan, that was there to look over the operations of the Jamboree, because he was there to set up the next World Jamboree, that was to be held in Japan!
    I still have a display of the Yellow Scarf, the big round yellow 1969 National Jamboree Patch, a smaller version of the patch with another patch under it stating "Building to Serve", a leather patch of the patch, a correspondence id, a correspondence card, an id tag for our luggage and a historical card on the Farragut state park being utilized for the National Jamboree.
    It'll always stick in my mind as a very exciting time in history and in meeting new people and making friends from all over the world. I was 16 yrs old when I went to that event. I remember getting the money for the event by saving up my paper route money and selling flower seeds! My mom and grandfather matched me and that was my spending money for the event.

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  13. I enjoyed reading all the comments about the 1969 Scout Jamboree. I too attended this incredible event traveling with four troops from San Diego. We had a wonderful trip through a few National Parks and a visit to Canada.

    At age 14 and a star scout, I served as a youth correspondent for The San Diego Union newspaper and wrote five stories on the road that were published. I also was part of the "press corps" and heard both Lady Baden Powell and Jesse Owens speak.

    The highlight of the trip was the viewing of Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. I never did realize it was a day later as it really didn't matter because we were in the beautiful outdoors experiencing scouting at it best and then, the moon landing. What a treat and a memorable experience we have all shared many times.

    I went on to a career in public service as Lifeguard Lieutenant abd later as a Councilmember and Deputy Mayor of the City of San Diego. My oldest son, Conrad earned Eagle in 2008 and attended the 2005 Jamboree at Ft AP Hill.

    All the best to scouts worldwide.

    Eagle Scout Byron Wear
    San Diego

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  14. I was there too with the Tulsa contingency - beyond fun experience and still tell my children (6 of em!) and grandkids about that trip. Reading these entries brings back a lot of memories, thanks!!

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  15. I am watching Mike Rowe at the opening ceremony of the BSA 100th Anniversary Jamboree and reflecting on my trip to Farragut ID in the summer of '69. Remember huddling around our picnic table listening to the landing and then seeing the replay of those first lunar steps with 30,000 others on the big screen.

    As I run across others in my adult life who attended, I am proud that without exception (so far anyway) all have turned out quite all right.

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  16. I beleive I was in that tent. I worked on the Trading Past Staff. I remember walking out side and looking up at the moon at the same time.

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  17. Wow, just came back from the 2010 Jambo with my son and 41 years later the memories come flooding back for the 1969 Jamboree. I am still amazed how many from the 1969 Jambo took part in the 2010 as adult leaders or staff. 4 in out San Diego council alone. I was in the contingent out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1969 and I remember very well watching the TV at one of the TP on July 21 with the first moon walk. Let's talk about the ice cold showers, OMG those were COLD! The hike up the mountain and the view from the top, the bus ride to and from the Jambo and where all of my patch trading started. How about the LONG march to the campfire with all of those red jackets.

    I still wear my 1969 Jamboree patch on my scout uniform and proudly wear the "Building to Serve" rocker with it.

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  18. I was there, too. I was just explaining to someone on Facebook about the time we were all in that outdoor "auditorium, which I think was just a big hillside, and while we were waiting for the show they statrted playing In A Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly andhad stroble lights going. I googled 1969 Boy Scout jamboree and this si the site that explained it the best. Thanks for doing this.

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  19. I was there,cold nights, hot days, cold showers, Jesse Owens, moon landing, flower power!
    I was 16yrs old, later became a scoutmaster & district chairman.
    Impessa District, Occoneechee Council, Troop 395, Raleigh,NC

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  20. ANyone still following this? I was there from Rumson NJ. Was a highlight of my life. As cold as the showers were, I seem to remember that the Lake was colder - liquid ice as I recall.


    A friend and I were talking and he swears when we saw the film of the moon landing in the amphitheater, it was John Glenn who had brought it out to show us and he narrated it. I don't remember, and think it would have been mentioned somewhere if it was true, but it sounds logical. Anyone else recall that one?

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  21. Bill: I don't recall John Glenn being in attendance.

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  22. The astronaut was Frank Borman....Apollo 8, I think.

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  23. I was there too, with a group of Scouts from Cedar Rapids, IA.

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  24. Attended from Duluth, MN. Remember the moon landing but also stirred by the Up with People song about scouting, and how Amstrong was a scout.

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