2001 – Contributed by Andrew Coe

Saturday afternoon was reserved for cleaning rifles. Pretty much since the beginning of time.  The Shooting sports department didn’t have a lot of down program time, and Saturday afternoon was pretty much the only block available.  While everyone was at Paul Bunyan Field Day or Water Carnival, we doused little cleaning pads with the solvent Hoppes, folded the pads and threaded them into the cleaning rod, then shoved the rods down rifle barrels repeatedly until those cleaning pads came back clean. We anticipated using those hours to talk over the past week, plan the next, and come away smelling like the oddly pleasant aroma of Hoppes. It was a ritual rarely interrupted, until that Saturday in 2001.

A Scoutmaster had gotten back a partial blue card for one of his Scouts, and he approached me, the Shooting Sports Director, about the Scout completing the merit badge.

I looked at my watch.  It was 2:00 pm, Saturday afternoon. The staff was just about to start cleaning the rifles.  

“We were open this morning, sir, so that Scouts could complete their partials then.”

“I know,” the Scoutmaster said. “My Scout was off finishing other merit badges.”  

“We have to spend the afternoon cleaning the rifles,” I replied.

“Look, if I come up there and help, will that make a difference?” as he handed me the Scout’s partial blue card.

I looked and it was the usual one that needed completion – the quarter grouping requirement. Whereas precision was more important in shooting than accuracy (especially with rifles of dubious sight quality), a Scout would need to fit a grouping of five 0.22 rifle target shots underneath a quarter.

I hesitated for a moment, then I agreed. “Keep the customers happy” is the unspoken rule of many businesses, but a Horseshoe staff member takes it to heart, even if it throws you off your schedule a little.

The Scout came up to the Rifle Range at 2 pm, and I vaguely remembered the Scout from class that week, which had more than 30 Scouts in it.  As we started going through the range commands, he was a few seconds behind in responding to the commands. I called the Scoutmaster – who had been assisting the Scout – over to the range house and asked him if the Scout was ok.  The Scoutmaster explained to me that the Scout had a learning disability, and all he required was extra time.  Extra time for commands, extra rounds to qualify.  That’s all it took.  And so that’s what the staff gave him that afternoon. A little bit of our time.  

As 4:30 pm came around, the Scout managed to land his five 0.22 shots under a quarter, though just barely.  But barely was good enough.  And to that Scout, barely didn’t matter. He did it. He finished his merit badge when 3 hours earlier he thought he had failed. The look on his face when he saw me sign the blue card, tear off the part for our records, and hand the rest back to his Scoutmaster – priceless. We gave up a little bit of our afternoon to literally make this Scout’s entire week.  The calculus of that trade isn’t even remotely hard in hindsight. Especially when his ear-to-ear grin made my whole week too.

1974 – Contributed by Craig Dickson

I first arrived at Horseshoe on June 30, 1974 with East Goshen Troop 85. I remember making my belt; having to be careful of the poison ivy behind my tent (Timberline);  that my best friend/tent mate was frightened literally to tears by the mud dauber wasp in the outhouse; that the Octoraro rose about 3′ the night before I had to do the self-rescue for canoeing merit badge (I got a partial); and doing basketry and metalworking merit badges.

The opening campfire made a huge impression on me. In addition to the almost-but-not-quite-off-color songs, at one point one of the Sump Pumps must have had a mouthful of alcohol or lighter fluid. He spit it into the fire as he did a flip or handspring over it. Whoosh!!

But the most memorable event was Thursday night, July 4th. There was a special patriotic campfire held down overlooking Eagle Grove, followed by fireworks. I don’t remember the program, but I vividly remember that some of the fireworks seemed poorly aimed and went perhaps 10′ over my head, close enough to hear them whistle. As I got older I wondered if it really happened or if it was just the imagination of a very excited 11 year old boy. The Virtual Museum answered my question: it happened. The Echo from that week actually mentions it.

That week at Horseshoe really cemented my love of Scouting. I’ve been a Scoutmaster for 8 years now (and an ASM for 5 years before that) and I am always looking to give my Scouts a Horseshoe-type experience as we travel to different summer camps around the west coast. Only one camp -Meriwether in Oregon- has come close. I’ve learned that Horseshoe is a special place and I am lucky to have been a part of it.

Craig Dickson
East Goshen Troop 85 ’74-’80
Scoutmaster Troop 682, Poway CA

1988 – Contributed by Matthew Wills

In the mid-1980’s I was a camper at Camp Ware one summer then at Camp Horseshoe for several summers. Next, I  joined Horseshoe summer staff for 5 summers starting in 1988.

While a Horseshoe camper, my troop stayed in the Rothrock and Roberts campsites. I loved staying in those Adirondack style 3-sided buildings. Since we were near the Nature area, I took a number of Nature merit badges. I really enjoyed Environmental Science though it was a lot of work. We were supposed to spend several hours each day in an assigned area of the reservation, observing and cataloging plants and animals.  Memories of it being hot, lush with undergrowth and tress and trying to avoid poison ivy come to mind. Yes, I did end up getting poison ivy. However, I also remember the quiet tranquility and the nice walks to and from my observation area.

That experience and being at the camp in general gave me an appreciation for the reservation’s diversity of trees, plants, and animals. There are areas along the Octoraro River with very lush plant life. I think the summer heat and humidity must help provide the perfect ecosystem for them. I’m also still fascinated by the many conifer trees near the Health Lodge that each have trunks which fork off from about 3 feet above the ground, extending vertically to the height of the tree. I still don’t know if that is unique for some sub-species of trees or if it’s a mutation in that stand of trees.   

Later in life, I’m sure these experiences at camp steered me toward doing nature-focused travel and volunteering at an arboretum near me.

1966 – Contributed by John B. Rettew III

A WINTER’S TALE FROM TROOP 43!

As we look forward to our long winter we Scouts and Scouters are undeterred by weather. After all we learn to take care of ourselves, to Be Prepared, in the out-of-doors regardless of rain or snow we are Prepared! In this case, it REALLY SNOWED!

We thank Palmer Clarke of Troop 43 of West Chester for this experience at Camp Horseshoe winter camp many years ago with the article appearing in the Daily Local News in 1966.

Snow Rescuers Use Copters, Tank

They were bogged down, snowed-in and otherwise in trouble through this area Monday, and rescuers went after them with everything from helicopters to Army tanks. Among those in need of rescuing were campers, motorists, bus passengers and expectant mothers.

The Vertol Division of Boeing Co. in Morton sent a military helicopter to airlift 68 Boy Scouts from their snowed-in camp back to West Chester.

ANNUAL TRIP

Following the Scout motto of “Be Prepared”, Troop 43, of West Chester, left Friday night for their annual winter camping trip at Horseshoe Camp, Rising Sun, Md., just over the Mason- Dixon Line, equipped with food, fuel and warm clothing.

Heavy (snow) drifts blocked the camp roads in the storm but the scouts didn’t mind too much. However, parents began to worry and someone contacted the Morton plant.

Vertol officials first got military clearance then sent a CH-47 Chinook copter of the type used by the U.S. Army to the camp.

ALL FLOWN OUT

Twenty-four scouts and six of the eight parents on the camping trip made the first lift from the Horseshoe camp to the Henderson High School football field in West Chester, arriving at 1:30 P.M. The copter flew back immediately for the remaining scouts and adults, including Scoutmaster Harvey Rettew. (The article relates other rescues by helicopter and a tank of marooned people and an expectant mother.)