Horses rescue in Holland-new music score

This has Nothing to do with camp, but since we were on the topic of horses.....
These horses had been stranded on that island for several days due to rising flood waters. Many had died from drowning or exhaustion before the rescuers could get them to safety.

Bob

The Man From Snowy River - Banjo's Poem

The riding staff should remember this movie.

Mail Call!

We all loved getting letters at camp. When I was there, mail was usually distributed right after lunch. I received this letter from Don, and decided to share it all with you. I think Don had some very valid points, and to some extent I agree with him.

I will let you read his letter and my response, and you can decide for yourself.


Hi Bob!

Your request for stories piqued my interest. I have two things for you. One is that I am the guy who took all the plaques from the senior cabins. My wife is about ready to set them out on the curb so if you could see your way clear to mentioning them on your blog I’d be grateful.

The second is you mentioned showing your children what a great place camp was. No offense meant but one of the reasons I stopped going to the reunions was the tendency on everyone’s part to look back rather than forward. Stipulated, Fort Scott was magical and will live in my heart forever. But now it’s gone and I have kids who can never go there however much I might wish they could. I faced that fact four years ago and found a camp that they could go to in southern Illinois called Camp Ondessonk. I too grew up at Ft Scott (1970-1980) and can truly say that the magic of camp is not the place, it’s what you do there and the people you do it with.

For the last four years my kids have gone to Camp O and I have volunteered for three of those (Duty in Afghanistan kept me away one summer). Camp O is every bit as magical as Fort Scott was. So if you are looking for a place where your kids can create their own memories you would do well to consider sending them to Camp Ondessonk. And who knows, depending on when you send them I may be one of their counselors for the “All Day Hike” and/or Woodsmanship just as I was your counselor on Nature program in 1979 and 1980. I’ve taken the best part of Fort Scott to Camp Ondessonk with me you see, the part that lives in my heart.

I volunteer there every summer while my kids go as campers. My daughter will (Hopefully!) be asked back as first year staff next year (CITs to you and me). That’s the other great thing about Camp O, you don’t have to live vicariously through your kids. You can go too as a volunteer. That’s what I do and will likely continue to do long after my kids grow up and can’t go to camp anymore, except they can volunteer as I do and eventually their kids will go to camp.

You see, it’s all about looking forward, not back. I wish you well with your blog. I considered posting this rely to all rather than just you, but in the end decided against doing so. Many might not want to hear what I have to say. If you think my comments have merit by all means post them on the blog and that will serve the purpose of getting out both of my messages.

Cheers!

Don Koehler
Fort Scott Bi-Na Club 1977Camp Ondessonk Lodges of Ondessonk & Tekawitha 2005



Don,
I will go ahead and post your letter verbatim and hopefully those who want any of the plaques will contact you before the plaques get sent to Mt. Rumpke.

Regarding your outlook towards the past (Fort Scott) and the future ( Camp O) I agree with you whole heartedly. I appreciate your sharing about Camp O, and consider your endorsement of Camp O to be very high praise. Who better to evaluate the pros and cons of a camp than someone who was a camper and counselor at Fort Scott.

This blog is not meant so much to dwell on the past, but rather to chronicle a place and a family that has touched by conservative estimate, nearly 40,000 people in the time that camp was open. Yes, Fort Scott is gone. All one has to do is drive by and see what they have done to the grounds and the forest to realize that there is no returning to the past. I think it is sadly ironic that the developer would not let our camp rest in peace, but chose to keep the name, but that is a discussion for another day.

So why not consider this blog as a family photo album, or perhaps a digital museum? I remember you as a counselor during my first years as a camper. That seemed to be a time when Fort Scott was at it’s very best.

Lastly, and most importantly, thank you for your service to our country.

My best to you and your family,
Bob Saurber

Every job has its perks....

For me, one of the really nice advantages to being an AD of the Boys camp was that I went on every canoe trip. I am not sure that they needed me there...maybe it was a ploy to get rid of me for a few hours.

Anyway, for me there was nothing better than a few hours drifting down the Whitewater river watching our campers have a great time and soaking up the sun.

I made it a point to be in the lead canoe because it held the food and drinks, so nobody would dare tip us. There was always one of the girls staff members in the canoe, so the company was pleasant as well.

I really miss the cold bologna sandwiches that we would eat while pulled up on a beach somewhere along the way. But I miss the peaceful hours the most.

Morgan's Canoe Livery has really expanded their operation since 1988 and they have a nice website as well.

http://www.morganscanoe.com/brookville/photos.cfm

Bob

Blame it on the Boy Scouts

British Bulldog Game A Favorite Game
This Game is meant for Boy Scouts.Decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your younger scouts or not.
Notes:
This gets VERY physical. You may want to address your larger scouts aside before the game about handling smaller scouts.
Instructions:
One scout is the 'bulldog' and stands in the center of the play area. Troop lines up at one end of play area. When the bulldog yells, 'British Bulldog', all scouts run to the far end of the play area, avoiding the bulldog. To capture someone, the bulldog must lift him completely off the ground long enough to yell, '1, 2, 3, British Bulldog!' He then becomes a bulldog too. The last player caught is the bulldog for the next round.


You can go here: http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/game/game-361.asp for some more cool scouting resources

Bob

Where are they now?

All of us had friends at camp that we have contact with. I thought it would be fun to post this survey and hopefully we might catch up with people that we havent seen or heard from in years.

Name: Bob Saurber
Years at Fort Scott: 1977-1988 (I missed the summer of 84)

Years as camper: 5

Years as counselor: 3

Years in administration :2

Current Occupation: Project Manager for our family company

Current City of Residence: Hamilton, Ohio

Family: Married 15 years. Son 13 years old, Daughter 10 years old

What have you been doing since you left camp?

Other than working, I have sung with the 1992 World Champion, Southern Gateway Barbershop Chorus, I have taught drumlines at two local high schools, and I am currently a member of a barbershop quartet that is in the Top 10 in our district.

Which Fort Scott Family member(s) that you haven’t seen in a long time would you like to see again?

Keith Kinzler, John Farmer, Dennis Knippenberg, many others.

If camp were open again for just one day, what would you like to do?

I would take a long ride in the forest in the morning, play a game or two of volleyball mid day, cool off in the pool in the afternoon, eat some of George Wozniaks clams and corn for dinner, stand under the watertower as it overflowed, walk through the camp at dusk, listening to the activites going on, and finish the day with a campfire at the Indian village.

Which Fort Scott Family member would you like to see fill out this survey?

John, Keith and Dennis

Why not take some time and fill this survey out yourself and let everyone know what you have been up to?

Bob

We loved these guys

So what was it about the maintenance department that was so cool?

As campers you were really knowlegable if you knew the names of the guys out there on the tractors.

As counsellors, you were always in their debt for getting that screen fixed or that toilet unplugged.

As a member of the Administration, I was always glad that they did their jobs so quickly and effeciently so that some of my more stressed out counsellors would have one less thing to complain about.

Along with everything else that they did, they always had the Ultimate Frisbee team that everyone was gunning for.

People admired the maintenance department so much that they would come out to camp early and stay late in order to work alongside them.

Maybe it was the cool trucks that they drove....

In retrospect, I wish that I had thanked them more often for a job well done.

Bob

Girls Camp Cabins Update!

These are a little harder to remember, of course, being a guy that would make sense.
a. Apache
b. Blackfoot
c. Cheyenne
d. Delaware
e. Eire
f. Flathead
g. Great Plains ( thank you Allen)
h. Hopi
i. Iroquois
j. Jemez (Allen got this one too)
k. Kiowa (Allen is the Man)
l. Lummi
m. Miami (Does this count as showing off, Allen?)
n. Navaho
o. Ottowa
p. Pueblo
q. Quapaw
r. Rio Grande (Ann Onymous)
s. Sioux
t. Tuscarora (Ann is pretty smart too)
w. Did Wagner ever have a name? And then there was the bughouse…. Feel free to fill in the blanks

Mary Ann Beiting E mailed me and said that there may be a couple of spelling errors, so this may not be the final version :)

Thanks guys

RJS

If you listen you can almost hear the voices...

I took these at the final camp picnic.

Bob

Where were the warning labels?

I wonder how many visits to the infirmary were preceded by a visit to the canteen?

I was never much on the Fun Dip, but I could eat the Sour Patch Kids till my mouth was ready to turn inside out.

Anybody hungry yet?

Roots, Fruits and Nuts....

Bi-Na Rangers were required to identify the local plantlife in the Great Fort Scott Forest.

See if you can remember these three plants- and they were some of the easy ones....

Give up?

#1 is Blood Root

#2 is May Apple

#3 is Jewel Weed

Thanks to Wikipedia for the pictures

Bob

A good time was had by all

In the summer of either 1985 or 1986 the Administration brought folks in from Morgan's canoe livery to call a squaredance for the Counsellor's. Naturally college aged kids ran hot and cold on this particular event, but for those of us who decided to participate, it was great fun and we danced until the wee hours of the morning.

One of the dances that we learned was called the Salty Dog Rag. It was demanding, and a lot of fun and I think I still remember all of the steps.

I searched for the song off and on over the years, and finally found it on the internet.

Take a listen:

An mp3 for "Salty Dog Rag"

Bob

Time is running out

You can still see older Aerial photos of camp if you use Google Map, or the Interactive map at Weather.com. Look at them while you still can.

Bob

Oh, by the way

the stat counter shows that this page has been loaded more than 100 times. Since I am responsble for about half of those, it tells me that there are other people out there visiting this site.

How about leaving a comment just to let me know who you are and what you think?

Thanks

Bob

A camp classic

Hello Muddah,

hello Faddah;

Here I am at camp Granada.

Camp is very entertaining;

And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

I went hiking with Joe Spivey;

He developed poison ivy.

You remember, Leonard Skinner?

He got ptomaine poisoning last night after dinner.

All the counselors hate the waiters;

And the lake has alligators.

And the head coach wants no sissies;

So he reads to us from something called Ulysses.

Now I don't want this should scare ya',

But my bunkmate has Malaria.

You remember Jeffery Hardy;

They're about to organize a searching party.

Take me home,

oh Muddah, Faddah;

Take me home,

I hate Grenada.

Don't leave me

out in the forest where

I might get eaten by a bear.

Take me home;

I promise I will not make noise,

or Mess the house with other boys.

Oh please don't make me stay;

I've been here one whole day.

Dearest Faddah,

Darling Muddah;

How's my precious little bruddah?

Let me come home if you miss me;

I would even let Aunt Bertha hug and kiss me.

Wait a minute,

it's stopped hailing;

Guys are swimming,

guys are sailing;

Playing baseball;

gee that's bettah;

Muddah, Faddah, kindly disregard this letter.

Do you have a license for that?

So who thinks we would be allowed to have these at camp today?

"I've got spurs that jingle jangle jingle..."

During my time as a staff member at camp, I think I was in every department except for maintenance and kitchens, but my favorite was riding. Maybe it was because I love animals, or the really great people that worked there. It also could have been the kids, who would show up wide eyed looking at these beautiful animals.

Probably it was a mixture of that and many more things. The interesting part is that there are certain horses that I remember probably as well as I remember the staff members. Certainly I will always remember Tom Murphy and Sue Luncan, and Dale Siegal and Mike Strong, Heidi and Heather Theobald and Michelle Lamont and John Farmer and others. But I also remember Stripe and Midnight and Blackie and King, and Mojo and Lady and MIT and Cadence.

They had personalities as distinct and memorable as the people that cared for them and I miss them all.

Thanks to Allen McConnel for the image that I stole from "I Love Fort Scott"

Peace

RJS

Rainy Day Program

These are some pictures from Main Campfire and DMZ

Its raining here today.

The rain always seemed to sharpen the aromas at camp. I have read somewhere that scents can trigger some of the sharpest memories.

The forest after rain always had the aroma of fresh earth, and blooming flowers....

The stable smelled of sweet hay and grain, and earth a leather, and horses and flywipe...

The nature den smelled of burlap and animals and gravel...

Can you close your eyes and remember the pine grove next to the boys pool that...the smell of pine and chlorine?

The was only one place in the world where you could do all of this...

Since I usually post at lunch.....

Today is Monday,
Today is Monday,
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Tuesday,
Today is Tuesday,
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Wednesday,
Today is Wednesday,
Wednesday soup
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Thursday,
Today is Thursday,
Thursday roast beef
Wednesday soup
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Friday,
Today is Friday,
Friday fish
Thursday roast beef
Wednesday soup
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Saturday,
Today is Saturday,
Saturday payday
Friday fish
Thursday roast beef
Wednesday soup
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Today is Sunday,
Today is Sunday,
Sunday church
Saturday payday
Friday fish
Thursday roast beef
Wednesday soup
Tuesday string beans
Monday bread and butter
All you hungry children,
I wish the same to you

Hungry yet?

Hey, remember these?

http://www.boondoggleman.com/prj_lanyard_keychains.htm

They do remember...

I started as a camper in 1977, 30 years ago. I still remember the names of most of my counsellors.
In 1977 it was George Clayton.

In 1978, moving to Senior 2, it was George Clayton, Chris Slaughter, and Steve Leonard

1979 Chris Slaughter and Steve Leonard (Senior1)

1980 Jeff Kirchner and somebody named Buzz....he was in a department and we didnt see much of him.

1981 Steve Leonard again, and a fellow who's name I can't remember.

Maybe someone will see this and help fill in the blanks.

RJS

Who could forget this ?

For those who don't know, this image was painted on the wall of the Boy's Counsellor shack. I would love to have a real picture of that mural

RJS

Girls Camp Cabins

These are a little harder to remember, of course, being a guy that would make sense.

a. Apache
b. Blackfoot
c. Cheyenne
d. Delaware
e. Eire
f. Flathead
g. ?
h. Hopi
i. Iroquois
j. ?
k. ?
l. Lummi
m. ?
n. Navaho
o. Ottowa
p. Pueblo
q. Quapaw
r. ?
s. Sioux
t. ?
w. Did Wagner ever have a name?

And then there was the bughouse….


Feel free to fill in the blanks

RJS

My Cabins

The first cabin I stayed as a camper was 15. I did not start at camp until I was 11, so the midget camping experience was something that slipped by.

The next summer for whatever reason, I was in Senior 2. There were only 3 seniors in the cabin that period, and they travelled with the rest of the seniors. We juniors that were in Sr. 2 throught we were the kings of our age group. Maybe we were.

After that, I spent the next three years in Senior 1. Fortunately, or unfortunately I was not around when they gave the cabins actual names. Somehow Sassafrass just doesn't seem as manly as Senior 1.

I run the names of the cabins through my head now and then because I am afraid I will forget.

1. Alder
2. Buckeye
3. Chestnut
4. Dogwood
5. Elm
6. Fir
7. Gum
8. Hickory
8.5 How could we forget the 8-1/2?
9. Ironwood
10. Juniper
11. Knotty Pine
12. Linden
13. Mountain Ash
14. Norway Maple
15. Oak
16. Redbud ( Sometimes know as the Rock)
17. Sassafrass (Senior One in my heart)
18. Tamarack (Senior Two, and maybe more impressively, Midget World)

How many did you remember?

Perhaps this sums it all up...

I was fortunate enough to be able to walk through Fort Scott one last time before the camp was sold to developer and destroyed. I shot pictures until my camera was full.

These are some of my favorites.

Getting Started

I was reminiscing about Fort Scott this afternoon, and realized that there are starting be gaps in my memory of the best part of my youth. Can you remember the name of the first cabin you stayed in? What was your first counsellor's name?

Who was the director when you were a CIT? What song was played on the PA over and over and OVER?!

So I decided to build an archive of memories of a place that is now long gone.

Please share your memories, pictures, stories, or whatever you like so that Fort Scott does not fade away as the years pass.

Bob Saurber
Fort Scott 1978-1987