PTR Camp Cedar Valley Outpost Camp
| Description: With the opening of the firebreak around
camp in 1973, the back most areas of camp were now more accessable. An old
farmstead and small rustic cemetery from 1875 along with several springs and
(though kept secret) a small cave were all now within reach.
To encourage older scouts who had camped multiple summers, a new program loosely modeled on a pioneer or mountainman program was introduced. This was in the days before COPE programs and other policy changes were required. We hired our own "mountainman", Tom Elmore, to teach pioneer and rustic camping skills, edible plants and how to find water in the woods. Participation was limited to about a single patrol of scouts each week, who would backpack into the back country. Over the week they would occupy three general areas learning various skills before hiking back into the main camp late on Friday afternoon. Other than a daily water drop, or if the group came across other hikers, they were on their own for the week. To set program participants apart from other campers at Cedar Valley, this special red border patch was available only to outpost campers. Each outpost camper received only one of the patches per week. The program operated for three years from 1973 through 1976. Later, the patches were used in a similar way for other special camps that operated out of Pine Trail Reservation. Based on recently acquired information we believe no more than 400 of the patch were produced. |
| Camp Location: Viola, Arkansas Designation: XT-32 Characteristics: White twill; Red rolled edge; Five "cedar" appearance trees; 80x88mm. |
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