Hi! I’m Alexa! I go to high school at The Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana. My school is constantly having Eagle Scout Ceremonies throughout the year and there are lots of students like me who are in Scouting there.

I think Scouting is very interesting and it led me to explore The Culver Academies’ relationship with the Boy Scouts. I was surprised to discover significant historical periodicals and photos dating back to 1908 about the beginning of the Boy Scout movement that includes the 1st International Jamboree!

 

Official Program Baden Powell’s Culver visit

Sir Robert Baden Powell visited Culver in 1912 after meeting Culver’s Superintendent General Leigh R. Gignilliat in London in 1911. Baden Powell’s Boy Scouts of England inspired Gignilliat, who went on to establish the Culver Woodcraft Camp.

Daniel Beard at The Culver Academy and Culver summer camp Scouts

Gignilliat brought on Scouting pioneer Ernest Thompson Seton and Boy Scouts co-founder Daniel Beard to direct the camp for boys at Culver.

In 1920, General Gignilliat was chosen by the first ever Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America James E West to lead a group of 300 American Scouts and 65 Scout Masters to the 1ST International Jamboree of 1920 in London England. They voyaged across the Atlantic on the ship Pocohantas to join 5000 other Scouts from 22 other countries. attended the Jamboree!

Article by James E. West covering the 1st International Jamboree

The American Scouts did great competing in the Jamboree contests. Culver Cadets’ “Rough Riders” entertained a crowd of 20,000 with their Culver horsemanship skills. Their leader, General Gignilliat was decorated with the British Scout Medal of Merit and personally awarded the Fish of Endeavor by Baden-Powell while they were there!

Just think what Sir Baden Powell started!

Fast forward to now, and the 24th World Scout Jamboree most of us took airplanes to. His International Jamboree has grown ton 150+ countries. I wonder what Baden Powell would have liked to do at this World Scout Jamboree… I know he would have wanted to meet as many Scouts as possible, but what about the BIG ZIP? That seems like something he would have loved! He would have especially loved meeting all of the wonderful scouts that traveled from the ends of the earth to celebrate this amazing gathering.

Article by James E. West covering the 1st International Jamboree

I know a lot of us have have traveled a long way to get here. For me, I look at this 24th World Scout Jamboree as a once in a life time experience! Hopefully we have met many people and shared, learned and had fun! We should have left WSJ with lots of new friends from all over the world!

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