More 1937 Fakes

These shouldn't be confused as authentic

Promotional Material

Promotion for 1937 started almost immediately after 1935 was cancelled. Scouts who were registered for 1935 were encouraged to wear their badges. The 1935 insurance settlement sent each registered scout two neckerchiefs, again to be worn to promote the 1937 Jamboree. The depression was not over and the Jamboree would be a big expense for many scout families, it had to be carefully explained.

There was an article in almost every issue on Boys Life in 1936 and 1937 promoting the Jamboree.

Proper uniforms were of the upmost importance. All eyes in Washington would be on the scouts, but there was another reasons it was important. In 1933 at the Chicago Worlds Fair, Scout Day, boys were admitted free of charge sometimes with nothing more than a neckerchief. Some of the boys probably weren’t scouts and there were reports of bad behavior. With scouts all over Washington, the Class A uniform, and blue neckerchief helped authorities identify who was a registered member of a Jamboree contingent and who wasn’t.

There was so much to do at the Jamboree and around Washington. Guide books were necessary to help units and scouts make the most of the experience. A daily newspaper was printed to show what was going on and to get contingents to events on time. Jamboree planners had been worried about having 26,000 scouts roaming all over the city, but from all reports, there were few problems.

Most scouts wore community strips. With 80 towns named Washington and 51 Springfield's, the need for a state strip was recognized. Council strips were authorized in 1930, but there wasn’t much need for council identification until the Jamboree. Red Jacket and Kettle Moraine strips and others were used at the 1937 Jamboree. The Region 4 and 10 bands used shoulder strips. As a result of the 1937 Jamboree, state strips were developed in 1938.

Contingent Items

Each contingent had a flag. Some councils developed items for trade, this is just a sampling.

The idea of swapping/trading developed at the 1937 Jamboree. A printed deer skin from Michigan might be a cool item to a Scout from Texas, and what Michigan Scout wouldn’t want a Texas horned toad? Businesses provided trade items. A neckerchief slide from the Waltham Watch Company or a watch face pin from the Elgin Watch Company. A token from the Western Cartridge company for the Pisa Bird Council. At future Jamborees these type of items would proliferate.

Paul Myers Goshen, Indiana gimogash@comcast.net