Our Troop Reunion & History Page
Troop Reunion - February 5, 2000
Trailcraft Troop 123 was originally chartered in November, 1926 as Winter Haven Troop 3. We were jointly sponsored by the 1st Methodist Church and the Winter Haven Fire Department, making us the 2nd oldest Winter Haven troop in existence.
In the 1934 Florida Boy Scouting abolished city councils and moved us into the Flaming Arrow Council out of Lakeland. Since Lakeland already had a Troop 3, our number was changed to Troop 23. Again in 1939 our number was changed as Flaming Arrow Council was merged with the Tampa Bay Council and we became Troop 123. In 1940 the council changed its name to the Gulf Ridge Council which has remained unchanged to this day.
After a variety of locations, in 1957 Beymer United Methodist Church gave us the property across from the church that we now are on. An old house was removed and Mr. Tommy Costello (the new Scoutmaster) and John Wood, Sr. (the new Committee Chairman) made plans to build a rustic scouthouse on the site. Using the fathers and scouts, construction started in 1958. The scouts cut the logs, had them run through a saw to square, then in an old ice house, scouts used adzes to give them the hewn look. The Scouthouse was finished in 1962.
Activities continued through the years in the scouthouse providing activities, guidance, instruction and moral training to our Boy Scouts. As of the reunion date, the troop as 156 Eagle Scouts.
Since 1926, Trailcraft Troop 123 has had 11 Scoutmasters: Ross Allen - 1926-1933, George (Ralph) Barber -1933-1935, George Bassett, Sr. - 1935-1945, J. Fred Evans - 1946-1947, Wilber (Rusty) Van Arsdall - 1948-1952 (killed in an auto accident, the flagpole on the Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation parade ground is in his honor), J.K. Ensor, Sr. - 1953-1957, Thomas Costello - 1958-1979, Bob Pielo - 1979-1982, Elmore Herman - 1982-1988, Art DeCamp - 1988-1992, Stew Gaylord - 1993 to the present.
The Troop reunion was conceived during a conversation between Tom “Bud” Costello and Wayne Johnson. Shortly there after, several of us were on a committee to see if we could make it happen. Tom put the loose ends together and we had a reunion. The biggest job was to try to find the scouts. Addresses change when your starting date is 1926 and on through the years . . .
The current scouts of Troop 123 planned and put on demonstrations of “modern” camp life, to be compared to the 1960 campsite set up by Mr. Tommy Costello. The troop’s Mountain Man program set up a “mountain man” camp and a mountain man knife display (each scout makes his own knife in this program, as well as all his kit). On display was one of the two 1926 Old Town 34’ war canoes. A saw yard was set up for those who wanted to compete with cross-cut saws. A knot yard was set up and manned to see if the “old timers” could remember their knots. Lined up along the scouthouse walls were troop made canoe paddles. Inside the scouthouse, members had brought scrapbook and photographs for display, as well as certain mementos. The ranger from the Okefenokee Swamp National Park was there, Jim had a park display set up.
People came and went during the day. Usually no fewer than 120 were present at any one time. The dinner that evening was the real gathering time. Each of the scoutmasters (past and present) gave a short talk, Byron Johnson made a commemorative troop canoe paddle for a door prize and Stew Gaylord, the current scoutmaster, donated an embroidered Troop neckerchief as another prize.
Some of the participants (based upon early registration) were: Dr.Wray Hammer, Chuck Bishop, Gerald Lott, Mike Workman, Jon Bates, Stephen Bates, Larry Bates, George Kalogridis (flew in from California), Peter Kalogridis, Keith Weeks, Brian Weeks, Donald Hasson, Jared Hasson, John Hasson, Tom Dunlap, Steve Baker, William Baker, Robin Baker, Cecil Baker, James Pruitt, Gary Pruitt, Elmore Herman, Tommy Costello, Tom “Bud” Costello, Jim Costello, Byron Johnson, Eric Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Wayne Johnson, Dick Hughes, Rick Snell, Scott Boland, Roger Griffiths, Bill Hitchcock, Bob Conner, Ron Eubanks, Glenn Kirkpatrick, Monroe Collier, Rob Stevens, Al Stevens, John Wasmund, Jim Wasmund, James Wells, Paul Wells, Steve Sutherland (all the way from New Mexico), Bill Gregory, Jim Johnson, Ian Johnson, James Broadaway, Tom Broadaway, Brandon Herman, Steve Herman, Bill Baker, Stew Gaylord, Phillip Lambert, Dale Arndt, Ron Ray, Bart Keen, Jay Shah, Arvand Shah, John Wood Sr., John Wood, Jr. and Tom Wood. Many others were there, but I do not have their names, yet.
Scouts that are current members of the troop that were on had to man the demonstrations were: Adam Arndt, C.K. Baker, Patrick Baker, Jeff Browning (SPL), Sean Browning, Shane Ford, Bill Futch, Daniel Keen, Keith Lambert, Vincent Medani, Jonathon Pruitt, Lance Richard, Eric Reid, Vinay Shah and Brian Weeks. Adult Leaders present to help: Dale Arndt, Bill Baker, Stew Gaylord, Brandon Herman, Bart Keen, Phillip Lambert, Doug Richard, and Arvand Shah.
In the 1920's someone wrote a Trailcraft Troop Song...
The Trailcraft Song
(to the tune of the Maine University Song)
Sing a song of Trailcraft Days.
Shout till you voices ring,
Raise you voices loud and clear,
Let every loyal Scout join in THEN
Sing of all the happy hours,
Sing of the carefree days,
Days of joyous Trailcraft camping,
To the skies--to the trees--
To the birds and flowers ever glorious;
To the hills-- to the lakes--
To the eats-- to the fun--
To the songs and the stunts at our council fires,
To the man of our staff
To the life and ideals they inspire.
So...
In 1929, Scoutmaster Ross Allen would often take the troop out to help him catch rattlesnakes and water moccasins for his menagerie.
Note in the pictures that even small boys caught large rattlesnakes and moccasins.
The boys would often also catch alligators (alligator wrestling was popular).
Canoeing was popular with the troop in the 1930’s, just as now. As you can see, the Troops’ two 34’ war canoes are only a few years old in these pictures. An orange truck hauled the 2 war canoes and up to 8 16’ canoes for an outing, all the boys piles in the back of the truck and off you went.
The Troop went places back then, too. In 1931 they loaded an orange truck with gear and boys and drove to Mexico City-there were no paved roads in those days. It cost each scout about $7.00 for the 3-week trip.
In 1935, a similar trip was made to Yellowstone (can you imagine todays youth riding in the back of a flat bed truck from Winter Haven to Yellowstone National Park?). The Trailcraft boys also went to Jamborees, like this one outside Chicago.
Of course, the Trailcraft Scouts of 1936 liked to go to the beach, too.
In the late 1950’s through to 1970, the Trailcraft Medicine Lodge provided authentic Indian Dancing. They were in demand at folk festivals, jamborees and other public appearances.
Our troop along with some explorers and members of other local troops made a trip to Philmont in 1963-do you recognize anyone?
SCOUTS AND THEIR PADDLES-The scouts of Trailcraft Troop 123 are shown with their hand made canoe paddles which, they broke in during a 12 canoe, 3 day trip along 2 rivers. The scouts, from left: Jimmy Costello, David Kaylor, Bill Hitchcock, Lee Davidson, Jimmy Hutchinson, Jim Schubert, Lee Donnell, Jim Glenn, Bob Conner, Steve Baker, Cody Estes, Byron Johnson, Wayne Johnson, Keith Purdy, Larry Simmons, Wynn Sigman, Mike Miles, George Kalogridis, Monroe Collier, & James Duncan.
In 1960, Scoutmaster Thomas Costello started a canoe paddle making program. This program is being carried on still today. In this October 1964 article it shows some of the scouts with their paddles, plus an interesting story about their canoe trip.
Trailcraft Scout Troop 123 Takes Three-Day Canoe Trip
An unusual trip, was undertaken by members of the Trailcraft scout troop 123 when they embarked, 12 canoes strong, on a three-day canoe trip on the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers.
The canoe trip was the high mark of a training period of swimming, life saving, canoeing and paddle making. Two days of the crystal river featured skin diving, frog hunting and the capture of many huge fresh crawfish that are peculiar to that river. Watercress grows in abundance and salad, of all dishes, was part of the fare.
The trip ended well down the Santa Fe near the Swannee River. Flood water stage on the Santa Fe made the trip all the more interesting. An exciting finish was the capture of a life rattlesnake that was brought back to Winter Haven in a sack.
Adults who make the trip were Jess Donnel, Dungan Kaylor, Alfred Estes, and Tom Costello, scoutmaster.
A canoe trip is not new to this troop but what made this distinctive was that every scout and leader was paddling with a paddle that he had made himself.
Paddle making has been a troop project since 1960 when the first paddles were sent to the National Jamboree at Colorado Springs for display int he Skillorama. The laminated blades are glued up and paterned after the Olympic racing blades used by the American canoe teams. Already the troop hasd nearly 50 blades in various stages of completion.
This project is under the direction of Glenn Kirkpatrick, associate scoutmaster.
Tommy Costello still comes out to help the boys learn to handle the War Canoe. This outing was on Lake Conine in 1996.
Scoutmaster Stew Gaylord and past Scoutmaster Tommy Costello examine the 1st paddle ever made by the troop. This gathering also helped to celebrate Tommy’s 85th birthday coming on February 8.
Scouts demonstrate tying one-handed bowline knots in a timed event. From the left: Vinay Shah and Patrick Baker officiate as Eagle Scouts Jeff Browning, Brandon Herman and James Broadaway compete.
Cross Cut Saw Competitions were fierce. Show is Patrick Baker pulling on the saw as Shane Ford and Jeff Browning hold the sawbuck down.
1st Class Scouts Bill Futch and C.K. Baker demonstrate the comfort of modern camp equipment.
Keith Lambert and Lance Richard put on a mountain man camp demonstration.
As C.K. Baker and Bill Futch compete (watched by Eagle Scout Adam Arndt), the troops’ 34’ Old Town war canoe is inspected in the background.
