Camp Yawgoog
Encyclopedia
Yawgoog Scout Reservation (Camp Yawgoog) is a 1800 acres (7 km²) reservation for Scouting
located in Rockville, Rhode Island
and operated by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America
. Founded in 1916, Yawgoog is the fourth oldest continuously run Scout camp in the United States.
It runs an eight-week summer camping program every summer where Boy Scouts
stay for a week with their troops. The Reservation is divided into three camps: Camps Three Point, Medicine Bow, and Sandy Beach. Generally each camp offers the same programs and experiences.
In 1916 Scout Executive Donald North, after inspecting some twenty ponds in Rhode Island, recommended the deserted Joseph Palmer farm property on Yawgoog Pond as a permanent reservation for Scouting. The 150 acre (0.607029 km²) piece was leased to Rhode Island Boy Scouts
(RIBS) in 1916 and purchased in 1917. Yawgoog and Wincheck, according to local tradition, were the names of two Narragansett
Indian Chiefs. The water rights to the pond, all of their equipment, fourteen mill houses, a store, and approximately 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of unimproved land were obtained in 1953 when the Rhode Island Boy Scouts purchased a controlling interest in the Yawgo Line and Twine Company.
The reservation continues to be separately owned by RIBS though the camp is run by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America
. In 1917 the RIBS, and BSA merged to form the Greater Providence Council, making the RIBS a trustee organization just 5 years after its conception. Chief Yawgoog serves as the mascot
for the camp. He is usually portrayed in a cartoon, shirtless, wearing leather Indian trousers and moccasins, smoking a calumet
, holding a canoe over himself and appears as if he is about to set off canoeing.
Yawgoog is also responsible for creating the first Totin' Chip program. John Page, nicknamed "Johnny Appleseed," created the program in 1950. Six years later, in 1956, the Apprentice in Training (AIT) program was started in an effort to better train incoming staffmen. The AIT corps, the first of its kind, was later renamed the Counselor-in-Training
(CIT) corps and set the standard for subsequent programs across the country.
The reservation is divided into three distinct camps. Each camp operates independently and has a dining hall, waterfront, and trading post
. Originally, however, Yawgoog campers set up tents as part of one centralized camp on what is now Tim O'Neil Field, which is located in Camp Three Point. In 1924, Yawgoog was divided between Upper Camp and Lower Camp, and three camps eventually emerged.
Yawgoog is normally active during the summer for eight weeks of operation. During the off season tent camping is allowed at various campgrounds and cabin camping is allowed in any of the four cabins available. These spaces are available for troops who wish perform outdoor events when summer camp is not in session.
In 1965, the architect responsible for the building work was D. Thomas Russillo.
In 2011, filming took place for the 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom
in the H. Cushman Anthony Stockade, located in Medicine Bow.
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Yawgoog is located in the southwestern corner of Rhode Island
—the closest town Hopkinton, RI, which sits at 41.44N -71.79W. The terrain of the reservation is fairly flat, with only one hill (Hill 407) located in the southwestern corner of the reservation. Most of the reservation is forested and consists of deciduous
and evergreen
trees. On May 4–6, 1930, the camp suffered a forest fire. Much of the forest was destroyed and subsequently replaced with white pines due to their ability to grow quickly. Remnants of the fire are unnoticeable today. There are six main trails that are marked throughout the reservation, and named by colored chevrons (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, White) which mark each trail. Trails run through the camps, as well as out through the wilderness to various sights and ponds of the reservation.
The reservation includes three ponds—the main pond is Yawgoog Pond, which serves as the nexus for the three camps for most water and boating activities. To the south, and connected to Yawgoog Pond via a dam and "long cove" is Wincheck Pond. And, to the north of Yawgoog Pond is Hidden Lake (accessible by hiking the "Hidden Lake Trail".)found after the forest fire . There is also a trail to nearby Long Pond further south (and down stream from Wincheck.) There are several islands on Yawgoog Pond, including Cranberry and Submarine islands in the north corner of the pond, Ant and Schooner Islands which are adjacent to the largest island, named King Phillips Island. King Phillips Island has periodically hosted "adventure camps" over the years but has been largely disused over the past 20 years. [J.Harold Williams, A History of Yawgoog]
, was the first of the three camps to be founded. It has been deemed "The oldest and most tradition-filled camp" and also "The Camp that was once Yawgoog in its entirety." Today Camp Three Point encompasses the Challenge Course, the Bucklin Building, the Arthur Livingston Kelly Environmental Education Center, The Three Point Waterfront, the first New Frontier Center on reservation, and the 407 Outfitters, the Reservation's largest trading post. Camp three point also hosts the Protestant Chapel and the Jewish Synagogue. It also is home to the Memorial Bell Tower, which tolls at 12 P.M. daily in honor of those Scouts who died serving their country. Camp Three Point's camp color is hunter green. Its mascot is Danny the Deer, who resides in Sharpe Lodge, built in 1924 to serve as the original Buklin Building, it has since been fully refurbished in the late 80's.
Campsites at Camp Three Point are named after famous people in Yawgoog history or old scouting nicknames: Donald C. Dewing (Scoutmaster of Troop 82 Providence for over 50 years), Forty-Niner, Frontier, Musketeer, Oak Ridge, Pioneer, Santa Fe, Sleepy Hollow, Tuocs (Scout spelled backwards), Wells Fargo, Street, Scott and Zucculo.
provisional camp, Webelos Woods provisional Camp (moved from Feistein Youth Camp in Pascoag, Rhode Island in 2007) the Crafts Center (H. Cushman Anthony Stockade), the Medicine Bow Waterfront (The Albert Gunther Waterfront), the Ashaway Aquatics Center, the (Armington Memorial)Health Lodge, and the Catholic Chapel. Medicine Bow also generally houses the staff from Reservation Services, who bring food to the camps and take care of the camp's business happenings as well as merit badge instructors from the barn, though rangers who work at the barn either live off reservation or have their own houses at the camp. It is also home to the reservation's motorboat, "The Charlie Brown", which patrols the pond for capsized boats. Medicine Bow's color is red, and its mascot is Elmo the Elk, who presides over Rathom Lodge during meals. Camp Medicine Bow's nickname is, "The Heart of Yawgoog", or "the cream between the two oreo
cookies."
The campsites of Camp Medicine Bow are named after Native American terms with two exceptions: Baden-Powell Provisional Camp and Campsite Dan Boone
. The other camps include Cautantowit, Manchose, Manitoo, The Great One, Minnikesu (Counselor in Training Corps), Netop, Neimpaug, Sequan, Waskecke, Weemat, Wetomuck, Wunegin, and Wuttah.
Lodge. Today, Sandy Beach calls itself the "youngest and most spirited camp" as well as "The Powerhouse of Yawgoog." It is also the largest of the three camps within the Yawgoog Reservation. Sandy Beach maintains the Lane-Bliven Rifle Range, the Archery Range, the Trap Range, Beach Frontier, the Sandy Beach Waterfront, the Scoutmaster Essentials Program, and the Campcraft or Outdoor Skills center where scouts learn the traditional skills associated with scouting like Wilderness Survival, Orienteering or Camping. Sandy Beach's color is blue, and their main mascot is Jim the Moose. The camp also houses the Reservation Baker, who works in the Bake Shoppe attached to the kitchen.
Camp Sandy Beach campsites are named after famous Americans in history and include the following: Abe Lincoln, Audubon, Backwoods, Davy Crockett
, Donald H. Cady, George Washington
, Jim Bridger
, Jim Bowie
, James West
, John Glenn
, Kit Carson
, Lewis & Clark, Neil Armstrong
, Norman Rockwell
, Richard Byrd, Silver Buffalo, and Teddy Roosevelt.
One campsite was formerly named Camp Baden-Powell, after Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell. It comprised a circle of tents around a field with a flagpole at its center.
Camp Yawgoog offers a unique and distinctive shooting sports award, the Bucklin Marksmanship Medal. Scouts wishing to earn the medal must shoot at 10 consecutive targets, 6 from the prone position, 4 standing, at 50'. A the sum of the 10 targets must meet or exceed 400 points. The scout who scores highest for the summer is awarded a rifle and case by the Camp. In the event of a tie, a shootoff is arranged during the last week of camp.
Yawgoog Segments are unique awards to the camp, and have been fairly popular for years. Segments are small, curved patches which go around the circular Yawgoog patch. Some choose to sew the segments and central patch to a circular piece of material such as felt or leather, or insert them into a plastic holder which can be worn from a pocket button. A felt circle found at the trading post can hold up to four rows of segments. The original ten segments started in 1951 were strips of cloth. They are the three CYs, the 1 through Veteran years, the Knights of Yawgoog and the now defunct Wincheck braves. There are now several segments awarded at the reservation, usually for participation in camp activities such as the various challenge courses, archery, rifle range, trap shooting, hiking trails, mile swim, sailing, kayaking, participating as SPL or in OA, CIT, or BP during camp, or being from out of state (MA, RI, NY), among others.
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
located in Rockville, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and operated by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. Founded in 1916, Yawgoog is the fourth oldest continuously run Scout camp in the United States.
It runs an eight-week summer camping program every summer where Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
stay for a week with their troops. The Reservation is divided into three camps: Camps Three Point, Medicine Bow, and Sandy Beach. Generally each camp offers the same programs and experiences.
History
Rhode Island Boy Scouts
The Rhode Island Boy Scouts was a Scouting organization in the United States from 1910 until its merger with the Boy Scouts of America in 1917. RIBS still exists as a trustee organization....
(RIBS) in 1916 and purchased in 1917. Yawgoog and Wincheck, according to local tradition, were the names of two Narragansett
Narragansett (tribe)
The Narragansett tribe are an Algonquian Native American tribe from Rhode Island. In 1983 they regained federal recognition as the Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island. In 2009, the United States Supreme Court ruled against their request that the Department of Interior take land into trust...
Indian Chiefs. The water rights to the pond, all of their equipment, fourteen mill houses, a store, and approximately 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of unimproved land were obtained in 1953 when the Rhode Island Boy Scouts purchased a controlling interest in the Yawgo Line and Twine Company.
The reservation continues to be separately owned by RIBS though the camp is run by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. In 1917 the RIBS, and BSA merged to form the Greater Providence Council, making the RIBS a trustee organization just 5 years after its conception. Chief Yawgoog serves as the mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the camp. He is usually portrayed in a cartoon, shirtless, wearing leather Indian trousers and moccasins, smoking a calumet
Calumet (pipe)
A Calumet is a ceremonial smoking pipe used by some Native American Nations. Traditionally it has been smoked to seal a covenant or treaty, or to offer prayers in a religious ceremony.- Etymology :...
, holding a canoe over himself and appears as if he is about to set off canoeing.
Yawgoog is also responsible for creating the first Totin' Chip program. John Page, nicknamed "Johnny Appleseed," created the program in 1950. Six years later, in 1956, the Apprentice in Training (AIT) program was started in an effort to better train incoming staffmen. The AIT corps, the first of its kind, was later renamed the Counselor-in-Training
Counselor-in-Training
This article is about the program at a summer camp, i.e., church, Scouting, or other organization.Counselor-in-Training can be both a person’s designation and a program, intended to prepare the individual for the leadership and responsibility of being a counselor...
(CIT) corps and set the standard for subsequent programs across the country.
The reservation is divided into three distinct camps. Each camp operates independently and has a dining hall, waterfront, and trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
. Originally, however, Yawgoog campers set up tents as part of one centralized camp on what is now Tim O'Neil Field, which is located in Camp Three Point. In 1924, Yawgoog was divided between Upper Camp and Lower Camp, and three camps eventually emerged.
Yawgoog is normally active during the summer for eight weeks of operation. During the off season tent camping is allowed at various campgrounds and cabin camping is allowed in any of the four cabins available. These spaces are available for troops who wish perform outdoor events when summer camp is not in session.
In 1965, the architect responsible for the building work was D. Thomas Russillo.
In 2011, filming took place for the 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom is an upcoming 2012 film directed by Wes Anderson, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola and starring Bruce Willis alongside Bill Murray and an ensemble cast. Filming took place in Rhode Island from May until June 28, 2011...
in the H. Cushman Anthony Stockade, located in Medicine Bow.
Landscape
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
—the closest town Hopkinton, RI, which sits at 41.44N -71.79W. The terrain of the reservation is fairly flat, with only one hill (Hill 407) located in the southwestern corner of the reservation. Most of the reservation is forested and consists of deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
trees. On May 4–6, 1930, the camp suffered a forest fire. Much of the forest was destroyed and subsequently replaced with white pines due to their ability to grow quickly. Remnants of the fire are unnoticeable today. There are six main trails that are marked throughout the reservation, and named by colored chevrons (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, White) which mark each trail. Trails run through the camps, as well as out through the wilderness to various sights and ponds of the reservation.
The reservation includes three ponds—the main pond is Yawgoog Pond, which serves as the nexus for the three camps for most water and boating activities. To the south, and connected to Yawgoog Pond via a dam and "long cove" is Wincheck Pond. And, to the north of Yawgoog Pond is Hidden Lake (accessible by hiking the "Hidden Lake Trail".)found after the forest fire . There is also a trail to nearby Long Pond further south (and down stream from Wincheck.) There are several islands on Yawgoog Pond, including Cranberry and Submarine islands in the north corner of the pond, Ant and Schooner Islands which are adjacent to the largest island, named King Phillips Island. King Phillips Island has periodically hosted "adventure camps" over the years but has been largely disused over the past 20 years. [J.Harold Williams, A History of Yawgoog]
Organization and traditions
Each camp is usually run by a camp director, assistant camp director, and two program commissioners (three for Camp Sandy Beach), all of which answer to the Reservation Director (currently Thomas Sisson). As there are three distinct camps, each has its own songs, cheers, history, and traditions. With the exception of each camp's waterfront and dining lodge, all program centers are available to campers from all three camps.Camp Three Point
Camp Three Point, named for the three points of the Scout OathScout Promise
Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to...
, was the first of the three camps to be founded. It has been deemed "The oldest and most tradition-filled camp" and also "The Camp that was once Yawgoog in its entirety." Today Camp Three Point encompasses the Challenge Course, the Bucklin Building, the Arthur Livingston Kelly Environmental Education Center, The Three Point Waterfront, the first New Frontier Center on reservation, and the 407 Outfitters, the Reservation's largest trading post. Camp three point also hosts the Protestant Chapel and the Jewish Synagogue. It also is home to the Memorial Bell Tower, which tolls at 12 P.M. daily in honor of those Scouts who died serving their country. Camp Three Point's camp color is hunter green. Its mascot is Danny the Deer, who resides in Sharpe Lodge, built in 1924 to serve as the original Buklin Building, it has since been fully refurbished in the late 80's.
Campsites at Camp Three Point are named after famous people in Yawgoog history or old scouting nicknames: Donald C. Dewing (Scoutmaster of Troop 82 Providence for over 50 years), Forty-Niner, Frontier, Musketeer, Oak Ridge, Pioneer, Santa Fe, Sleepy Hollow, Tuocs (Scout spelled backwards), Wells Fargo, Street, Scott and Zucculo.
Camp Medicine Bow
After the founding of Camp Three Point, the popularity of the reservation grew to the point where a second camp was needed. Built around Rathom Lodge in the 1920s, Medicine Bow encompasses the center section of Yawgoog's developed land. It houses the Counselor-in-Training Corps, the Baden PowellRobert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
provisional camp, Webelos Woods provisional Camp (moved from Feistein Youth Camp in Pascoag, Rhode Island in 2007) the Crafts Center (H. Cushman Anthony Stockade), the Medicine Bow Waterfront (The Albert Gunther Waterfront), the Ashaway Aquatics Center, the (Armington Memorial)Health Lodge, and the Catholic Chapel. Medicine Bow also generally houses the staff from Reservation Services, who bring food to the camps and take care of the camp's business happenings as well as merit badge instructors from the barn, though rangers who work at the barn either live off reservation or have their own houses at the camp. It is also home to the reservation's motorboat, "The Charlie Brown", which patrols the pond for capsized boats. Medicine Bow's color is red, and its mascot is Elmo the Elk, who presides over Rathom Lodge during meals. Camp Medicine Bow's nickname is, "The Heart of Yawgoog", or "the cream between the two oreo
Oreo
Oreo is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods. The current design consists of a sweet, white filling commonly referred to as 'cream' or 'creme', sandwiched between two circular chocolate or golden cookie pieces....
cookies."
The campsites of Camp Medicine Bow are named after Native American terms with two exceptions: Baden-Powell Provisional Camp and Campsite Dan Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
. The other camps include Cautantowit, Manchose, Manitoo, The Great One, Minnikesu (Counselor in Training Corps), Netop, Neimpaug, Sequan, Waskecke, Weemat, Wetomuck, Wunegin, and Wuttah.
Camp Sandy Beach
Located furthest into camp ground and somewhat to the north of Medicine Bow lies Camp Sandy Beach. It was built in the late-1920s around Jesse H. MetcalfJesse H. Metcalf
Jesse Houghton Metcalf was a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Providence, he was educated in private schools there, studied textile manufacturing in Yorkshire, England, and engaged in textile manufacturing. In 1889 Metcalf received a large bequest from his father's business...
Lodge. Today, Sandy Beach calls itself the "youngest and most spirited camp" as well as "The Powerhouse of Yawgoog." It is also the largest of the three camps within the Yawgoog Reservation. Sandy Beach maintains the Lane-Bliven Rifle Range, the Archery Range, the Trap Range, Beach Frontier, the Sandy Beach Waterfront, the Scoutmaster Essentials Program, and the Campcraft or Outdoor Skills center where scouts learn the traditional skills associated with scouting like Wilderness Survival, Orienteering or Camping. Sandy Beach's color is blue, and their main mascot is Jim the Moose. The camp also houses the Reservation Baker, who works in the Bake Shoppe attached to the kitchen.
Camp Sandy Beach campsites are named after famous Americans in history and include the following: Abe Lincoln, Audubon, Backwoods, Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, Donald H. Cady, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Jim Bridger
Jim Bridger
James Felix "Jim" Bridger was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1850, as well as mediating between native tribes and encroaching whites...
, Jim Bowie
Jim Bowie
James "Jim" Bowie , a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo...
, James West
James E. West (Scouting)
Dr. James E. West was a lawyer and an advocate of children's rights, who became the first professional Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America , serving from 1911–1943. Upon his retirement from the BSA, West was given the title of Chief Scout.-Personal life:His father died around the...
, John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
, Lewis & Clark, Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
, Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
, Richard Byrd, Silver Buffalo, and Teddy Roosevelt.
One campsite was formerly named Camp Baden-Powell, after Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell. It comprised a circle of tents around a field with a flagpole at its center.
Awards
There are many awards offered at Yawgoog Scout Reservation that can be earned by Scouts, Scouters, Troops and Patrols. In addition to the many merit badges offered by the various program centers to scouts, Scouters can take advantage of a variety of programs to further their knowledge, and Patrols and Troops can earn various honors and ribbons by participation in specific development programs. Of note, are the NRA and National Archery Association awards, along with BSA Mile Swim, Lifeguarding, Snorkeling, Sailing and Canoe regattas. A reservation-wide award is the Fishing Derby, where each week the winner takes home a fishing pole. Within each camp, the Troop of the Week and Camp Champion awards are given out, in addition to honor troop and patrol awards.Camp Yawgoog offers a unique and distinctive shooting sports award, the Bucklin Marksmanship Medal. Scouts wishing to earn the medal must shoot at 10 consecutive targets, 6 from the prone position, 4 standing, at 50'. A the sum of the 10 targets must meet or exceed 400 points. The scout who scores highest for the summer is awarded a rifle and case by the Camp. In the event of a tie, a shootoff is arranged during the last week of camp.
Yawgoog Segments are unique awards to the camp, and have been fairly popular for years. Segments are small, curved patches which go around the circular Yawgoog patch. Some choose to sew the segments and central patch to a circular piece of material such as felt or leather, or insert them into a plastic holder which can be worn from a pocket button. A felt circle found at the trading post can hold up to four rows of segments. The original ten segments started in 1951 were strips of cloth. They are the three CYs, the 1 through Veteran years, the Knights of Yawgoog and the now defunct Wincheck braves. There are now several segments awarded at the reservation, usually for participation in camp activities such as the various challenge courses, archery, rifle range, trap shooting, hiking trails, mile swim, sailing, kayaking, participating as SPL or in OA, CIT, or BP during camp, or being from out of state (MA, RI, NY), among others.
Yawgoog Alumni Association
In order to continue the sustainability of the Camp the Yawgoog Alumni Association was started by H. Cushman "Gus" Anthony. Their primary mission is similar to most other alumni associations and they serve to raise money for improvements on the camp. As of late, they opened the Yawgoog Heritage Museum which houses books, uniforms, patches and pictures from throughout the Camps History.Knights of Yawgoog
During the camp wide Saturday Night Show adults are called up to receive a potato which is to be worn around the neck for twenty-four hours, or until one leaves the camp reservation. Those who wear the potato are then considered a member of the Knights of Yawgoog. Originally, it was started as a joke, the potato was symbolic of an adult who truly dedicated themselves to the Boy Scouts and to the boys in the troop. However, the organization soon took on an important role in the leadership and support of the campers.External links
- Narragansett Council website
- Unofficial Camp Yawgoog website (unofficial)
- Alumni website (unofficial)
- The Story of the Yawgoog Trails (unofficial)