Firecrafter History
The scouting movement in
The idea of the camp rank arose out of a similar system employed at
the Culver Woodcraft Camp of Dan Beard, the famous outdoorsman and early Scouter, whom Belzer knew and
visited often over a period of many years. Beard rewarded his campers'
achievements with a series of three ranks, Notcher
(bronze), Midnotcher (silver), and Topnotcher (gold), symbolized in each by a patch of
appropriate color having a beaver within a stylized C (for Culver). Belzer was impressed by Beard's methods and decided that a
system of awards was needed at Camp Chank-Tun-Un-Gi,
not only to inspire interest in the camping activities, but also to shift the
emphasis from athletics to scouting skills. With the help of Assistant
Executive
The discussions of Belzer, Norton, and
Pruitt began late in 1918 and led to the introduction of a two-level camp rank
system at summer camp in 1919, consisting of Camper and Woodsman. The program
was a great success. In 1920 a "third and highest rank" was added,
for which there was no other name in its first summer. During the winter of
1920-1921 the name "Firecrafter" was coined, and in May 1921 it was
published for the first time. Knowing the tastes and interests of Scouting-age
boys, the founders made the new third rank both a challenge and a mystery.
The first Firecrafter ceremony took place at Camp Chank-Tun-Un-Gi on a summer in 1920. At the close of the
first camping period, the customary awards campfire was held in the camp arena.
Among those expecting to be recognized were four Woodsmen who had completed all
of the requirements for the new third camp rank. They waited through the
campfire without being called, and as its closing minutes came near, they began
to think they had been forgotten. Finally, just before the Scoutmaster's
benediction, Assistant Executive Norton instructed the candidates to remain in
the arena after the close of the campfire. And so the four bewildered Woodsmen
waited anxiously while the other scouts, Scouters,
and parents drifted away. When they were at last alone facing the dying embers
of the campfire, they were put to the Unknown Test, and became the first to
take the Firecrafter Oath that has challenged more than five thousand scouts
and Scouters since that night. The ceremony was
conducted by Belzer and Norton, assisted by Pruitt
and P. D. Hoelscher, the camp physical director.
In looking back over that first brief ceremony, the four founding Scouters realized that the full possibilities of the third
camp rank had not yet been worked out. But they lost no time in completing the
job. Before the end of the second camping period in 1920, they had collaborated
on a ritual which is even yet the basis of the Hill Ceremony, drawing heavily
on the writings of Ernest Thompson Seton for the three fires and the Story of
the Fire.
The camp rank emblems were also designed by Belzer,
starting with the Culver "C" for the Camper rank. The original
patches were cut from felt and hand sewn by "Aunt Stella" Doeppers, who worked at the council office, and who
continued to make the patches until the task became too great for her. In the
early days, when a Scout became a Camper, he received a khaki vest with the
Camper "C" emblem sewn on it. When he became a Woodsman, a yellow
teepee was added to his original patch. When he became a Firecrafter, he
received a whole new patch including the red fire. The khaki vests were worn
over the scout uniform at campfires and other important camp occasions.
Minisino
was established in the spring of 1921, the year after Firecrafter was founded.
Although called the fourth camp rank, Minisino is not
a rank at all in the sense of outranking Firecrafter, but rather is a
recognition of one who has made outstanding contributions to Scouting and
Firecrafter and who can be expected to continue his contributions. ("Tried
and Proven" is the meaning of Minisino
in the
While Minisino originated as an accolade
for special merit in Firecrafter, the Royal Order of Hi-Bark became, for a
time, an outlet for the fun and games group. Starting as a prank to relieve the
tedium of staff life, it quickly caught fire and burned its own special brand
of loyalty into the hearts of its members.
Hi-Bark began one day in the summer of 1924, when P. D. Hoelscher, the camp physical director, Harry Ice, and Merle
Miller were standing in the old swimming hole in Fall Creek discussing, as
campers will, the needs and shortcomings of the world and what to do about
them. Having considered the merits and demerits of their fellow campers, they
decided to form a new and exclusive organization to be known as the Blockheads,
whose motto would be "Down with others." As they talked, they noticed
that a number of bark-covered slabs and chips of wood were floating down the
creek from a logging operation at
The movement, now formally called "Hi-Bark," really got
off the ground the following season. It was made invitational, open only to Minisino staff members, and total exclusion was certain for
an eligible man who expressed an interest in becoming a member (the Eternal Minisino added to the Eternal Woodsman!). A candidate, upon
being chosen, was "chipped" with a length of bark-covered log, which
he pulled around with him at the end of a rope. The candidacy was filled was
long and strenuous, emphasizing athletics and high jinks, and lasting as long
as an entire camping season. The candidate (called a "Chip") had to
get up early every morning and run a mile, swim half a mile, do thirty push ups
and twenty pull ups, and run between the tent rows dragging his log and barking
to awaken the campers. If the candidacy progressed satisfactorily, a piece was
sawed off the log each day until it was down to a chip of wood on the tow rope.
When the candidacy was deemed by the Senior Hi-Bark (known as the Royal
Mahogany) to have been successfully completed, the "Chip" was taken
to the pool, and there, atop the high board with all the camp watching, he was
"dubbed" with a tree name and propelled into the pool by a blow to
the seat with a paddle fashioned from the original bark-covered slab.
Hi-Bark had no formal emblem, but it had its rituals and functions.
The woods next to the infirmary were set aside and marked as Hi-Bark grove,
which could be entered only by observing a strict ritual code, and which was
the site of many business meetings. Hi-Bark, besides being a fun organization,
was a further challenge for Minisinos, and its
members considered themselves keepers of Firecrafter and the camp, addressing
themselves to solving the problems of the camp, whether personal or physical.
Alas, all of the shenanigans involved in the Hi-Bark candidacy did
get in the way of regular camping activities, they did have the appearance of
tolerated hazing, and they did not necessarily please all persons in authority
in Scouting. So in the end Hi-Bark had to go. The last recorded meeting was
held at the Fortieth Anniversary
Having been founded in summer camp at Chank-Tun-Un-Gi,
Firecrafter reflected the camping customs and facilities of its day, things
that have long since changed, so that it is difficult to associate the
practices of the early days with the camp as it exists today. Until World War
II, there was no troop camping, the scouts camped as one large group with
provisional scoutmasters in an upper and lower tent row on the hillside facing
Fall Creek. Marmon field between the tents and the
creek was used for sports and assemblies. The "K" (for Kiwanis) Hut
was originally the camp mess hall. The Nature Lodge was originally Belzer's cabin. Near the camp gate on Boy Scout Road was a
barn, now long since gone, which was Belzer's museum,
where he and Henry Stenger, Scoutmaster of Troop 10,
kept relics of Indiana's pioneer history. Many early Firecrafter meetings were
held in the barn. Soon all meetings were held in the K Hut, and later in the
Field House. Firecrafter Hill was in an area not commonly used by other
campers, near the south boundary of the camp. There was a junior staff of older
scouts and a senior staff of adults and college students. Classes were taught
"on location" in the woods, the Health Lodge, the athletic field, and
(until the swimming pool was built in 1926) in Fall Creek.
From the beginning of scouting until World War II, summer camp was
a two-week experience and so was the Firecrafter candidacy. At the end of each
two-week period, a ritual was held, and a new camp period opened the following
week. There were four two-week periods in a summer, and four rituals. Here was
the origin of the red neckerchiefs for Firecrafter candidates, to distinguish
them from campers staying over the weekend between camps.
In this environment, the organization prospered and grew. It became
more and more active and helpful, undertaking service projects of increasing
difficulty. It gained in prestige among the camp membership, with the result
that eligible scouts were attracted into the organization in increasing
numbers. The attitude of the campers is reflected in one of the early songs,
sung to the tune of a popular song of the day:
I want to be a Camper here,
M-m-m and a little bit more.
I want to get my TeePee here,
M-m-m and a little bit more.
I want to be a Firecrafter,
Camping out of doors.
I want to camp here all the time,
M-m-m and a little bit,
M-m-m and a little bit,
M-m-m and a whole lot more.
During Firecrafter's first eight summers,
it was operated without a written constitution. This void was filled at the end
of the 1927 camping season when a constitution was adopted, written by Chief
Alfred F. Chouinard and Advisor Norton. Its preamble
contained the first formal statement of principle by the growing organization:
"The Firecrafter Organization's one guiding principle is service to
others." The constitution set the organization on a solid foundation. The
Hill Ceremony was written down and kept in the Chief's box. Firecrafter
provided the spirit for every camp activity. Chief Belzer
served constantly and vigorously as the driving force of the organization,
making many suggestions for improvement which were implemented with the advice
and counsel of Advisor Norton.
World War II and the late 40's brought many changes in the world
and in Scouting. Chief Belzer retired in 1940 and was
succeeded by Delmer "Skipper" Wilson, who
was succeeded in turn by Frank Chase in 1951. The summer camping practice
changed from a two-week period of group camping with provisional leadership to
a one-week period of camping by troops under their own chartered leadership.
The Scouting age was lowered to 11 years in 1949, and the rank requirements
were materially revised. Firecrafter was forced to go to a five-day candidacy,
but for a time it refused to adapt the candidate's card to the shortened period
or the revised rank requirements. The result was a serious conflict with the
regular camp program and the professional staff. The necessary adjustments were
made between 1950 and 1954 under the vigorous leadership of Joe Harshman, Bob Kiste, and Bob
Hurt, with the support of the camp director, George Wright, and the new Scout
Executive, Frank Chase. At the same time, the fun and games part of the
candidacy was restructured to keep the brotherhood aspect of it while taking
the hazing out. As a part of the restructuring, Harshman
was appointed Council Advisor to the organization, for the first time providing
formal coordination between Firecrafter and the professional staff. He
continued actively in the post until 1973, when he was succeeded by David Joe Krentler. In the early 80's, Krentler
was succeeded by Steve A. Holt. Andy Wilkinson took over as advisor after Holt
and served until January of 1990. Dave H. Williams took over and served until
Mike St. Pierre, who is the advisor today, succeeded him. Chase retired in 1973
and was succeeded by Robert L. Calvert, who gave generously of his time and
efforts in supporting the organization. A. John Bosio replaced Calvert, and in the early 90's was succeeded
by Scott Claubaugh, who serves as the Crossroads of
Despite the changing conditions of the 40's, the organization
expanded from its single Fire at Chank-Tun-Un-Gi to
Rotary in 1943,
In 1954, a Council Committee of Fire Chiefs was formed to promote
quality control and communication among the Fires. A system of Embers was
created, corresponding roughly with the Scouting districts, to serve as a base
for year-round activities, including service projects. From the beginning, the
Fires had conducted their own rituals at the end of each camping period. With
the advent of the one-week camp, the practice became unduly burdensome, and the
Fires changed to single rituals, held at the end of the summer. After the
Firecrafter Council Committee had been formed, there began a practice of
combining the rituals of the separate Fires into a unified ritual for the
entire Council, conducted in July and August of each year by a ritual committee
from the whole organization. These changes were incorporated into a revised
constitution in the middle fifties and a further revision in 1961. The first
ritual away from Chank-Tun-Un-Gi (by then renamed Belzer) was at Cullom in 1961.
In 1972, the Central Indiana Council, the Delaware County Council,
the Kikthawenund Council, and the Whitewater Valley
Council were consolidated to form the Crossroads of America Council, thus
enlarging Firecrafter's operating area, while
bringing it into contact with the Order of the Arrow. To provide for these
changed circumstances, the organization was restructured under the leadership
of Jack Wyatt, Ron Edmiston, Joe Harshman,
Frank Chase, Jim Roberts, David Krentler, and Mark
St. John. A new Flame structure was created, corresponding to the Council
sections, which served to coordinate the Embers in their area. Charters were
required for Flames and Embers, training of officers was mandated,
communication with the Order of the Arrow was opened, and certain Ember and
Fire identities were relinquished. These changes were implemented in a new
constitution in 1972 and further revised in 1979 when the present constitution
was adopted. In these altered circumstances, Firecrafter has continued to
expand, penetrating into all parts of the enlarged Council and establishing
amicable relationships with the Order of the Arrow.
In 1935, the Buffalo Trace Council of Evansville, Indiana, Lincoln
Trails Council of Decatur, Illinois, and Champagne Council of Champagne-Urbana,
Illinois (now the Arrowhead Council), received the Fire, and the latter two
sent representatives to the Grand Ritual at Camp Chank-Tun-Un-Gi
on August 6th of that year. (It rained that night, and for the first and last
time the Hill Ceremony was held in the Field House.) The addition of these
Fires was the start of a new era for Firecrafter, an era of expansion, which
had been contemplated by the 1927 constitution but without provisions to
implement it. A draft for a national constitution was written in 1948, but it
was never adopted. Nevertheless, Firecrafter spread all over
the
Adults were admitted to Firecrafter almost from the beginning as
"honoraries"-- a misleading term, since it is well understood that
membership in Firecrafter is not merely an honor for an adult, but also a
commitment to undertake additional leadership responsibility in support of
Scouting and the Firecrafter program. Starting in 1921 adults were admitted by
vote of the Fire, limited initially to members of the senior camp staff and to
a quota of one honorary to every ten youth Firecrafters
at a given ritual. Under the 1927 constitution, only those adult staff members
who gave most of their time to Firecrafter could hope to be admitted. The staff
limitation was eventually abandoned in favor of a limitation to active Scouters of "many" years of service. The most
famous honorary was, of course, Lord
The presence of adults in Firecrafter did not arise alone from the
admission of adults as honorary members, but arose also from the fact that
scouts who became Firecrafters also became adults
within a very few years. For a time, such adults had no role to play in the
organization. They could not go to camp. They could not work with the program
there. The most they could do was to become life members of their Fire, which
they had always been able to do, even as scouts, upon payment of a fee (originally
ten dollars!). In the late 50's, Bob Harger and Eric Wadleigh became concerned about this problem, and under
their leadership the Firecrafter Alumni Association was formed at the Fortieth
Anniversary Firecrafter Reunion in 1960. Into it were inducted all of the
adults who were members of the Fire. Henceforth, all adult
"honoraries," and all youth Firecrafters
upon reaching the age of 21, automatically became members of the Firecrafter
Alumni Association.
In 1964 the Council Committee accepted Firecrafter's
most challenging service project—council-wide promotion of long-term camping—,
a program that ties directly into the very existence of both Scouting and
Firecrafter. The Ember structure, which had been created in 1954 along with the
Council Committee but which had been inactive, was brought into the project and
given a positive reason for existence. Slide shows and film strips were
created. Under the leadership of Maurice Riser, brochures were prepared for use
by boys and adults in visiting troops all over the council to whet the summer
camping appetite of the scouts who saw them, as well as to acquaint them with
the Firecrafter program. The first film strip, used for camp promotion in 1965,
brought 978 more boys into summer camp that year than attended in 1964. The
efforts of the organization toward this goal have been greatly rewarding over
the years, and have gone a long way to justify Firecrafter's
existence.
A recent innovation in this program was made in 1978 with the
formation of the fifth camp rank, Webelos Camper,
under the leadership of Paul Knotts, extending
Firecrafter into the Cub Scout day camp program and aiding in the transition of
Webelos to Boy Scouts. Following the national
movement to a two-year Webelos program, a second Webelos award was added. Under the leadership of Glen Stienberger, the Firelight Award was added for second year Webelos. Conducted during Cub Scout Day Camp or Webelos Adventure Camp, both awards have made a positive
impact on the Cub and Boy Scouting programs of the
Crossroads of
In the early days and for many years, the spark of Firecrafter was
kept alive and glowing by the strength and vitality of its three-member
backbone -- the "Chief", "S. L.", and "Aunt
Stella". This trio generated such a vigorous scouting spirit that the
success of Firecrafter was inevitable. With the thoroughness of Belzer, the perseverance of Norton, the warmth of Aunt
Stella, and the dedication of all three, it didn't take long. The foundation of
goals, standards, and ranks of achievement was constructed with care. It was
decided that the purpose of Firecrafter should be to build leadership through
friendship and service to Scouting. Much thought and much effort went into this
endeavor, with results that we see today.
More than seventy five years have passed since that first evening
in 1920, and many changes have taken place. The Chief, S. L., and Aunt Stella
have long since passed away, along with many dedicated successors, and we no
longer have the special vigor of a new and struggling organization. The
original leadership structure has had to be modified because of continuing
changes in Scouting and growth of Firecrafter's
boundaries. Our constitution and by-laws have had to be amended many times to
keep in step. These changes, together with modifications in emblem display, in
requirements, in ceremonies, and in fact all phases of Firecrafter, have led us
to a present day organization that differs in many ways from the original.
Nevertheless, seventy seven years later, the members of Firecrafter
continue to contribute all they can to Scouting and to its betterment. Most
important is our continued emphasis, unchanged and unweakened
by the passage of time, upon the basic principles laid down by our founders.
With them we still dedicate ourselves to the development of leadership through
friendship and service to Scouting. May we steadfastly strive toward this goal
and constantly renew our pledge.
Just as Scouting was created to serve boys, so was Firecrafter
created to serve Scouting. As members of the Firecrafter organization we
dedicate ourselves to advancing the principles and ideals of the Scouting
movement, and each of us subscribes to the Firecrafter Creed, which says:
In the spirit of these beliefs, we make our pledge of faithful
service.
Everet
F. Smith
(To all those who wrote earlier histories of Firecrafter, I
acknowledge my indebtedness. For new information, whether contributed directly
or indirectly, I make grateful acknowledgment to Merle Miller, Bob Harger, Eric Wadleigh, Bert
Johnson, Joe Harshman, Frank Chase, and David Krentler. I especially wish to thank John Pratt (whose interest in the history of Firecrafter equals or exceeds
my own) for sharing a considerable body of information gathered by him over the
years.)
(Minor revisions made to reflect current dates and additions. --MB
5/97)