The first jamboree, however, almost didn’t occur. Planned to take place in Washington, D.C., in 1935, the event was intended to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the organization’s work in the United States. However, an outbreak of polio earlier in the summer prompted the organizers to cancel. Restarting the effort took two years, but it was well worth it; the national media gave banner coverage of the jamboree, and President Roosevelt himself visited the Scouts, who had set up camp around the Washington Monument. The outbreak of war prevented another jamboree until 1950, but since then, it has occurred regularly.
Typically held every four years for 10 consecutive days, the National Scout Jamboree is one of the greatest traditions of the Boy Scouts of America. In recent years, attendance has climbed above 40,000, and with the creation of a permanent and specifically crafted site in West Virginia—The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve—the organization has made the institution into an American treasure. Hundreds of thousands of scouts have participated in the jamborees since the first gathering in 1937, and attendance has grown every year since 1977.
The first jamboree, however, almost didn’t occur. Planned to take place in Washington, D.C., in 1935, the event was intended to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the organization’s work in the United States. However, an outbreak of polio earlier in the summer prompted the organizers to cancel. Restarting the effort took two years, but it was well worth it; the national media gave banner coverage of the jamboree, and President Roosevelt himself visited the Scouts, who had set up camp around the Washington Monument. The outbreak of war prevented another jamboree until 1950, but since then, it has occurred regularly. Comments are closed.
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AuthorWilson Neely Corporate lawyer and Dealmaker of the Week Archives
July 2015
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