United States Boy Scout Uniforms: The Fifth National Jamboree (1953)


Figure 1.--This press photo was taken Juky 21, 1953 at Jamboree City, California. It was headed, "Dorothy Lanour big hit with Scours. The caption read, "Dorothy Lanour, who had just wowed thousands of Boy Scouts with a Hula danceand songs, is almost mobbed as she began passing out flowe leis to the Scouts at their National Jamboree campsite yesterday. The boys pressed on until the hasrassed actress finally cried, 'Help, Help, Girl Scouts.' The Scouts, nearly 50,000 strong, spednd most of their time being entertained by Hollywood stars or swapping souveniers, a traditional Jamboree sport." Many of the boys had proabably seenher in the popular Road Show movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

The Fifth National Jamboree was held at Irving Ranch, Santa Ana (today Irvine). The event brought over 50,000 Boy Scouts to Southern California, not just from most of the U.S. states, but also from foreign countries such as Mexico and Sweden. It was held July 17-23, 1953. The Jamboree was the first ever held west of Mississippi River. The site of the Jamboree is located where today's Newport Center and Eastbluff communities in Newport Beach now stand. Scouts got oranges when they arrived by train. At the height of the festivities, the Jamboree was a city unto itself. People called it, "Jamboree Town". Peggy Goetz, wrote an article about the Jamboree which appeared in the Irvine World News, "It had a fire company, a bank, a theater, a hospital, a telephone office, a U.S. Post Office, stores and even a zoo. People called it "Tent City" and "Jamboree Town." It had about 50,000 residents living in more than 25,000 tents." The Scouts enjoyed all kinds of expeiences on their way to and from the Jamboree. One Scout recalls visiting Carlsbad Cavers, Grand Canyon, Reno, and much more. One Scout recalls that Reno "was never the same after they unleashed a whole train full of scouts on the town's slots, casinos, etc where we did not know we were not allowed." Surveying the uniforms at the Nation Jamborees is a good reflection of evolving U.S. Scout uniform trends.

Background

The Fifth National Jamboree was held at Irving Ranch, Santa Ana (today Irvine). The event brought over 50,000 Boy Scouts to Southern California, not just from most of the U.S. states, but also from foreign countries such as Mexico and Sweden. It was held July 17-23, 1953. The Jamboree was the first ever held west of Mississippi River. The site of the Jamboree is located where today's Newport Center and Eastbluff communities in Newport Beach now stand. Scouts got oranges when they arrived by train.

Interesting Developments

At the height of the festivities, the Jamboree was a city unto itself. People called it, "Jamboree Town". Peggy Goetz, wrote an article about the Jamboree which appeared in the Irvine World News, "It had a fire company, a bank, a theater, a hospital, a telephone office, a U.S. Post Office, stores and even a zoo. People called it "Tent City" and "Jamboree Town." It had about 50,000 residents living in more than 25,000 tents. When we arrived in Orange County at the train station we were given all the oranges we wanted, just to let us know where we were. Particularly I remember that I couldn't see what was going on at the main assemblies and realized that I needed glasses! Have worn them ever since. We swam in both the ocean and the great salt lake. Lots of fun." There were tours tours of Southern California. Hollywood, Knotts Berry Farm (there was no Disneyland yet)swimming at Huntington Beach. Novie stars and statesmen visited the Jamboree, including Roy Rodgers and then Vice President Richard Nixon.

Travel

The Scouts enjoyed all kinds of expeiences on their way to and from the Jamboree. One Scout recalls visiting Carlsbad Cavers, Grand Canyon, Reno, and much more. One Scout recalls that Reno "was never the same after they unleashed a whole train full of scouts on the town's slots, casinos, etc where we did not know we were not allowed."

Experiences

A Scout recalls, "We saw sharks in Newport Bay, swam at the beach with helicopters overhead, took a boat ride around Alcatraz, visited Knob Hill, visited Beverley Hills, Knotts berry farm, when it WAS a berry farm, met Bob Hope, Monty Montana, Roy Rogers, Richard Nixon, and scouts from around the world. It was an experience of this old boy's lifetime." Another Scout recalls, "I was a member of troop 504 at Trinity Methodist Church, Darlington, SC and my Dad was the scoutmaster. My Father stayed home and paid my way with a small group from the area. We gathered in Florence, SC at the train station and connected with a train load of scouts that went through Atlanta, GA through Texas to California. It was a long, rocky ride with a lot of teasing, playing tricks, trading patches, and buying horned toads from the Texas troups. At Irving Ranch, we used cardboard on the grass hills and got cuts and bruses after long slides. The shows at night were great. I still have the patches and jackets as memories for my grandchildren."

Foreign Scouts


Uniform Items


Summer Uniform


Jamboree Items

The Jamboree book had green tents on its front and back cover.








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Created: November 15, 1998
Last updated: 1:11 AM 2/10/2010