Troop 62: Yesterday and Today
Troop 62 is part of the Three Fires Council in the Potawatomi Trails District
Troop 62 has been active for over 78 years and is still going strong. Our history is long and quite interesting. We are always welcoming new boys into the troop and helping advance older Scouts up to the Eagle Scout Rank. Our long history boasts about 47 Eagle Scouts.
Please read below as Troop 62 steps back into the past to tell our story...
The Past
On December 28, 1928, a group of Villa Park citizens applied for a charter to organize a Boy Scout troop. The troop was known as Troop 2, which later changed to Troop 62. The first troop had 16 boys listed on the charter, including three transfers from Troop 1, and three troop committee members.
In 1931, the Wander Company (Ovaltine) became the sponsor of the troop. The Scout enrollment was up to 26 boys, four of which lived on farms. The sponsoring institution provided the troop with a total of $12.00 that year to help with troop expenses.
In 1934, Troop 62 began holding weekly meetings in the basement of the Villa Park Trust and Savings Bank at 207 S. Villa Avenue.
In 1950, the Ovaltine Club bacame the sponsoring institution of the troop. During this year, the boys began meeting at the Ovaltine clubhouse at Kenilworth and Monteray Avenue. This building in no longer there.
As of 1960, Washington School PTA took over as sponsors of the troop.
In 1961, one of our Scouts and his father organized the Explorer Post 62, which was a brother organization of the Troop 62 Scouts.
Camping, hiking, and canoeing have historically been a favorite activity of the Troop 62 Scouts and our boys have hiked many historical trails. The names of the trails can only take one back to a time when the Midwest was inhabited by Indians....Amamquamsippi, Chief Senachawine, and Chief Shabbone. They have hiked along the Embarrass River following the trails of early traders. Who could help but get a feeling of awe and respect for our country's history as they walked these trails.
One former Scoutmaster hiked over 1,300 miles along these trails and, at least one boy, an Eagle Scout, has personally hiked over 800 miles.
In 1969, one of Troop 62's Scouts attended the rugged High Adventure Philmont Scout Ranch. Later, in 1971, the Assistant Scoutmaster took five Troop 62 Scouts and eight other Scouts from nearby troops to the ranch. Over the course of nine days, the Scouts hiked over 70 miles carrying all of their clothes, tents, cooking gear, and three days supply of food in their backpacks. Freeze-dried food was picked up every third day.
An Eagle Scout and his father took the trip to Philmont in 1977. In 1981, that Eagle Scout's father became Troop 62 Scoutmaster and in the summer of 1982, eight scouts and four adults attended Philmont High Adventure.
Philmont Scout Ranch has been a host for many Troop 62 Scouts and more attended in the summer of 1984.
In the ten-year period from 1964-1974, five different groups of boys and leaders spent a week canoeing near Woodruff, Wisconsin and the Northern Wisconsin National Canoe Base.
In 1978, two leaders and six Scouts made a similar canoe trip to the Woodruff and Northern Wisconsin trip. As at Philmont, all gear needed for the week had to carried along. Most of the trips are over 50 miles long, and at least one portage is made. Another wilderness canoe trip was planned later in 1978.
In 1980, Troop 62 Scouts attended summer camp in Kentucky.
In the summer of 1983, the Scouts went on a Canadian canoe trip.
In 1984, four Scouts and two leaders from Troop 62 particiapated in the Maine High Adventure trip.
In 1991, the Scouts attended the Appalachian Trail High Adventure.
Then, in 2002, three scouts and two adults hiked the Appalachian Trail.
In 2003, Scouts attended the Northern Tier Canoe Base - Donald Rogert, Atokokan, Ontario, Canada.
In the summer of 2005, several Scouts from Troop 62 attended the Florida Sea Base.
Over the years, many boys from Troop 62 have attended and done volunteer work at the National Scout Jamborees. The Jamborees attended were usually held at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, or at Camp Farragut in Idaho.
Northwoods summer camp at Oxford, Wisconsin has been a troop tradition for many years. The highlight year was 1968. We held an extra paper drive to raise funds to invite two special guests to come with us that year... two Cheyenne Indian boys from St. Labre's Indian mission in Ashland, Montana. The boys stayed in the homes of some of the Scouts and leaders for two weeks before and two weeks after the Northwoods trip. While they were in Villa Park, they were taken to major league baseball games, museums, and other points of interest in our area.
Northwoods camp became Camp Freeland Leslie (CFL) in Oxford, Wisconsin and continues to be a favorite of Troop 62. The troop attends Camp Freeland Leslie the last week of June every year. CFL sits on the only US Forest Preserve land owned by anyone other than the US Government. CFL is owned exclusively by the Boy Scouts of America and is used mainly for their summer camps.
Our troop also regularly attends District and Council events as well.
2006
In Spring 2006, the boys camped overnight in the USS Silversides submarine at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum in Muskegon, Michigan and visited the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.
On another camping trip, the troop, the leaders, and several parents camped overnight in Eagle Cave in Blue River, Wisconsin. Eagle Cave is a series of natural caves and caverns that, besides being slept in, the boys were allowed to thoroughly explore. On the following day, friends of some of the parents that lived in that area of Wisconsin treated the boys to an interactive tour of their working dairy farm. Of course, the intrusion of the group of boys spooked the somewhat skittish cows into a 21 cow salute that will leave a lasting impression in the boys' memories for years to come. :)
One of the bigger, historic camping trips we attended was the Grant Pilgrimage in Galena, Illinois. This annual event sees 10,000 Scouts from all over Illinois and surrounding states camping and hiking in the area over one weekend.
Over the summer, the boys attended Camp Freeland Leslie and helped on a service project or two while working towards achieving various merit badges.
During the Fall 2006, campouts and trips were planned for every month including a 10-mile bike hike and campout in September where the boys biked all of their gear in backpacks to the campsite, a trip to the Ranch-O-Ree in Rochelle, Illinois, a Haunted Hike for Halloween, climbing at Upper Limits in Bloomington, Illinois, and a cabin camping trip at Herrick Lake in December.
The Present: 2007
In February 2007, six Scouts participated in the Klondike Derby at Camp Big Timber in Elgin, Illinois. A Klondike Derby is an annual event held by some Boy Scouts of America councils during the winter months. For more information about the Klondike Derby, click here.
In Spring 2007, the boys attended the Camporall in Sandwich, Illinois, an international Scouting campout event that happens only once every three years.
Over the summer we, worked on our cycling merit badges and attended summer camp at Camp Freeland Leslie. One of our most ambitious scouts earned a troop record nine (9) complete merit badges during that week. He certainly did his homework and came prepared.
In the Fall, we've been to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon (LaFayette, Indiana), worked at the Haunted Hike in Elgin, Illinois, and are going for a November fishing and hiking campout in the Galena Territory of Illinois.
More About Troop 62 (T62)
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