BOY SCOUTS OF MICHIGAN 



^^:^HREE thousand boys, marshalled 

 C^)into thirty companies of Forest 

 ^^^ Scouts, with the motto, "Keep the 

 Right Trail," are now watching, with 

 trained eyes, throughout the State of 

 Michigan for forest fires, and are pre- 

 pared, when any break out, to lend their 

 aid in fighting them. They are under 

 the banner of Michigan Forest Scouts 

 are learned in woodcraft, know how to 

 fight forest fires and are of valuable 

 service in preventing fires. 



Michigan is the first State to put the 

 Boy Scout movement to a practical test 

 in this manner. 



The suggestion came from Governor 

 Chase S. Osborn. Early in his admin- 

 istration he suggested that the Boy 

 Scout movement in general amounts to 

 but little except a pastime for the 

 youngsters. He suggested at the same 

 time that the movement could be turned 

 to practical advantage to the State and 

 to the boys themselves. He proposed 

 the organization of the Michigan For- 

 est Scouts, composed of the boys of 

 every school district in the State. He 

 proposed that they should be organized 

 into companies under officers of their 

 own selection and working in connec- 

 tion with and under the direction of the 

 Michigan State game and fish and for- 

 est warden's department become of 

 practical service in preventing the for- 

 est fires which have annually devastated 

 the State. 



The suggestion was made to William 

 R. Oates, the game, fish and forest 

 warden of the State, and C. A. Palmer, 

 the State fire marshal. They imme- 

 diately seized the idea and Mr, Oates 

 has now organized the service, which 

 is already an important and unique 

 factor in the affairs of the State. 



At this time companies have been or- 

 ganized in Harrisonville, Oscoda, Al- 

 pena, Onaway, Cheboygan and the Soo. 

 Five hundred boys between the ages of 

 9 and 19 years are already enrolled. 

 Other companies are being organized 

 as rapidly as possible and 2,000 will 



be in the service before the coming on 

 of the dry season. 



The first company was organized at 

 Oscoda with Oscar Swanson, aged 16 

 years, as captain. That company has 

 already been hard at work and is an 

 efficient fire-fighting organization. J, 

 H. McGillivray has been appointed 

 supervisor in the field and is traveling 

 all about the northern part of the State 

 organizing companies and telling the 

 boys and their parents the purposes of 

 the organization. The forestry de- 

 partment of the Michigan Agricultural 

 college has offered Mr. Oates the serv- 

 ices of its classes in the summer to be 

 camp supervisors in charge of com- 

 panies of scouts, and the big lumber 

 men and timber men from all over 

 Michigan as well as the department of 

 education are lending every assistance 

 to the work to make it a big success. 

 A pamphlet has been issued which tells 

 the purposes of the organization and 

 includes a manual and general informa- 

 tion as to the duties of the scouts and 

 best methods of combatting fire. 



It is not the purpose of the organiza- 

 tion that any boy shall risk his life in 

 fighting fire. He is rather to be the 

 courier who shall notify the fire warden 

 in his immediate vicinity of the out- 

 break of a fire and give such informa- 

 tion as may be useful in locating it and 

 fighting it. However, if a small blaze 

 is discovered and the company of 

 scouts puts it out, that redounds to the 

 credit of the company, and medals 

 given by the State are rewards to each 

 scout who does efficient service. 



become; lovers oe nature. 



But the scope of the organization is 

 wide. It is not confined to fighting 

 fires alone. The object as laid down 

 in the manual says : 



"The primary, economic object of 

 this organization shall be the protection 

 of frontier life and property, and 

 reforestation. Its moral object the de- 

 velopment of health, chivalry and ap- 



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