The first campout of the Boy Scouts of America was held in August 1910 in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York (specifically, Silver Bay on Lake George, which remains a scouting leadership shrine). Scant material exists on what actually transpired during the time—one individual who took part was in his 90s when he finally set down a written account—but this slickly produced documentary earns a merit badge for constructing the event through interviews with scouting historian Bob James, archival photos, and anecdotes on the early years of the Boy Scouts, which was established in 1908 in England by the legendary Lord Baden-Powell. The Boy Scouts of America, however, was heavily influenced by existing North American outdoor associations for boys (such as the Sons of Daniel Boone) and by the likes of Dr. Charles Eastman, a Native American author and lecturer; and the proud Canadian outdoorsman extraordinaire Ernest Thompson Seton, whose citizenship and politics later led to an unfortunate split from the BSA. What makes this documentary especially notable is that filmmaker Blake Cortright is an Eagle Scout, who was 15 years old when he made this on his iMac desktop, yet it looks as professional as anything shown on PBS or the History Channel. That novelty alone gives this a bit of DIY-cinema appeal above and beyond the scouting niche. DVD extras include a featurette with Cortright. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Cassady)
The First Encampment
(2010) 26 min. DVD: $14.95. Victory Multimedia (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 3
The First Encampment
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