History 1920's

The decade of the 20's began with some major changes at Camp Russell. After the 1920 camp season the Rome Council pulled out of Camp Russell in order to form its own year round scout camp, Camp Kingsley, closer to Rome. In addition, the Ilion Council disbanded due to a lack of funds, thus the Utica Council was left to run Camp Russell alone. Scouts from Ilion and surrounding areas still continued to use Camp Russell but they did so under the direction of the Utica Council.

In October 1921, Camp Russell achieved a rare honor. While Samuel Russell was vacationing in Europe he stopped in at the Boy Scout International Bureau in London, England. Scouting's founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell was on vacation; however other officers warmly greeted Mr. Russell. Russell showed these officials pictures of scouts performing lifesaving drills at Camp Russell. They were quite eager to publish these pictures in the October edition of the magazine "Jamboree". "Jamboree" was the world wide scout magazine, printed in several languages, containing articles and illustrations of scout camps from all over Europe. The only illustrations from the United States that the magazine contained were Samuel Russell's pictures of Camp Russell.

Camp Russell continued to grow. In 1922 another building, a garage, was constructed near where the Museum building is today. In 1923, Samuel T. Russell purchased 10 acres of land adjoining Camp Russell for the camp's use. The Boy Scouts helped Mr. Russell reforest this land.

Reforestation was one of Samuel T. Russell's avocations. Practically all of the forested areas around White Lake today are the result of Mr. Russell's work. During the late nineteenth century the Adirondacks were heavily lumbered and much of the land around White Lake was left barren. With the help of the Boy Scouts of Ilion in 1912 he began planting trees on this property. Between 1918, when Camp Russell was founded, and 1927 the Boy Scouts helped Mr. Russell plant over 125,000 tress, mostly white and red pine. These trees have become the thriving forest around Camp Russell you see today.

In 1923 Camp Russell had a capacity of 125 boys; the cost for a week's stay was $7.00. According to a camp brochure of that year, one method of traveling to camp was by train. Scouts could buy a train ticket to White Lake Station and then have their baggage transported to camp free of charge. On July 26 of that year Camp Russell was visited by New York State Governor, and future Presidential candidate, Alfred. E. Smith.

On March 12, 1927 the Herkimer County Council was formed. It was temporarily a district of the Utica Council but was responsible for its own finances and officers. That year Camp Russell was run jointly by the Utica Council and the Herkimer County Council. In 1928 the Herkimer County Council conducted its own four week camping season at Camp Russell. This was separate from the Utica Council's season, which also ran four weeks. The two councils continued to conduct separate camping sessions, with the exception of a few years, until 1939.

During the 1920's a number of organizations played a part in camping at Camp Russell. These organizations were somewhat like today's Boy Scout honor fraternity, the Order of the Arrow. One of these groups was the Mystic Order of the Kon-e-on-ca. In order to gain admission into the clan a scout had to pass certain tests and requirements. The scout was then given the secret grip and password. There were five levels, or degrees, in the Order of the Kon-e-on-ca. The first was called the sapling degree, the second the tree degree, the third the forest degree, the fourth the veteran degree, and the fifth degree was rarely earned. Another of these organizations, begun by Professor H.W. Brown of Colby College, offered at many summer camps. A scout could gain admission by identifying 200 natural objects. Later in the 1920's Camp Russell also created its own honor society, the Mystic Order of Ka Mar Go. To be a member of this order a scout had to show leadership and live up the highest ideals of scouting.

The decade of the 1920's closed on a sad note for Camp Russell. On May 25, 1929, following a brief illness, Samuel Thomas Russell, donor of the camp and honorary president of the Herkimer County Council, died of blood poisoning, contracted en route home from California. Samuel Russell was survived by four children, Rae, Helen, Albert, and Joseph Russell.