Dad's Story Part 16

Great Falls, Montana

-1929 – 1933-

There was a big Catholic School on Central Avenue a few blocks east of where we lived.  This school had a nice gymnasium.  There was a good scout troop (Troop #1) that was sponsored by the Catholic Church that held their scout meetings in this gym.  I don’t remember how it happened, but I became a member of this troop, and being a first class scout became patrol leader of the Flaming Arrow Patrol shortly after joining.  Our troop meetings always ended with a basketball game, and at this time in my life (before my eyesight started going bad) I was a pretty accurate shot. 

            My patrol specialized in semaphore signaling.  We practiced once a week during our patrol meetings, which were generally held, at my house.  Every member of our patrol became very proficient at the art of signaling.  Our troop also learned to play the harmonica and we had a harmonica band. 

            Every summer that we lived in Great Falls, I attended Scout Camp near Neihart, Montana, which is in the mountains about seventy miles southeast of Great Falls.  This was the Council Camp of the area.  RD Cook was the Council Scout Executive whose council office was in Great Falls.  I became very well acquainted with him during my years in Great Falls.  After attending camp one year, I remember him telling me how much I had grown and what a good leader I could be – building me up and then asking me if I would serve on the Junior Camp Staff the next year.  This I did for a couple of years.  The name of the camp was Camp Jefferson.  It was in a beautiful wooded area with a good spring for our water supply.  RD Cook always led an overnight hike to Big Baldy Mountain every camp period.  It was about fourteen miles from Camp headquarters.  We carried all of our food and camping equipment for a two-day hike.  We thought it was pretty rugged, but an experience never to be forgotten. 

            While serving on the camp staff my jobs were to teach a signaling class every day and to be in charge of the dishwashing detail.  We ate all of our meals together in a large mess hall.  Each patrol had a table in the mess hall.  Our head cook was an ex-boxer and a very good singer.  After each noonday meal one of the adult camp staff members taught us songs.  This is where I learned “The Forest Ranger” and many other old popular songs.  I have many fond memories of my experience at Camp Jefferson that are too numerous to mention here.  

Great Falls is the county seat of Cascade County.  There was a large county court house in which scout courts of honor and boards of review were held.  The courtroom made a very impressive place to hold courts of honor, and I remember attending many of them. 

  Lyrics to The Forest Ranger Song:
 The Lucky Ranger by P.S. Lovejoy (tune: Johnnie and Frankie)

 O once there was a ranger / Who always did his best
 He wore the Service uniform / And a badge upon his vest
 He had no interest / Save in his forest.

 He had his breakfast early / Two hours before daylight
 He hit the trail at sun-up / And kept it up till night
 And half the night / He'd read and write.

 He thought the world was skookum / But asked two things from life
That he should own a forest / And that he find a wife
For to marry / Was necessary.

 One day a tourist's daughter / Got lost out in the brush
The 'phoned in to the Ranger / And he was there with a rush
They needn't worry / For he would hurry.

 He tracked her down a canyon / And up a mountain side
And if he hadn't found her / She certainly would have died
But she was plucky / And that was lucky.

 For when the ranger saw her / A great big grizzly bear
Had run her up on a pile of rocks / And he was a-keeping her there
And now the Ranger / Was in great danger.

 But the Ranger ran right up / And pulled his forty-five
 And the air turned blue with the smoke of it / But the bear was still alive
The fighting / Was exciting.

The Ranger's guns were empty / So he pulled his Bowie knife
 For the bear was coming for him / And he had to save his life
 And for a fight / That was all right.

 The bear reached for the Ranger / Who had fainted with the shock
When the girl ran a hairpin down his ear / And beaned him with a rock
 And with the knife / She took his life.

 The Ranger's leg was broken / But they had to get outside
 So the girl she carried him fifteen miles / And all the way she cried
 For she was sad / And also glad.

 She nursed the ranger well / And then one moonlight night
 He said, "My dear, I love you / You certainly can fight
 You saved my life / Please be my wife."