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Parents - Become a volunteer! TROOP 82 Fort Collins, Colorado Longs Peak Council Thompson-Poudre District Boy Scouts of America
Rebecca Robbins Recruiting Contact us: 
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOY SCOUT TROOP 82A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOY SCOUT TROOP 82 Troop 82, who celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2005, is the oldest continuously chartered Boy Scout troop in northern Colorado. Application was made for the original charter on June 3, 1930. The troop has enjoyed and appreciated its association with First Presbyterian Church of Fort Collins throughout all of these years. Many civic, business and professional leaders in the Fort Collins community and elsewhere shared Scouting experiences in Troop 82 in their youth. In the early days, the troop was given use of a room in the northeast comer of the basement of the former church building at the same site as the present church. The room had its own entrance to the parking lot, handy for moving camping gear in and out, and a direct connection to the church's multi-purpose basement room where the troop meetings were held. Committee meetings and boards of review were held in the small comer room. In the 1930's the troop had an Explorer Scout unit for older boys, even Air and Sea Scout sub units. In about 1946 or 1947, the Scouts finished the walls of the Scout room with rough pine slabs to give it a very rustic and "Scout-like" appearance. Ongoing keen competition existed between Troop 82 and Troop 88 under Baptist sponsorship. In 1949 Troop 82 garnered the distinction of having the youngest and largest contingent of Eagle Scouts in the history of the regional Long's Peak Council, with eight of these most prestigious awards bestowed at one time. While little else is known about the early days of Troop 82, more is known about the era beginning in the 1950's. At that time there were no high-adventure camps. Swimming took place at the CSU field house on College Avenue. Swimming instruction was provided by the Epsilon Xi Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, the national Scouting Service Fraternity. The boys in leadership positions were collectively known as the Green Bar for the green emblems (one, two, or three bars) worn on their uniforms that signified their leadership position. The troop cycled through periods of sparse and adequate adult support. College students sometimes lent a helping hand. In 1954, the troop had over 70 Scouts, but had to limit its camping to the four district camps per year, except for individual patrol camp-outs, due to lack of adult leadership. One of the new Scouts was a person whose name and mountaintop family ranch would be familiar to Scouts of Troop 82 for decades to come. That year the family of this Scout opened up its ranch to patrol camp-outs for the first time. During the years 1958-1965, the population of Fort Collins grew from about 15,000 to 25,000. Prospect Road was essentially the south city limit. Thus, it did not take long to begin hiking from the church and soon be out of town. One overnight backpack trip, taken to help Scouts meet Second and First Class requirements, was to a pasture along Spring Creek west of Taft Hill Road. The site is now developed as “Fox Meadows" or "Quail Hollow". Forty years ago it was a very out-of-the-way, private location where the troop could camp without disturbing anyone. Lack of lightweight equipment severely limited backpacking in those days. There were no freeze-dried foods or light-weight, efficient stoves (other than canned Sterno). The tents, owned by the troop each had two fairly heavy poles; they had no floors and only a fly to partially close the front opening. Thus they allowed in wind and creeping or flying creatures of all sorts. However, they were durable and could be set up quickly. They were called "explorer" tents. A favorite day trek was 5-7 miles along the ridge that borders the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir. The group would leave a vehicle at one end, drive to the other, and then walk back. Camporees were often held at Bob Wait Camp, which no longer exists, near Estes Park before the present Ben Delatour Scout Ranch near Red Feather Lakes opened. In 1958, the year before Ben Delatour Scout Ranch opened, summer camp was held at "Swan's Upper Ranch", not far from the present Ben Delatour. A major difference between Scout outings in the 1950's and the 1990's was the source of heat for cooking. In the '50's the troop cooked exclusively on wood fires. Dead wood was relatively plentiful in the mountains. Much time was spent learning to find dry fuel under wet conditions, to prepare tinder so a fire could be started with one or two matches, and to make a fire sufficiently small so the cooks could get close enough to use it. A hard lesson for hungry Scouts was that a mature fire, consisting mostly of coals, gave a uniform source of heat and was easier to use. Other significant fire lessons involved preparing the site adequately so the fire would not get out of control and eliminating the evidence of fires upon breaking camp. For the first few years of camping at Ben Delatour, the troop opted to cook their own meals. For this they used 'ice-tub" stoves over a wood fire. These stoves were approximately four feet long and were made from steel tubs that had originally been used to make blocks of ice at the local ice plant. For two or three years in the mid-1950's, troops in Ft. Collins would meet for 1/2 day of Scout skills competition -- building a fire with one or two matches, boiling water or burning a suspended string over an open fire, cooking, orienteering, signalling, etc., followed by cleanup and site restoration. Troop 82 has always been well-represented at national and world jamborees. In 1960, the national Boy Scout jamboree was held at Colorado Springs. Several Scouts attended. One recalls that the total number of Scouts at the jamboree exceeded the population of Colorado Springs at that time. The encampment totaled 50,000 scouts, reflecting the 50th anniversary of Scouting in the USA. The then popular Lennon sisters provided the entertainment at the jamboree, much to the delight of all the boys. Some of the activities of the mid-1960's included building a bridge of logs lashed together for a Scout show, demonstrating first aid at a Scout show, and cleaning up the garbage at the rifle range. Scout shows were generally held at the Larimer County Fairground in Loveland. In alternate years the show would be a "Scout circus", in which each participating unit demonstrated a Scout craft before a seated audience, or an exposition, in which troops prepared exhibits for indoor or outdoor display. Besides participating in a Scout Sunday worship service much as Troop 82 does now, the troop often would assemble a window display in one of the local retail stores. Weekly meetings might include practicing first aid, camping skills, good deeds around the church, working toward merit badges, and fixing up and painting the Scout room. Games enjoyed included hide-the-flag, tag football, and volleyball. In 1970, the former Scout Terry Anderson, who had joined the troop in 1954 answered a plea in the church bulletin for adult help with the troop. Little did he know that that year as a troop committee member would precede a 23-year term as Scoutmaster. At that time Troop 82 had only two boys and five adult leaders. Because of its previous large size, the troop had skipped recruiting Webelos Scouts for several years. This turned out to be almost disastrous because when recruiting began again, Webelos shied away due to the large age gap. With only two Scouts left, it appeared that the troop would shut down at the end of the year. As a last effort, all Cub Scouts from all of the packs in Fort Collins were invited to an open house that fall. Seventy came. Twenty-four Webelos joined. Terry’s family’s mountain-top ranch, west of Fort Collins, provided a great location for the troop to hike, camp, and cut firewood to raise funds. Use of the ranch continues to the present. In the early to mid-1970's national Scouting underwent drastic organizational and operational changes. The Green Bar became the Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC). Troop 82 sent one of the Senior Patrol Leaders to Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico for training in the new system. The new system gave the boys much more authority in running the troop. This too proved almost disastrous. The boys decided to do away with advancement in rank and only participate in outdoor activities, Chaos grew at weekly meetings. So little support came from parents that many camp-outs had only one adult. Adding to the challenge, the troop had to move into extremely crowded quarters in the basement of the adobe house next door when the old church building was about to be torn down. Mild burnout led Terry to consider shutting down the troop at the end of 1976. Fortunately, a certain visiting Webelos Scout wanted to join the troop at that time. His father was unimpressed with the troop, but he said he would allow his son to join on the condition that he (the father, Wayne Shortridge) could be Assistant Scoutmaster and participate in decision making. The Scoutmaster was thrilled. With this father's military background, he brought order back into the troop. Together he and the Scoutmaster implemented some changes and provided the leadership that enabled the troop to thrive once again. Eventually, shortly before its 50th anniversary, the troop was able to move into its present quarters in the new church building. Finally, the national Boy Scout rules and requirements changed again, almost back to the original. This Scoutmaster has an abundance of memories from his many years serving
the troop. ... He [Terry Anderson] remembers the good old umbrella tent
that his parents had purchased long ago in used condition for their honeymoon.
The tent dated back to the early 1930's and was patched repeatedly due to
heavy use by the troop. . In 1972 on a 72-mile horse backpack trip along
the Wyoming-Colorado border the boys made the arduous trek just fine, but
the Scoutmaster broke his little finger and had to return to town briefly
to have the bones set. Fundraisers have always been a challenging but important part of Scouting to defray the cost of Scout activities and help teach the boys financial responsibility. These have varied over the years. One of the more ambitious fundraisers during the early 1960's was a chicken corn chowder dinner from a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe furnished by the mother of one of the Scouts. Cutting and selling firewood from donated trees was the major fund raiser from 1975 through 1983. This project eventually gave way to pancake breakfasts, Sloppy Joe’s, and finally to chili suppers. The recipe for the chili is also from a time-honored Scout family recipe. Various other fund raisers during the year supplement this income. In 2005, the troop registered 38 Scouts, 18 uniformed leaders, and 6 committee members. Scoutmasters, from 1930 to the present, are listed in a separate section of this pamphlet. Three former Scoutmasters continue to be active in the troop in various capacities, providing continuity and stability. The boys through their PLC plan activities. Annual activities usually include winter camping (pre-Klondike and Klondike), tree planting at Fort Robinson, NE, advancement camp, summer camp, high-adventure camp, autumn weekend at the Air Force Academy, church “lock-in “ and a ski trip. Many of the camps, including summer camp, that the boys enjoy continue to be at the mountaintop family ranch of the former 1971-1993 Scoutmaster. Other summer camps attended have been at Ben Delatour Scout Ranch (Long's Peak Council Camp), Camp Laramie Peaks (west of Wheatland, WY) and Medicine Mountain (in the Black Hills of SD). High-adventure trips include Philmont backpacks in 1996, 2001 and 2005; Boundary Waters canoe trips in 1997 and 2000; Juneau, Alaska in 1999; Yellowstone and the Tetons in 2002; Florida Keys High Adventure Camp in 2003; and Rawah Wilderness Backpack in 2004. The troop continues to acquire high quality young men. The quality of the
troop today is a reflection of the quality of the Scouts that we have in
Troop 82. **************************************** --Scoutmaster, 1971-1993
--Scoutmaster, 1993-1999
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