Camp Manatoc celebrates 100 years of Scouting

by Wendy Turrell

The Manatoc Scout Reservation in the Cuyahoga Valley celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in September with a weekend of special events and nostalgic recreations.

In 1923, Karl Butler donated the original 400-acre property to the Boy Scouts of America. Now encompassing 600 acres, the reservation off Truxell Road is divided into Camp Manatoc and Camp Butler, each with abundant lakes, woods, trails, cabins and campsites.

The property is exclusively reserved for Boy Scouts from June through August, when Camp Manatoc hosts five weeklong overnight camping sessions. Outside groups can rent the campsite the remainder of the year.

The first camp program director, David Atwater, is credited with naming Manatoc; a word he said was of Native American origin and means “high plateau.” Since its origins, Camp Manatoc has provided character-building activities and fostered an appreciation of the natural world for generations of boys and young men.

Centennial Chair David Weyrick, along with Co-chair Bill Lovell and Director of Camping Nathan Watson, planned activities for 2,900 people. The attendees included Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, their leaders, parents, staff and alumni staff, and friends. Approximately 1,600 people camped at Manatoc for the entire centennial weekend.

Weyrick described some of the activities that occurred: “Displays abounded with booths from organizations that contribute to sustain the beauty of the Cuyahoga Valley … International Scouting, Duty to God, patrol rope tying, amateur Ham radio … and a Merit Badge Expo which gave Scouts hands-on activities to fulfill one or more merit badge requirements.” He added, “Three ‘Duty to God’ worship services were also held on Sunday morning.”

All four branches of the armed services had displays, and Scouts were able to tour a Chinook helicopter that landed on site.

Said Weyrick, “One hundred years of Manatoc traditions were displayed, including regalia used in past campers’ ceremonies.”

At one area, participants could trade cards featuring photos and biographies of ten of the camp’s founders. Free patches were available for beginners.

Six different shooting ranges were busy all day. As part of the historic theme of the weekend, cars from the 1920s were also on display.

Weyrick described “an immersion experience” as the highpoint of the weekend, which recreated the Boy Scout experience from 1923. He said the Scouts started last January to learn the culture, styles, vernacular and Scouting traditions from that period. Then each took on the character of a Scout who camped at Manatoc 100 years ago.

The Scouts researched their historic Scout member through ancestry websites and old newspaper references. Vintage uniforms were recreated down to the detail of merit badges on the sleeves. During the Centennial Celebration, the Scouts performed an historic 1923 Manatoc Camper Ceremony in the same location it was performed a century ago.

Watson described the event preparation: “We knew going into this that it would be a once-in-a-century event, so we started planning more than two years ahead. We also included the 100th theme in our summer camp program, and that proved very successful.”

Great Trail Council Scout Executive Patrick Scherer said for him, the goal of the celebration “was the reinvigoration of why we do Scouting. We saw multiple generations of those who have been part of Manatoc for decades, as well as Lions and Tigers [first-grade Cub Scouts] being at camp for the first time.”

Weyrick said an especially moving tradition – the Retreat Ceremony – was performed Saturday after dinner as a way to conclude the evening. “This ceremony, including marching to a ‘pass in review,’ is a tradition that began 100 years ago,” he said.

Camp Manatoc has evolved over the years to keep pace with Scouting. Weyrick said, “The property has expanded. The program has been updated to fit the needs of Scouts. Youth protection and safety is a strong part of all we do.”

Weyrick added that Camp Manatoc has become part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the last one hundred years, and the Manatoc dining hall is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

“The reservation is a huge part of my life, and I owe a lot of who I am today to my years on staff and the relationships I have had and continue to have,” said Weyrick. ∞

Bill Lovell (l) and David Weyrick (r) were vice chair and chair, respectively of the Camp Manatoc 100th year celebration. Photo submitted.

Photo (main / above): Scout re-enactors (l-r) back row: Joe Zbasnik, Jim Bollinger, Paul Sellman and Tristan Dennis; middle row: Ryan Podrasky, Lincoln Geig, Griffin Davis, Logan McHenry, Case Spence and Johnny Montgomery; front row: Jack McClelland, Gabriel Amiot, Carson Galehouse, Matthew Rawden and Ryan Cooper dressed as Scouts from 1923. Photo submitted.