History of Trailcraft Troop 123 - Winter Haven, Florida.                           The Troop was founded in 1926!  as collected by Stew Gaylord

Nice rattler caught by a scout

Ross Allen and Troop out on a Moccasin and Gator Hunt - 1927

Troop 123 was originally Winter Haven Troop 3 founded in 1926.  The first Scoutmaster was scientist and herpetologist, Ross Allen (founder of Silver Springs Research Center and Silver Springs Resort.  Often he would take scouts out to catch reptiles for his menagerie.  Imagine a leader today sending a note home that we will be meeting at the scouthouse at 4:00 A.M. to go out and catch water moccasins, rattlesnakes and alligators?? He would also assemble the boys at 9:00 P.M., with the boys armed with .22 pistols and flashlights and they would go off to shoot frogs.  After shooting a couple of bushels of frogs, they would wake up one of the mothers around 3:00 A.M. and as they shucked frogs, the mother would fry them up for the boys to eat - I wonder what a mom would do if I had tried that stunt??

Young Tommy Costello with    a nice water moccasin!

Troop Canoe Campout Trip 1929 - note how much gear they took!

HOME

To Page 2