1937 National Jamboree
The 1937 National Jamboree was the first U.S. jamboree. It was held in Washington, D.C. from June 30 - July 9. Total attendance was 27,238. The first jamboree was to be held in 1935, but it was cancelled due to the polio epidemic.
The 1937 National Jamboree was the first U.S. jamboree. It was held in Washington, D.C. from June 30 - July 9. Total attendance was 27,238. The first jamboree was to be held in 1935, but it was cancelled due to the polio epidemic.
In the context of this page, it is ironic that the first scheduled BSA National Jamboree was cancelled due to medical reasons, namely the polio epidemic. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president of the United States, was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts and encouraged that the jamboree be held in Washington, D.C. It was only with reluctance that he recommended cancelling the jamboree that was to celebrate the silver anniversary.
Dr. William L. Smith was the chief medical officer for this undertaking. I have read his eleven page report on this event. He reports that first aid stations were manned by "three physicians and four orderlies...all volunteer." One of the concerns was that these stations were connected to headquarters directly by telephone, but that communication this way was too time-consuming and tied up the telephone lines too frequently! Another of his concerns in planning for the jamboree was the care of contagious diseases--this jamboree was held in the era before antibiotics. Dr. Smith was awarded the silver buffalo--the highest award of service on a national level in the BSA--in 1943.
Unlike more recent jamborees where individual staff group makes their own staff memorabilia, this armband was created by the national organization and given to the medical staff. It is thought that these were originally created for the 1935 jamboree.
Dr. William L. Smith was the chief medical officer for this undertaking. I have read his eleven page report on this event. He reports that first aid stations were manned by "three physicians and four orderlies...all volunteer." One of the concerns was that these stations were connected to headquarters directly by telephone, but that communication this way was too time-consuming and tied up the telephone lines too frequently! Another of his concerns in planning for the jamboree was the care of contagious diseases--this jamboree was held in the era before antibiotics. Dr. Smith was awarded the silver buffalo--the highest award of service on a national level in the BSA--in 1943.
Unlike more recent jamborees where individual staff group makes their own staff memorabilia, this armband was created by the national organization and given to the medical staff. It is thought that these were originally created for the 1935 jamboree.
Medical staff from the 1937 National Jamboree