A Look Back

by Barry Bauer

Here’s a group of the 23 St. Johns Boy Scouts who had a glorious week with Troop 71 on Crystal Lake in Mecosta County. Leaving home on July 11, they spent a full week in
camp and returned on July 18, 1937 happy, healthy and well fed.

Living in tents miles from the nearest town, the boys really got back to nature and were already looking forward to next year’s camp.

Not pictured were John Baker who helped organize the camp, Glenn Osgood whose truck transported part of the group, and camp director Maxwell Smith, Scoutmaster.

Maxwell Smith was a local contractor and owned the Maxwell House rentals at Crystal Lake, MI. The rentals were located on the hill (The Grove) where the road split just a little ways from the Crystal Palladium and the Merry-Go-Round on the lakeshore. Both are now gone from the Crystal Lake scene.