31 - Scout with rifle range target

The Rifle Range was added in 1976 and has been a popular
program activity since then.

32 - Unloading the heaterstack wagon

Wow. This is camping deluxe style, with hot and tasty meals delivered right to your campsite. The heaterstacks allowed the camp to feed many more mouths than could have been fit into the dining halls. The wagon is shown wearing bicentennial colors in 1976. The staff member with the fur hat is probably Louis Abraham.

 

33 - Eating in the campsite

For those who may be unfamiliar with how the meal system worked, the camp provided two meals each day. Troops would get either lunch or dinner in the dining hall and heaterstacks delivered to the campsite for the other. The next day they would switch. Most troops cooked breakfast in the campsite with food from the Country Store or from home, but they could get breakfast in the dining hall and bag lunches for days they would be on extended hikes.

These Scouts are enjoying a spaghetti dinner, complete with grated cheese, and on a tablecloth no less!

From John Krauss: "The scout on the right from T233 Westbury is James Laun. We got our Eagles together in 1966. This would place this picture in early 60’s. Jim & his family moved out of the area during Summer of 1966. He, Don Wright & I were ASPL, JASM, & SPL respectively in 233 during 1964-5." Bob Muntz also identified this as being James Laun. It looks like they must have snuck a few older slides into the presentation. I guess that explains the lack of 1970s haircuts!

34 - Working on a merit badge

There were many opportunities to work on earning merit badges, although it seems like there was much less of an emphasis on that in the past as some camps have today. When I went to Onteora as a Scout I enjoyed just being out in the woods and down at the lake. For many Scouts these days the experience is incomplete without coming home with a bucket of merit badges. You can earn quite a few at OSR these days, but happily you can still just enjoy the outdoor experience if that's your preference.

The staff member is Carl Wandell.

35 - Getting a lesson in how to use a saw

For many Scouts this may have been their first experience with anything sharper than a dinner knife. The program staff offered plenty of classes in how to safely turn large pieces of wood into smaller ones.

The staff member is John Belger.

36 - Indian teepee

The camp offered a complete program in Indian lore. That's Vincent Costanzo entering the teepee, which he says belonged to Jim Shields.

38 - Long Island Trading Post

The Trading Post was a great spot to visit as it sold cold drinks, ice cream , candy, and other treats. Scouts were limited to when they could go there, but I found out that by being the patrol mailman I could get there pretty much any time I wanted. They should have given out merit badges in how to work the system...

39 - Trading Post interior

Not everything sold at the Trading Post was for those with a sweet tooth. There was also a wide range of camping and fishing items. Many Scouts who had managed to forget a critical item of gear or needed supplies for a merit badge found themselves making a mad dash to the Trading Post.

42 - Archery class at the James E. West Shelter

When I worked at Onteora (1968 and 1969) archery was just one of the many subjects we had to teach at the Program Shelters. Counselors were expected to be experts in archery, skeet shooting, knots, cooking, edible wild plants, camping - just about anything not connected with the waterfront. In later years the camp moved to more specialized programs, moving all of the camp's archery to the Field Sports Shelter as an example. I would think this provides a higher level of expertise to the campers - and less craziness for the counselors.

43 - Conservation project

Protecting the natural environment has always been a high priority at Onteora. Scouts were required to participate in a conservation project each year. Most of mine seemed to involve knee deep mud. These guys got off easy.

From Mike Reborchick:" That's me working on the brush pile conservation project.  It was right across from Otter #7 Shelter. Ranger Bill had cut down the saplings along the phone/power lines on the west side of the road, so we had plenty of material!"

44 - Fishing in Sprague Brook

Onteora has always been a popular place for fishing. In fact, that's why the place was originally developed and the lake built. I never caught much myself but the brook feeding into the lake is a delightful place to pass the time.

45 - Delaware River Canoe Trip

Onteora also offered high adventure canoe trips on the Delaware River
and up in the Adirondacks.