Tribe of Mic-O-SayThe following information is provided to Scouts, Scouters and Parents, and is meant to cover the basic, (mostly) unchanging information about the Heart of America Council’s largest, long-term camping facility.
In addition to the following information, there are two paper handouts available to parents regarding Scout Camp.
The H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation was established outside of Osceola, MO on the banks of the Osceola River. At the time, it had a single camp, appropriately called Camp Osceola.
As time passed and it’s popularity grew, a second, then a third Camp were added. The original camp was renamed to Camp Wigwam quite early on, and again renamed to Camp Lone Star in the late 1970s in honor of longtime Scouter Wallace “Pappy” Grube; individual campsites in Camp Lone Star are named after American Indian Tribes. The second camp–Camp Sawmill–names its campsites after trees. The third camp–Camp Frontier, with campsites named after military forts of a bygone era–was renamed Camp Piercing Arrow after another longtime Scouter, Paul Arend, in the late 1990s.
There are two key elements about the Scout Reservation that make it rather unique in the United States. The first is the programming schedule for the boys, the second is the Council’s honor camper organization, The Tribe of Mic-o-Say.
The programming for the boys has one goal: Merit Badges. An industrious fellow who does his preparatory work prior to attending the reservation can easily earn 6 or more Merit Badges during a camping session. Troop 30 leaders recall truly enterprising youths earning over 10 in their first year to camp.
The camping session is broken into two halves, with four daily class sessions. Some badges require more days than others, while others may require more than one class period per day. In addition, Troop 30 always has a large contingent of adult leaders in camp, who offer additional merit badge classes both within and outside the regular class schedule.
The ease in which a boy can earn Merit Badges is frequently critical to his quick progress on his trail to Eagle. At last publishing, the requirements for Eagle Scout include earning at least 21 Merit Badges, almost half of which are elective. Many “Eagle Required” Merit Badges are offered at the reservation, so this is an added bonus as well.
Tribe of Mic-O-SayFrom the very beginnings of the Reservation, H. Roe Bartle promulgated his Tribe for older Scouts and Scouters in honor of their service to Scouting and the Reservation. That tradition continues today, and many older boys attend camp more for the Tribal activities than for the merit badge classes, having already achieved the rank of Eagle and earning most (if not all) of the available Merit Badges at Camp.
Although much of the Tribe’s activities are shrouded in “members only” secrecy, there are several public elements that can be discussed. First, there are several emblems worn by members and candidates of the Tribe. Three types of emblems indicate membership, the fourth indicates a special type of candidacy for membership, with no rank or priveledges of membership.
The three emblems of membership are the Brave Claw and Pouch, “Hardway” Warrior Claws and Honorary Warrior/Honored Woman Claws. The Brave’s emblem is unadorn, while the two types of Warrior Claws are embellished with both paint on the tips of the Claws and beads (or coups) worn in pairs on either side of the lanyard holding the Claws.
The paint at the tips of a Warrior’s Claws indicate additional responsibilities within the tribe, and are color coded. They do not connote “rank” within the tribe, even though there is a distinct hirearchy to the paint promotions and responsibilities. There are both “coveted coups” that indicate the number of years in service to the Tribe and Scouting, coming in many sizes and colors, as well as other coups that have special significance. These special coups have a specific color and/or shape, and are not repeated on the lanyard.
The fourth related emblem is the Foxman’s stick, which is a cylindrical wooden stick painted with four colored bands. An orange bead that has specific significance to the Foxman is typically worn at the bottom of lanyard, below the stick. The stick is not a sign of Tribal membership, but is instead an indicator to all current Tribesmen that the wearer has potential for becoming a Tribesman, and should given additional encouragement in his progress on the Scouting Trail.
In addition to the emblems worn by Tribesmen, many areas on the reservation are surrounded by rocks painted stark white. These “White Paint” areas are held sacred by Tribesmen, and non-Tribesmen are not permitted within these areas without special permission. Please honor the convention at all times!
Although the fees change in amount from year to year, some things stay the same. All scouts must be registered on a full-time basis, with the intention of being in camp and on the Reservation for the full 10-day/9-night session. Adult leaders can register as full or part-time, based on their ability to attend the session.
There is a $75 cancellation fee for reserved slots not used, but we typically have enough boys and Scouters to cover all registrations. In the event of a serious illness of the attendee or a member of the attendee’s immediate family, refunds of the full fee on a pro-rated basis (less the non-refundable $10 deposit) may be requested. All refunds must be requested in writing prior to leaving camp by the recognized unit leader.
Part time adult leaders are expected to check in at the camp office on arrival, and check out at departure. All leaders wear wrist bands indicating their status.
As part of Registration, all attendees must have a recent medical examination form on file to be presented upon arrival to Camp.
Any scouts needing financial assistance are encouraged to apply to both the Council and the troop. No source of aid will pay the entire fee for the scout, but in combination can cover a substantial portion of the expenses. Contact the Troop Treasurer for more information regarding financial aid.
One day each session, visitors from all walks of life are invited to visit the reservation. Parents, siblings, significant others, etc. are encouraged to use the day to visit the attendees, their units and campsites, and the program facilities at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation. Visitors are not to bring pets of any type to camp. Alcoholic beverages, drugs, fireworks, etc. will not be tolerated. Riding in the back of pickup trucks or tailgates of station wagons is not permitted.
Visiting hours are 10am to 5:30pm, and Troop 30 typically organizes a pot-luck luncheon for all visitors and attendees, even if the attendees are not expecting visitors that day. Participation is not required, but is encouraged.
Visitors’ Day—which used to occur only on Sundays—is now set on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the day of the session on which it falls. In sessions with two Sundays, the one for Visitors’ Day is arbitrarily set. The daily schedule is adjusted to accomodate for religious services on the non-Visitors’ Day Sunday.