CHIEF LOGAN RESERVATION
FRONTIERSMEN PROGRAM

The Purpose of the Chief Logan Frontiersman Program

The Chief Logan Frontiersmen Program was started at Camp Maple Dell, during the summer of 1977. The program was organized and developed during the summer of 1978. The major reason for beginning the program was to promote real outdoor adventure at Camp and the growth of individual Scouts. The Frontiersmen Program was brought to Chief Logan Reservation in 1980 and has continued to aid the camp program since.

The Frontiersmen Program has 5 main purposes:

1. To build camp spirit The Frontiersman or person aspiring to become a Frontiersman will work with other Frontiersmen and generate a group spirit that will spread throughout the camp and their troop.
2. To teach Scouting skills in an adventure situation. The Frontiersman is able to perform many outdoor skills and use them in real situations. The skills increase the Scout's capabilities; they are an adventure rather than a chore.
3. To provide a program for older Scouts. The Frontiersman Program is designed for the more advanced Scout who is returning to camp for a second or third year and who is looking for something new and exciting to do.
4. To increase troop resources. The Frontiersman can share his enthusiasm and skills with the troop.
5. To build leadership and self-confidence. The Frontiersman will develop confidence when he realizes he has the ability to meet real challenges. Leadership skills are developed when he shares this confidence with others.

All camp skills must be passed off before the Rendezvous.

History of the Frontier and How the Frontiersmen Program Developed

When Columbus came to the Western Hemisphere most of the Americas were inhabited by Stone Age people. These Native Americans were pushed west and north in North America by the Europeans that followed Columbus, the Spanish from the south and west, the French from the northeast and south, and the English and Dutch from the east.

During the eighteenth century frontiersmen and long hunters like Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton first trapped west of the Appalachians and then led Pioneers west to settle in the same areas. Small groups and individual French and English trappers and traders began to travel, trade, and trap in the central part of the continent towards the end of the century. After the United States bought the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery traveled from St. Louis across the plains and the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Northwest in search of the Northwest Passage. Even before their return in 1806, companies of American trappers headed towards the Rockies bringing the United States into the fur trade west of the Mississippi. A member of the Corp of Discovery, John Colter, joined one of these companies of trappers just before the Corp returned to St. Louis. He is considered by many to be the first of a new breed named for the area where they trapped. This new mantle, given to him and those who followed, was MOUNTAIN MAN.

Like the great frontiersmen east of the Mississippi the mountain men first traveled to the frontier with other trappers and explorers. They discovered vast areas of natural wilderness. The stories of forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and other features of the land enticed others to follow. The groups of trappers would split into smaller groups to cover as much area as possible. Finally, some of these men found that they could do better alone, so they left the groups of trappers and set out on their own. These were the ones that became mountain men.

Men such as Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, David Jackson, Bill Sublette, Joe Walker and others lived and trapped in the fierce and rugged frontier. It was full of danger from nature and the Native American but the mountain men survived and thrived. Many of them lived with and learned from the Native American. They were the first Europeans to live in the Rockies.

As settlers moved west the mountain men were the men who led the pioneers teaching them what they needed to know to survive and live in the untamed frontier.

Today there are some who are afraid of their own country. These city slickers drive on blacktopped roads and look at the mountains and forests through their windshields, admire their beauty and hurry back to the comforts of home.

But the frontier lives on! Many of the city slickers are returning to the mountains and forests as in the days of the old frontier. Most do not adapt well to the out-of-doors. However, a few begin as the pioneers of old - learning about and adapting to the frontier. Then they become more independent as the trappers did. They leave the security of their large pioneer groups and settlements to make their own way through the wilderness with their companions. Finally, after much experience, they become mountain men - independent from the securities of today’s society and happy to be alone in the beautiful, rugged out-of-doors. The law of the old frontier becomes an added standard for them. Respect the outdoors, be self reliant, and keep your word.

The Frontier Code

Each person who becomes a Frontiersman takes upon himself this code when he becomes a pioneer and is expected to live by it. The three things that one can always count on a Frontiersman for are:

1. Respect the out-of-doors. A Frontiersman recognizes the balance of nature and respects it. He is at home in the out-of-doors. He realizes that not all people share his feelings for it and he, therefore, must often compensate for them.
2. Be self-reliant. A Frontiersman can always depend on himself not only in the out-of-doors, but in all he does. He recognizes that others have things to offer that are of value to him, but he does not depend completely on anyone other than himself. He is ready in every way: physically, mentally, and emotionally to operate completely on his own should the need arise. He is even prepared to take a stand against that which he knows to be wrong, after considering all sides: often meeting social opposition.
3. Keep your word. A Frontiersman realizes that his word is more valuable than any tangible possession. He is conscious that no matter what else he loses, he has lost nothing if he still has his honor. He is aware that a simple “I will do this” is as binding to him as a formal oath or promise or a written contract.

Who are Frontiersmen?

• Outdoorsmen and adventurers
• Camp leaders and advanced campers
• The rough, the tough, and the ready
• Examples and leaders in the troop

The Frontiersmen program is an in-camp program for Scouts who and prove they have what it takes in the out-of-doors. It is divided into three stages. Those who are aspiring for it, but have not completed it, are called “City Slickers”.

• Pioneers are members who have filled the basic requirements and have learned the Frontier Code.
• Trappers are members who have filled the requirements beyond pioneer and have shown that they can live the Frontier Code.
• Mountain Men have been honored by the Frontiersmen Program for their attitudes and skills. They are the toughest of all, and have to prove it.

The basic requirements are listed on the following pages there are no time requirements. Only one advancement may be earned each week, but a Scout may advance as much as he is able during a single summer.

*Special Programming for Frontiersmen*

• Tuesday evening Dining Hall Service Project
• Wed. Afternoon Dining Hall Pioneering Project
• Thurs., 3:00 P.M. Dining Hall Overnight Rendezvous (Return: 7 A.M., Friday)

Pioneer Requirements

These requirements must be passed off by an appropriate staff member or an authorized Trapper or Mountain Man. Those requirements with asterisks are to be initialed by your Scoutmaster, Post Advisor or SPL. All requirements must be completed before Thursday at 3:00 P.M., unless otherwise stated.

___	* Be at least 12 years old.
___	* Be at least a First Class Scout. (This requirement is waived for adults 18 or older and Explorers, but they must be able to perform all First Class skills. Adults and Explorers must see the Brigade Commander to pass this requirement.)
___	* Obtain permission from Scoutmaster (or Post Advisor) and Senior Patrol Leader (or Post President) to become a Pioneer and attend rendezvous.
___	Participate in a camp service project approved by the Frontiersmen Council.
___	Complete the following Brownsea Island Skills:
___	Earn Firem’n Chit (Must present card)
___	Join 6 Knot Club and tie a Timber Hitch.
___	Tie a Square, Diagonal, & Shear Lashing
___	Earn Totin’ Chip (Must present card)
___	Start a fire using Flint and Steel, Bow Drill, Hot Spark, or Magnifying Glass.
___	Identify 5 wild edible plants and explain to a Nature Staff member how each is prepared and eaten.
___	Know the Archery safety rules and shoot on the Action Archery Range.
___	Know and practice the Rifle Range safety rules.
___	Make your own primitive fishing gear and demonstrate to an Aquatics Staff Member how it is used.
___	Participate in a major group effort Pioneering Project with the Frontiersmen.
___	Make a Possibles Bag at Handicraft.
___	Participate in an overnight Frontiersmen Rendezvous. You will need an improvised pack, bedroll, possibles bag and something to start a fire with (NO MATCHES OR LIGHTERS). DO NOT BRING FLASHLIGHTS!!!
___	Improvise a shelter using a poncho, plastic sheet or natural ground cover.

NOTE: All skills must be demonstrated with proficiency. They must be complete, not just close. Do not expect an instructor to show you how to do something and pass you off -- You must do it yourself. Trappers who have been authorized by the Frontiersmen Council to teach and pass off certain skills may only sign off those skills that they have been authorized to sign off.

ALL SKILLS MUST BE SIGNED OFF BEFORE 3 P.M. THURSDAY OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE RENDEZVOUS!!!

Trapper Requirements

These requirements must be passed off by an appropriate staff member or Mountain Man. Those requirements with asterisks are to be initialed by Scoutmaster or SPL. All requirements must be completed to Frontiersmen standards before 3 P.M. Thursday.

___	Be a Pioneer.
___	2.      *Be at least 13 years old.
___	*Be at least a Star Scout.( This requirement is waved for adults 18 or older and Explorers, but they must be able to perform all Star skills. Adults and Explorers must see the Brigade Commander to pass this requirement.)
___	*Obtain permission from Scoutmaster (or Advisor) and SPL (or Post President) to become a Trapper and attend rendezvous
___	*Earn Wilderness Survival and any one of the following merit badges: Pioneering, Camping, Hiking, Soil and Water Conservation, Mammals, Cooking, Lifesaving, or Emergency Preparedness.
___	Know and live the Frontier Code.
___	Complete the following Brownsea Island Frontier skills:
___	Start a fire with flint and steel or a bow drill.
___	Tie a bowline on a bight, a rappel seat, and a figure eight-knot.
___	Know how to find your way at night.
___	Set up and identify 5 trail signs.
___	Build alone a pioneering project for practical use using at least 4 lashings.
___	Develop the following Nature skills:
___	Identify 5 wild animal tracks.
___	Identify at least 10 wild edible plants. Prepare and eat at least 3 of them.
___	Paddle a canoe silently the length of the lake.
___	Earn the first level of either CAA (Archery) or the NRA (Rifle) awards.
___	At Handicraft make and decorate an item using leather or beadwork (e.g. headband, knife sheath, medicine bag etc.)
___	Help supervise a service or pioneering project approved by the Frontiersman Council. Participate in the other project, pioneering or service (or help supervise as needed).
___	Interest at least two city slickers to become pioneers. Teach and assist them in Pioneer skills.
___	Participate in an overnight Frontiersmen Rendezvous. While on the rendezvous, pass off the following skills:
___	a.      Build a survival shelter for 2 people using natural materials,
___	b.      Prepare a ground bed using blankets
___	c.       Guide a group of pioneers in the dark.

 

Mountain Man Requirements

The Mountain Man award is given by the Frontiersmen Council to Frontiersmen in recognition of skills and attitudes developed in the outdoors and manifest in day to day activities. This award is given to those Trappers who make the Frontier Code an important part of their life. The Mountain Man is more a test of maturity and goes far beyond frontier skills. Not every Trapper will be awarded the Mountain Man. It is not a successive step on the Frontiersmen Program; rather it is as award given to exceptional individual.

___	Be a Trapper
___	2.      Receive a letter from the Frontiersmen Council inviting you to earn the Mountain Man award. Requirements will be sent along with the letter of invitation.

*NOTE: The Mountain Man is no piece of cake! You will be severely challenged-so be prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally.