By Jessica Gorman
Camp Yatasi was a Boy Scout camp located on Caney Lake, hence the existence of Boy Scout Road off Lewisville Road. It was built to replace Camp Caddo on Caddo Lake. That camp was forced to close when the lease ran out and there was no option to renew. To name the camp, a contest was held among the scouts of the Norwela Council. Norwela Council serves scouts in Claiborne, Bienville, Webster, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, and Sabine. The name Yatasi, taken from the name of a tribe of Caddo Indians, was suggested by Keith Jones of Shreveport.
The camp utilized more than 12,000 acres and had been built at a cost of $75,000. It was described as one of the best scout camps in the country. Camp Yatasi was dedicated on 4 May 1952. Governor Robert Floyd Kennon, a native of Webster Parish and former mayor of Minden, addressed the crowd that had gathered for the occasion. Governor Kennon was an Eagle Scout and had been a member of one of Minden’s first troops.
The opening session of summer camp began on the 8th of June with 116 boys in attendance. Six week-long sessions were scheduled with a total of 592 boys attending camp that first summer. One of those scouts, a member of Troop 13 in Shreveport, tells about his week spent at camp.
“We have been up to Camp Yatasi, the new Boy Scout camp on upper Caney Lake near Minden. When I arrived at camp, I was greeted with yells and cheers from the troop. Amid all the confusion of their greetings and unpacking, I discovered that I had no choice in the selection of a tent. I had the last one, but no bed! All of this pleasant confusion was taking place under the watchful eye of our assistant scoutmaster, Mr. A.B. Wynn.
I was quickly ushered to camp headquarters, called the ‘tepee,’ where I checked in my money. By ‘checked in my money,’ I mean it was turned into the camp authorities for safe-keeping and I was relieved of any worry about losing it.
Back at our campsite, I was in the process of changing into my swimming trunks for the physical examination (since every boy must have a completed physical examination by his family doctor before he comes to camp, this one is principally to see that you don’t bring the measles or mumps or such to camp) when my bed arrived. I hastily made it up and then back to the ‘tepee’ for the physical exam. Everyone then went to the waterfront to see what category he would be in for the week.
At 6 p.m. we had retreat formation and then supper. After supper we had a huge campfire to start the week. After it everyone was ready for bed.
During the week, the days were divided into periods of various scout activities designed to help the scout achieve higher rank and have fun at the same time.
Thursday the 19th was visitors’ day at the camp and in the afternoon we put on a water carnival for the folks. Francis Kelker won the singles canoe race for the troop and we placed in several other events. That evening at an impressive ceremony by the Order of the Arrow, our scoutmaster was ‘tapped’ for the order and the next day he was inducted into the order.
During the week 89 boys from seven troops worked for the Paul Bunyan award which is for superior axemanship. Sixteen boys made it, and out of the 16 five were from troop 13. At the end of the week, most of the boys hated to leave and certainly all of them are looking forward to next year’s camp.”
(Jessica Gorman is Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)