Camp Chagres History Canal Zone Council
Camp Chagres was the camp for Canal Zone Council, and later Panama Canal Council. These councils, finally consolidated into Direct Service in 1987, had lots of Scouts over the years but they traveled through as most were family members of either stationed military or foreign service. It was never a very big council so the opportunity for finding information about the camp does not often come up.
But, recently I traded some e-mails with a former Scout of the council. Here’s some information he passed on:
Hello Roy-There is a national park where the scout camp was in Panama, Parque Nacional Chagres. I think this was once a US military training area. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute used to send biologists there to find snakes and birds. There were lots of limestone cave formations and it rained quite a bit.The population of Americans in Panama had always been fairly transient, what with military families rotating in and out regularly, and other employees on short term assignment. After the 1979 treaties went into effect, the population of Americans living in Panama for longer term declined fairly substantially. If your job were eliminated, your family was not eligible for Canal Zone Government housing, so the friends and neighbors started leaving as the treaties were implemented.There was a strong sense of community among the people who had lived there for years and years which has been maintained with the Panama Canal Society. You may be able to follow up on your questions by starting at http://www.pancanalsociety.org and looking for contacts there.-Doug
on April 25th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
I earned my Eagle rank (Troop 6) in the Canal Zone Council and went to summer camp at Camp Chagres. I even earned my swimming and canoeing merit badges in the Chagres River. I remember the wildlife there was quite extensive. The tarantulas were huge! However, I can’t write about Camp Chagres without a fond mention of the RRR….Royal Retail Ripoff…the camp store. What a great place to hang out for a cold drink on a hot day. I miss the good times we had there as kids.
~Rich
on November 29th, 2012 at 2:30 am
I was an Explorer Scout in the Canal Zone from 1965-1967 and for my last 2 summers I was a camp councelor at Camp Chagres. I did the mile swim in the lake there, did my Order of the Arrow ordeal there, and spent a lot of time canoeing around and shooting arrows in the rain forest. I also had a machete and I used to blaze trails near Fort Clayton as well. I still have a camp tshirt with a red and black Indian on the front. I would be interested in visiting the location of the old Camp Chagres. My troup also utilized a campground on the southwest island at the end of the Amador causeway. Great memories!
on December 1st, 2012 at 8:22 am
Artie,
Thanks for the information. Do you have any pictures from there or other mementos (camp program, staff photos?) It would be great if you could share.
Regards,
Roy
on May 19th, 2015 at 11:02 pm
in camp Chagres i Was told during summer camp in the early 70’s that the oldest inhabited cave in The Americas was found there I went to this site and saw the excavations performed by the smithsonian it was on the road that went to the lake. I did the mile swim out there and you could earn 4 merit badges during camp , I got canoeing , rifle and shotgun ,archery and basketry. To earn the mile swim we swam to a island and crossed it running and jumped back in the water and swam back to the floating dock. I was in troop 13 Rodman, Canal Zone great place to grow up in fact I stayed and still live in Panama got a diving company never been cold. Arie Lammerts van Bueren
on March 18th, 2016 at 2:03 pm
My first year of summer camp was at Camp Chagres in 1972. My troop was 19 (?) out of Ft Amador. We had one guy from our troop who worked at the trading store, can’t remember his name. I only remember one guy from our troop, Dan Rice, who got the Mile Swim, and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow during that time. Good memories.
on April 11th, 2016 at 2:48 pm
I was in Troop 15 out of Albrook ’67-’71. Lots of fond memories of Camp Charges and Scout Island out on the Amador Causeway past the beach. OUr Scout Master was Don Mulholland
on September 21st, 2016 at 2:51 pm
I was in Troop 27? Fort Kobbe from 1966-68 and Troop 9? Fort Davis from 1968-69. Got my webelos in Fort Kobbe in 66, tenderfoot – thru star in Kobbe and heart and eagle at Davis. At Kobbe we used to meet out at the horse stables.
Went to Camp Chagres three summers – I still have some old black and white photos. Also had tap out ceremony and then initiation for OA there as well. I remember we used to have an insect race competition where two teams would put their representative bugs in the middle of a circle and the first insect to make it to the outer boundary won – or if it ate the other bug. I think it was a competition between different troops. The tradition was that the bug that won the whole competition was supposed to die the night after winning from over eating and we then had a big burial ceremony the next day with a hand carved bug casket. One year our bug won, but we did not have the heart to kill him, so we let him go and buried an empty casket. 🙂
I also remember learning some crazy songs before lunch.
Yes the tarantulas were huge. We caught 16 one year.
We also used to camp at Fort San Lorenzo and the old gun emplacements near the naval base on the Atlantic side. One year we spent a weekend on an island in Lake Gatun. Another year we were dropped off at Las Cruces near Gamboa and hiked through the jungle all the way back to Balboa – what a trip! We came across a fire ant hill that was 6 feet high and about 12 feet in diameter. Also had to watch out for black palm tree spikes that would go right through a tennis shoe.
Would cut water vines to get water in the jungle.
I went back to Panama on a cruise about 6 years ago, and everything had obviously changed – did find a few things left, but it was a very melancholy trip.
Would love to see some other photos of the Camp.
on September 21st, 2016 at 2:59 pm
BTW, does anyone have a lat-long of where the camp actually was? I have tried to look at old maps to try and locate it but haven’t been successful. I thought the entrance was off highway 3, but I can’t remember for sure.
on June 23rd, 2017 at 7:58 pm
Hello I’m current member of U.S.Scouting Panama Canal Area. and director of the U.S.Scouting Panama Canal Are magazine on fasebook, and is nice to hear about your concern about our traditions . . . God bless you . . .
on January 16th, 2018 at 10:09 pm
Father stationed at Ft Kobbe from 62-65. Went to Camp Chagres three years and had a great time at the waterfront. Palm roofed huts we slept in had tarantula galore. Best I can remember was mess hall open air metal framed structure. Mile swim always fun because they would scare you about the camen’s. Lots of fruit bats from the caves in the area. Very hilly terrain made you sweat in the summer. No sense wearing a poncho in the rain as the humidity was off the chart. Like the memories.
on March 12th, 2019 at 6:16 pm
I was a member of Troop 27, Howard A.F.B. 70-72. 2 summers at Camp Chagres, hiked the Las Cruces Trail. Scoutmaster was Webb Cunningham, a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, who was missing part of his lung, due to a Vietnam War wound. He may have taught us how to set up night ambushes. Those memories aren’t clear..JK. Seriously, our jungle survival skills were unmatched because of him.
on July 23rd, 2019 at 12:31 pm
need your email
on July 31st, 2019 at 3:40 pm
info@thescoutpatchauction.com
on July 23rd, 2019 at 12:36 pm
iam in boy scouts bsa panama now and i am seeing if this email is good
on July 23rd, 2019 at 1:26 pm
Daniel Reyes was in pack 20 cub scouts in the 70s and troop 20, 24, 1849 in panama canal zone boy scouts in 1981 to now as leader and chaplian. In boy scouts i did alot of stuff like camping, hiking, summer camps 7 day in panama , scout a rama, camporee campouts, canoing , beach ex.
I am in the OA . Scouts has been good to me. youtube< boy scout of amrica patch in panana citiy panama
on July 27th, 2019 at 11:56 pm
I was a member of Cardenas Troop 14. Several members of our troop hiked with Ft. Clayton Troop 17 from Panama Viejo to Puerto Bello, 117 miles. The USAF airdropped our food, the Jungle Warfare Survival Training staff transported us across Madden Lake were we ascended the Chagres River drainage to the ‘continental divide and the we descended a drainage to Puerto Bello where the US Navy Landing Craft picked us up to return us to Coco Solo. If anyone wants more details or photos, contact me. 831-206-4624
on September 23rd, 2019 at 12:58 pm
Boy Scouts in the Panama Canal Zone
By Daniel Reyes
My name is Daniel Reyes. I am a Boy Scout Leader. I have been in Cub Scout Pack 20 and Boy Scouts Troops 1849, 24, and 20 of the Panama Canal Zone. I love Boy Scouts and I have been in Boy Scouts since 1981. I am the one of the Leaders of Troop 20 and Chaplain.
The Boy Scouts of America in the Panama Canal Zone had their 100 years of scouting in Panama in 2011. They began in 1911. There was a patch made for the 100th year Anniversary.
In my Boy Scout life, I have done a lot of things in scouting. I am in the Order of the Arrow in the Chiriquí Lodge in Panama. The Order of the Arrow is a group of Scouts ages 14 and up that get chosen by the young Scouts. They have to be good Scouts, know a lot about Boy Scout skills, and are good leaders. What I did in the Order of the Arrow is a lot of Lodge Service Projects. I helped at camper Camperees. I did Odeal, Brotherhood, Arrowmen, Campout Ceremonies.
In my Scout Troop, we did Boy Scout activities every month. We camped out, did service projects, hikes, and merit badges. We canoed, visited the Panama Canal, did Camporees, and went to the beach, etc… Once a month, we had a meeting with all of the Scout leaders in Panama. This meeting was to see how Boy Scouts is doing with the troops in Panama and to see how we can make Boy Scouts in Panama better. Once a year we have a banquet for the Leaders to say thank you for the job they do in Boy Scouts.
The biggest thing that I learned in Boy Scouts is to do things on my own. I learned how to work with other people, learn other skills, and teach other people. Jesus has been a big part of my life. Scouting has been good to me.
Things I did in the Boy Scouts in the Panama Canal Zone
Campouts:
Tits River, Gamboa Golf Course Camping, Island Campout in Gamboa, River rafting, Canoeing on the Chagres River and Gamboa, Camping in Fort Sherman, Camping on farmland, Beach camping, Camping at Summit zoo, Camping at Campana Hill, Camping at Big Tree Howard, Camping at old Gamboa Airport, Camping at El Valle, etc…
Hiking:
Canoing and hiking from Colon to Balboa, 7 days, Taboga Hike to the Cross, Amador Causeway, Cocoli Road, Gamboa Pipeline Road, Las Cruces Trail, Ride Bikes, Jungle Hiking, Ancon Hill, etc…
Summer Camp: 7 Days
This campout is in different places every year. The places have been:
Old Gamboa Golf Course, Colon, Fort Sherman, Rodman, Big Tree Howard, Chagres Park, etc…
Camporee Campouts:
Are fun! What do you do at Camporees? You have competitions and games with skills you learn in Boy Scouts. Scouts get into groups called Patrols and compete for prizes. They show off their Boy Scouts skills like: First aid, rope tying, starting fires, lashing ropes, and etc… These Camporees help Scouts practice their Boy Scout Skills. Camporees in the Panama Canal Zone are three or four times a year. We have a campfire and what we do at the campfire is skits, jokes, songs, and tell stories about Scouting. Some of the Camporee Campouts are held at Big Tree Howard, Colon (Fort Sherman), Cocoli Firing Range, Fort Davis Lake, Clayton Park, Gamboa Golf Course, and etc…
Other things that we did:
Help the army sell Christmas trees
Fourth of July Teeshirt Sales
Fourth of July Parade in Clayton
Put Flags on the graves in Corozal Cemetary for Veteran’s Day
Scout-o-Rama: We had a parade and had a booth to show off Boy Scout Skills
Pinewood Derby
on May 22nd, 2020 at 3:29 pm
Hey, Danny, we had a lot of good times in Troop 20, in Corozal. We camped all over the canal area and sometimes outside it as well.
I never got to go to Camp Chagres, as they had to retire it the year I started (’81, after summer camp that year,), I do have a small camp chagres patch I hung on to but didn’t get to attend it.
After they had to retire it, they moved the Summer Camp to the Gamboa site, which was the former Summit Golf course. The first time we camped there, camping on the former greens was nice, you could push the tent pegs in with one finger. That didn’t last. A lot of improvements were made to the gamboa camp over the next half dozen years or so, and we also used it for OA ordeals, and the army helped out providing GP medium tents for stuff. We’d have around 20 troops or so from the Pacific and Atlantic sides attending there, some from the US military bases (e.g, Troop 22 in Ft. Clayton was one of the largest), some from Pan Canal employee townships (we were in 20, corozal, Troop 10 was Gamboa, etc) and a few others (IIRC Troop 5 was the US Embassy troop).
The Gamboa camp today is the site of the Gamboa Rainforest Restort, a rather upscale environmentally themed hotel complete with jungle zip line and lazy river pool, but its obviously not the same place I fondly remember…
on May 22nd, 2020 at 6:16 pm
Lindell, I was also in Troop 9, Ft Davis, at the same time(63-68)…had a great time with troop at Ft San Lorenzo, and of course Chagres and the Bohia and Las Cruzes trails…
on June 18th, 2020 at 5:31 pm
I was a member of Troop 24, Balboa Heights, Canal Zone Council, BSA. The First Baptist Church sponsored troop 24. The scout shack was just across from the Balboa railroad station. I became an Eagle Scout there on 7/7/77 and camped at Camp Chagres on innumerable occasions. Our favorite campsite was Guasimo, located in the path towards the Lake. The camp keeper had over 20 dogs that followed him along where ever he went. He practiced slash and burn to keep the area clean – like everyone at that time-.
I remember my first outing distinctly: my parents took me to the campsite using the Forest Road, and for some reason, the car lights went out, oops: It was so dark that it gave me comfort just being able to see the treetops as the road opened up. We were in the middle of the jungle!
Just before being awarded my second class badge, I almost drowned while camping and canoeing at Camp Chagres. I was a weak swimmer, but my buddy Melvin Saenz convinced me to go to the floating dock where the canoes were. Madden Lake was high on those days, and halfway through the swim, I became tired and jumped on top of Melvin, pushing his head underwater. Understandably, He pushed me off, and down I went! I remember seeing the other scouts and leaders jumping into the water and moving the canoes towards me as I boobed up and down. In honestly, on the last submersion, I stayed under over two minutes until I felt an arm brushing mine and swiftly pulled me up. Francis Hernandez, a Life Scout that wore crutches, save me. The endnote of this story came when on the next Court of Honor, my savior received the Lifesaving Medal: It was at that moment that my mother found out about the whole episode! Needless to say, my swimming lessons started the following week. I had often tried to find Francis to thank him, but his family moved off the isthmus as his dad’s tour of duty ended.
Another Camp Chagres anecdote comes to mind during the silent-solo night while in the jungle, during the Order of the Arrow Ordeal. Scary, to say the least! OA ceremonies at Camp Chagres were impressive.
I went back to Camp Chagres late in the 1990s with Dan Pagenta and Luis Rodrigez, and it was but a shadow of its former self. The jungle reclaimed the plain and most of the other campsites. My beloved Guasimo was barely recognizable; its latrine shed was still standing. Cattle pastured over the areas. Even though this area was/is under the custody of the Ministry of the Environment, they were no plans to use it as a teaching or recreational facility. That was disheartening.
My best memories of Scouting were at Camp Chagres. The staff and volunteers made it an unforgettable experience for all of us tenderfoots.
Be Prepared.
A.J. Dutari
Panama Canal Pilot
ajdutari@gmail.com
on May 31st, 2021 at 10:15 pm
I was an army brat. We lived at Ft. Sherman. Ft. Davis and Ft. Clayton. We were in Panama from Aug. 1961 to Aug. 1964. I was in scouts during those years. I loved my summer camps at Camp Chagres. I earned so many merit badges, ranks, mile swim and, top of the list……getting tapped into the Order of the Arrow. Attending the council bonfires at night was an almost out-of-body experience. It was mesmerizing. That big fire in front of that huge tree with the Thunderbird figure mounted up high to the tree. So much fun for a young boy. I wish life could always be so enriching.
on March 11th, 2022 at 11:33 pm
I was in Troop 22 in 82/83, Webelos before that. Got my 50 miler canoeing the canal and spent some fun times at Gamboa, capture the flag was the best. Troop 22 was indeed the largest troop, it was huge and we were proud.
on May 10th, 2023 at 9:49 pm
I was in Troop 13, Rodman Naval Base in the early 1970s. I was wondering if anyone remember the name(s) of the scout leaders.