Jamboree Road is one of the major thoroughfares in Orange County, running from just west of Irvine Lake, all the way south to Pacific Coast Highway.But it used to be just a gravel road running from the Irvine Ranch Boy Scout Troop 36 Clubhouse, near Irvine Boulevard and Myford Road, down to Newport Beach, about 8 miles of road. It was created in 1953, in preparation for the third National Boy Scout Jamboree held July 17-23, 1953.
The Jamboree was the first ever held west of Mississippi River. It was a big event for Orange County, perhaps one of the key events putting Orange County on the map.
The site of the Jamboree is located where today's Newport Center and Eastbluff communities in Newport Beach now stand.
At the height of the festivities, the Jamboree was a city unto itself. People called it, "Jamboree Town". Peggy Goetz, wrote an article about the Jamboree which appeared in the Irvine World News...
It had a fire company, a bank, a theater, a hospital, a telephone office, a U.S. Post Office, stores and even a zoo. People called it "Tent City" and "Jamboree Town." It had about 50,000 residents living in more than 25,000 tents.If you know what the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is to the town of Sturgis, South Dakota, the Boy Scout Jamboree had the same significance in Orange County just over 50 years ago. Today, just the name of Jamboree Road is the only living reminder of that event.
Read more about the logistics that went into building and preparing for the 3rd National Boy Scout Jamboree in Peggy's article.
Do you remember the Boy Scout Jamboree? Click on "Post a Comment" below, and share them with us.
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17 comments:
I enjoyed my time at the Jamboree with lots of fond memories. I was 15 years old. It was quite a trip out from Ohio on the train. Coming out we came the southern route through Arizona etc. and returned through San Francisco, Utah and Colorado. When we arrived in Orange County at the train station we were given all the oranges we wanted, just to let us know where we were. Particularly I remember that I couldn't see what was going on at the main assemblies and realized that I needed glasses! Have worn them ever since. We swam in both the ocean and the great salt lake. Lots of fun.
The Jamboree and the attraction of California had a major impact on the life of this Texas kid. It was possible to send the kid back to Texas, but not take California from the kid.
I remeber the smell of the citrus groves when our Scout Special Train stopped in Fullerton.
After the heat and humidity of a mostly unairconditioned Texas (this was 1953) the dry climate of Irvine Ranch was bracing.
Standing on a hillside on Irvine Ranch looking down at Newport Beach and Balboa was sublime.
We were taken all over Orange and Los Angeles Counties in convoys of yellow school busses which were of a type we never saw in Texa, quite posh.
We boys were made to feel special and honored throughout our tours of Southern California. Hollywood, Knotts Berry Farm (there was no Disneyland yet)swimming at Huntington Beach.
Thanks for the memories.
An Old Scout
I also vividly remember the Jamboree. I was just a cub and so I was just a visitor. (My dad took me.) I remember the smellof army oiled canvas tents and that it was in the middle of no where(Then, not now).
The 1953 Jamboree started for this 13 year old upstate NY Scout on a train, our home for all but 10 days out of a 3 week trip of a life time.We saw Chicago, Denver,Salt Lake,Yellowstone,a working ranch etc. Our seats were converted to bunk beds at night( after some modifications in Chicago).I'll never forget all the movie stars and statesmen we met from Roy Rodgers to Richard Nixon. The main arena/ampitheater were mind-boggling as were the extravaganza of spectacular shows which were going on all the time thanks to the huge outpouring of support from Hollywood who were enjoying us as much as we enjoyed them. There is not enough money in the world to duplicate those 10 days now. The return train trip we visited Carlsbad Cavers, Grand Canyon,Reno(it was never the same after they unleashed a whole train full of scouts on the town's slots,casinos,etc where "we did not know we were not allowed".
I was born 1953, but my older brother Johnny Ressegue attended. I still have patches and other items including his letters home. I did get my chance to attand a National Jamboree in 1969. It was held in Idaho.
William Ressegue
Now in Palmdale, Ca
AS a parent and youth Scout Leader I am very proud to be involved in Scout Troop 36 located at Old Myford Road in Irvine. The history of Scouts, Irvine and the Jamboree is felt within the scout house and this alone provides an awesome experience to scouts today as the Jamboree did nearly 55 years ago.
Thanks to all the Scouts before my son, you have paved the road for so many leaders.
Michael Costello
Irvine, Ca.
I was twelve years old when I visited the Jamboree at Irvine Ranch for one day. Although I was a Boy Scout, later an Eagle, I wasn't able to be part of our contingent from Bethlehem, PA. But the visit to Irvine Ranch inspired me in many ways. It was a huge and wonderful event. I also experienced California the way is used to be. Wonderful memories.
Jack J. Lesyk, Ph.D.
Director, Ohio Center for Sport Psychology, Beachwood, OH
jjlesyk@SportPsych.org
I attended the Boy Scout National Jamboree in 1953.
No houses, just lots of acreage under cultivation in what was then the Old Irvine Ranch in Orange County, CA.
At the closing cerermony a candle lighting was held with all the Scouts and Vice President Richard Nixon in attendance.
Dorothy Lamour Hollywood movie star also visited the Jamboree.
That was a special event that a 15 year old kid will never forget.
Good times!
What a wonderful trip that was for a 13-year-old. I still have my Jamboree book, with green tents on its front and back cover. We saw sharks in Newport Bay, swam at the beach with helicopters overhead, took a boat ride around Alcatraz, visited Knob Hill, visited Beverley Hills, Knotts berry farm, when it WAS a berry farm, met Bob Hope, Monty Montana, Roy Rogers, Richard Nixon, and scouts from around the world. It was an experience of this old boy's lifetime. When we were at Irvine Ranch in 1953, there was not a permanent building in sight. How things have changed.
Vaun Skellenger
Prescott Valley, AZ
The trip to Irving Ranch was a first for our family. Traveling more than 50 miles from our home in central Texas was unheard of!
Later I would travel the world but this was a real breakthrough.
As an added bonus, the father of my North Carolina son-in-law was also at that Jamboree so we had an immediate bond well beyond our common experience as Boy Scouts.
I am the Grandaughter and Niece of my two uncles that all attended the Jamboree in 1953, I have a Pendent that My Grandfather brought home for his Mother - It is gold and reads Mother and off it hangs a gold locket with a pearlized finish and a gold pair of boots - I have always loved it - on the back of the locket it has a boy scout seal with the words National Boy Scout Jamboree 1953 CA... I am so proud to own it and know that my Grandfather was part of such a wonderful organization and was able to take his to sons to experience this event..
Utah
I was a member of troop 504 at Trinity Methodist Church, Darlington, SC and my Dad was the scoutmaster. My Father stayed home and paid my way with a small group from the area. We gathered in Florence, SC at the train station and connected with a train load of scouts that went through Atlanta, GA through Texas to California. It was a long, rocky ride with a lot of teasing, playing tricks, trading patches, and buying horned toads from the Texas troups. At Irving Ranch, we used cardboard on the grass hills and got cuts and bruses after long slides. The shows at night were great. I still have the patches and jackets as memories for my grandchildren.
I remember the scout jamboree of 53 very well. Still have a whet stone from that...
It was a great adventure for a boy of 12 and the composite troop from the Sam Houston Area council in Houston. The train ride through the rockies, the royal gorge and the Grand Canyon. I will never forget that summer. The people of Southern California were very generous and donated boats to take us out to Catalina Island. We brought horned frogs (a lizard native to Texas) to trade. I can remember the white dust of the Irvine ranch covering us by the end of the day. Just a great memory!
It was wonderful to read all these comments from people who attended the 1953 jamboree. I was an 11 year old boy from Marshall County, Alabama. We went on 4 buses across the country and camped on military bases along the way. A picture was made of me and a scout from Alaska. I was the shortest scout there and he was the tallest. Wish I had a copy of that picture. It was the trip of a lifetime. I think about it often and share my memories of the trip with my family.
The biggest shock is to go to Google Earth and see what the pasture land that enthralled this 13 year old in 1953 has become today.
noel funchess, Cleveland, MS
Approximately 300 scouts from KY, OH and WV left on a train from Louisville, KY for a 3 day trip out to the Jamboree. Those of us from Louisville were with a troop from Ft. Knox and the Army supplied much of the equipment we used. On the way out, we stopped in St. Louis, Kansas City and the Grand Canyon. We were met at the train station in CA by girls who gave us oranges. At the Jamboree site we found that the ground was so hard that tent stakes could not be driven in so we "dead maned" the stakes in a small trenches that we dug and poured water in to make "cement" to hold them in. When we broke camp at the end all that we could do was cut the ropes off at the ground level and leave the stakes there. Our troop stayed at the camp site for a few days after the Jamboree and went on side trips to Mt. Palomar, San Juan Capistrano, Huntington Beach, Knott's Berry Farm, etc. On the way home, our train made stops and we did tours in Salt Lake City, Denver, Yellowstone Park. Of course the major shows at the Jamboree are memorable with many Hollywood stars coming.
I have visited the area in recent years where the Jamboree was held and it is difficult to imagine what it was like in 1953 with dry baked earth and no trees.
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