Camp Cachalot

In October 1945 1 was separated from the service and was appointed Assistant Scout Executive to Richard Molby, then Scout Executive.

The first priority was to find a camp for the coming summer season. During the war years the Council has been using the Boys Club camp which would not be available for the 1946 camping season.

A search committee was appointed by Francis Quinn the Council President. This committee was made up of some Executive Board members, cranberry growers Roderick Beebe and John Makepeace, then President of Ocean Spray, some interested individuals from Wareham and the Miles Standish Forest Ranger. (I've tried to remember his name but my mind is a complete block.)

It turned out that the Ranger came up with the best piece of information. He told us a bout a large tract of virgin forest with three ponds adjacent to Miles Standish. According to Mr. Makepeace the owner of that property was Steinway, the New York piano maker. Mr. Makepeace arranged a meeting in New York with Mr. Steinway. Frank Quinn, Ray Covill, Raph Mutterperl, Bill O'Rourque and Roger Titus made the trip to New York. Mr. Steinway was reluctant to sell the property. Then he remembered how the scouts from Squanto Council Camp (50 acres) where always running on his summer home property. He stated: "With a thousand of acres the Cachalot scouts will never run on other people's property.” He then agreed to sell for the same price he paid during the depression–$12000.00.

The first summer (1946) we ran a work play projects camp. We took sixty scouts each week at the great cost of $6.00. The day was divided into work (8-10) clearing brush, searching for best campsites, keeping track of temperature and wind, making trails, etc. Afternoons were devoted to camp activities: boating, swimming, archery, baseball, volleyball, etc.

Most of the equipment the first couple of years were purchased from surplus Army and Navy warehouses. We obtained a new Army ten wheeler truck ($100), a huge dining tent (free), table and benches, utensils, dining trays, double bunk beds and mattresses, etc., again all free. This required many trips to Newport, Quonset and Boston, but well worth the effort.

A construction team, led by Ted Foster, built a combination first aid, administration and storage building in one day. They also sunk seven wells.

During the following spring construction crews from Foster and Al Loranger, Loranger Construction Company, on alternating Saturdays built all the tent platforms, docks, dining hall, sunk more wells, and erected a quonset hut on a foundation laid by the previous week. These crews would assemble in New Bedford by 7:30 and be at work at the camp by 8:00, and leave at 6:00 P.M. The competition between crews were amazing. The first question was always: "What did the other guys do last week." Bulldozers from the State Forest made roads into and around the camp prior the prior to first summer plus pushing out all the brush for a baseball and activities field.

I always will be proud of the fact that I was the first camp director and participated in the construction of Camp Cachalot for four years.

Roland J. Deneault