This was the 50th Anniversary patch for camp and it featured a map of the camp's boundaries at the time. Note that almost half of the camp's land was located across 9th Street around Fish Camp Pond. This land has long since been sold, but is still in it's natural state. I've been told that it was used at the time for wilderness survival. The area in red on the patch was the original boundary of the camp: more or less the are from the waterfront to the fishing area and a little ways up the hill to the administration building. Notice also that the area where Cedars Cabin is today had not yet been purchased, and the FBAC in the lower right hand corner is short for Fruit Belt Area Council, as the Southwest Michigan Council wasn't formed until 1973.
My best guess is that this patch dates from 1972 or 1973. There is a wooden patch similar to this design hanging on the wall in the dinning hall that is marked with an early 1970's date.
This patch is significant for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is the first of the long lasting "Bird" series, which went into the 1990's. Second of all, it is the first "Early Bird" patch that I know of. In an attempt to entice troops to sign up for camp early the council (now the Southwest Michigan Council) offered an extra patch to those troops who signed up for camp before a particular date. These were always known as the "Early Bird" patches and often featured a similar design as the standard issue patch for the year. In this case the 1976 patch is almost exactly the same, with the exception that it is much more colorful.
I've never seen the actual 1977 patch, but I wouldn't hesitate to say that this is one ugly patch!
Note that the Early Bird patch in this case is a similar design to the regular 1978 patch.
I wish they could have come up with a better color scheme for the year I was born, but oh well….
I like this one because the gold stitching in the center is sparkly.
Go back to my RKSR Patches Guide