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Show Copyright 1991 Orem-Geneva Times THE LORD BADEN-POWELL MEMORIAL EDITION January 30, 1991 81 YEARS OF SCOUTING i SCTflWffi MM W W Clyd WeekS lf ! vLamelol Oram's Gordon M. Thomas, Trustee of the Forest of Camelot, declares his son, Nathan, a Knight of the Round Table in a special investiture ceremony conducted this week. Gordon Thomas is a long-time Boy Scouter and Webelos Nathan is starting on his trail to the Eagle. King Arthur's sword Excaliber was used in the ceremony. Camelot . . . The very name of that storied lqngdom evokes visions of brave knights, kings and fair ladies, playing out their parts in a storied legend that still captures the imaginations of people to this day. The fabled land of song and story seems to reach out from the past with its principles of honor and chivalry to set a lofty standard stand-ard to which noble people may aspire. The demise of Camelot came about through the greed and corruption cor-ruption of some of its people. The light and vision of Camelot was extinguished. The round table, King Arthur and Camelot were destroyed. At the death of Arthur the sword, "Excalibur" was returned to the hand of "The Lady of the Lake" until the people would once again live by the principles of chivalry and honor. But there are those who remember the ancient promise: 'and Camelot shall come again..." CAMELOT TODAY Meanwhile, in the County of Utah, in the State of Utah, lies a forest and adjacent meadowlands, located next to Utah Lake, between the modern towns of Provo and Springville. Hobble Creek and Spring Creek both flow through this forest. There are deer, various small animals, and many varieties of birds and plant life that live on the land. It is said that in the nearby Town of Orem, Squire Gordon Max Thomas is the Trustee of this enchanted property. Since 1937, Squire Thomas' family has claimed ownership of the property. proper-ty. Back at the turn of the century a two-story hunting lodge and hotel were maintained on the property by Squire Jesse Knight and his merry men. OLD LODGE For many years Squire Thomas and his family used part of the old lodge building as a "tack" shed for the storing of saddles, sad-dles, harnesses and farming tools. Some of the stones from the old foundation were still visible until 1982 when the unruly waters of Utah Lake flooded the land. It was not until the merry month of May in 1988 that the waters receded, and Squire Thomas could evaluate the damage. Dead trees, driftwood and garbage were strewn everywhere. The meadows were covered with silt, thistles and weeds. Water from the Spring Creek stood in stagnant puddles over much of the meadowland. WORTHY QUEST Squire Thomas could see that removing the dead trees and clutter clut-ter from the forest would be a worthy quest for valiant Boy Scouts. Victor Billings, a local Explorer Ex-plorer leader, remarked as to how close the forest was to the nearby town of Orem. 'Why, it's almost like having Robin Hood's forest right in our own backyard!" he declared. And then, the inspired thought came to Squire Thomas: "Not Sherwood Forest, but the Forest of Camelot!" District Scouting Chairman Paul Craig saw the vision of "Camelot," and proposed a project for some older Scouts to design and build a genuine "Round Table" somewhere in the forest. A proper place for the round table was found just south of an old flowing well. CAMELOT AGAIN! Somehow, the word was passed that "Camelot has come again!" Boy Scout troop committees commit-tees soon became involved in the Camelot Project. Chain saws cut dead trees into fireplace logs. Boys cut and hauled 40 truck-loads truck-loads of wood to townspeople with hungry fireplaces. The silver went into their Scout treasury. Squire Thomas decreed that camping and activity sites would be located along the creek, and trails were traced through the forest. The small animals and birds in the forest were excited to . . m .-' Focal point of the Forest of Camelot are these two great wooden icons: the Great Hand Tree, reaching upward, and the Totem of Camelot Forest. The Totem, carved by Marc Critzer, portrays the legend and the symbols of Camelot. f 7 I The Totem of Camelot Forest The God of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars Fashioned a prophet and a seer Whose name was "Emrys. " And the people called him "Merlin." Into the hands of this prophet, God gave the princeling son ofUtherPendragon To be tutored. And the boy was called "Arthur." As the boy grew, He learned the magic of music And the skills of manly arts; And how to read and to write In Latin and Welsh. And when the time had been fulfilled..., "The Lady of the Lake" gave to him "Excalibur, ' The sword of Justice And Right. And she gave to him "The Silver Spear ofMacsen" With its magical power to bring unity Among peoples who differed in Opinion and background. And Merlin constructed "The Table Round." And they brought together the finest Of the knights from all the realm To help Arthur make the laws and govern. And the Land of Camelot Became legendary through the accomplishment Of their great quests, Their noble Deeds, And their Law of Chivalry. And there was peace and prosperity And hope ana beauty in Camelot, Because of their hearts... They sought integrity with self, And service towards mankind. So take...drink of this water of life, And then go forth and prepare... "For Camelot shall come again. " -Gordon Max Thomas Guarding the trails through the Forest of Camelot are, left to right: Sir True North, Merlin the Magician, Sir North Star and Sir Magnetic North. King Arthur's knights greet visitors to the magic forest. find their habitat growing and glowing, again. Young men and young women caught the vision of Camelot, as they joyfully tended the land with shovels, pruning hooks, saws and rakes. SCOUTER THOMAS Over the years, Squire Thomas has served in important stewardships with the Boy Scouts of America, and at present, he is a member of the Executive Board of the Utah National Parks Council. Coun-cil. According to Squire Thomas, "When Baden-Powell and his associates as-sociates organized the Boy Scouts in Great Britain in the early 1900s, some of the sparkle and spirit they put into Scouting was drawn from the great British legends of King Arthur and noble deeds of his Round Table. They took the legendary laws of "chivalry" and "duty" and wrote them down as 'The Scout Law" and "The Scout Promise." THE ROUND TABLE 'When they chose the Fleur-de-lis to be the international Scout symbol, they chose one of the ancient symbols of heraldry that had also been used by the knights on their shields and banners. ban-ners. And the "Round Table?" It became the name for Scouting leadership meetings!" In the Forest of Camelot is a flowing well that produces water like magic. Little wonder that it is called "Merlin's Well." Honey bees inhabit a real, wild honey tree, and nearby is a big, old Cottonwood tree that had shaded the old hunting lodge. One day, Squire Thomas looked at that big tree with new eyes. He saw the unusual shape of a human hand, reaching upward out of the ground. It seemed to personify the "Lady of the Lake," reaching out to catch the sword Excalibur. GREAT HAND TREE Today, a rustic amphitheater is situated in front of "The Great Hand Tree" where scouts can sit around a campfire, watching programs. The trails in the Forest of Camelot lead the sojourner of today through the stuff of which legends are made. Standing beside be-side "The Great Hand Tree," is the magnificent "Totem of Camelot Forest," depicting King Arthur and Merlin, along with the sword and other emblems of Camelot. TRAILS OF CAMELOT Other trails lead to three knights of the Round Table and Merlin, carved from trees; Ar-chemedes, Ar-chemedes, the owl; Merlin's chair; a magnificent carved eagle; and other flora and fauna of the forest. For over 90 years a great tree grew in the forest, nesting birds and shading men. today, the old tree is dead, but its branches still reach to the sky like some great hand in the Forest of Camelot. As Squire Thomas says, "In the forest the great tree stands, still waiting. Waiting for gentle folk with vision. ..willing to build Camelot.. .once again." "S?t w ' tI ft I TS . 1 Victor Frandsen, 90-year old Springville patriarch, sits in Merlin's Chair found in the Forest of Camelot. The throne-like seat was carved from a tree of the same age which grew in the forest -Camelot Photos by Rell G. Francis |