Sixty years of Scouts in the East Texas pinewoods
Several generations of young people have had their first taste of Scouting's outdoor program here. This is how it started, and how it stayed a classic camp.
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1964
A new camp for a growing council
Scouting was growing across East Texas, and the council needed a camp to match. The East Texas Area Council opened a new Scout camp in Panola County — the land provided by George W. Pirtle, whose name it carries.
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The build
A capital campaign, and a dining hall
The facilities were built through the resources of a capital campaign headed by Robert Cargill. The Cargills personally funded the camp's dining hall — the building that still sits at the center of camp life, looking out over the lake.
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Crew 777
The staff who made it run
The summer camp program at GWP has been staffed by Crew 777. It is the camp staff who create the Scouting memories that last a lifetime — and over the years the color orange has been the traditional staff color, although Nehi purple has also had its time.
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Today
A classic camp, on purpose
The East Texas Area Council has maintained GWP as a classic Scout camp. Its enduring nature is evident right at the entrance, where the elements of the Scout Law greet all who arrive and drive through the gate.
Keeping it that way while still meeting the needs of today's youth and leaders takes real investment — which is what the GWP 60 Campaign is for.
Why it still matters
ETAC is committed to keeping GWP a first-rate resource for the enjoyment of young people of all ages, and as a site for strengthening character, physical and mental fitness, and good citizenship.
That is not nostalgia. A camp that has been doing this since 1964 has something a new facility cannot buy: the accumulated knowledge of how to take a twelve-year-old who has never slept outdoors and send them home changed.