Philmont celebrates its one-millionth visitor

This summer, Philmont Scout Ranch celebrated its 75th season and its one-millionth visitor. Awesome, right? 

The high-adventure base has come a long way since its first season in 1939, during which 196 visitors pitched a tent on the grounds of the 35,857 acres donated by Waite Phillips. At that time, the property was called the Philturn Rockymountain Scoutcamp. (Click to enlarge the map here that depicts what the camp was like in the 1940s.)

An article from the December 1940 edition of Scouting magazine describes Philturn as a “glorious adventure spot” for Scouts. B. B. Dawson, director of the camp at the time, writes: “There must be something out there, fellows, that will bear looking into if you are in search of the real old-timer type of Western adventure.” (If you want to reminisce, find the full article here.)

Was your troop or crew among the 22,000-plus campers who helped celebrate this milestone at Philmont this summer?