<Begin Segment 11>

EA: Did you participate in any of the sports leagues that the Boy Scouts had?

HK: In any of the sports?

EA: Yeah, the Boy Scouts, they also had sports leagues, right?

HK: Okay. I do not recall participating in any of the sports leagues in Scouts.

EA: Were there other organized activities for boys to do in camp besides the Boy Scouts that you were aware of?

HK: Well, I guess there was some baseball leagues because I remember seeing some games there in the block, because the baseball field was just adjoining Block 28. And there were football games. The football games mainly were the high school team. Other than that... and I saw videos of, like a sumo tournament for adults, but I don't recall any other special organized athletics. (Narr. note: There were basketball games in eh new high school gym.)

EA: Did your Scout troop ever do any activities with, like, white scout troops from neighboring areas?

HK: Not that I can recall. I've just seen and read stories about how troops from outside came in and did some activities with the Heart Mountain (troops), but I never participated in any troop activities with any troop from outside the camp.

EA: So were the Boy Scouts, was it a big part of your life in camp that you remember, or was it just one of the things that you did? How significant was being a part and participating in the Boy Scouts for you?

HK: For me it was a minor part, because when I joined the Boy Scout troop, I was the youngest one and knew the least amount, and so I would just follow along, mainly. And so I think I had more participation or experiences playing outside of the Scouting program.

EA: Did you get involved at all with, like, the drum and bugle corps there?

HK: I did not participate in what they called D&B.

EA: What was your impression of how other people saw the Boy Scouts at Heart Mountain? Did people see it as a positive activity, and were they interested in what the Boy Scouts were up to?

HK: Oh, okay. Well, I never talked to anybody, but I would assume that they knew about the Boy Scouts. And when they participated in these big programs, that was a positive part of camp life.

EA: But not a big thing for you? You were too busy breaking into the gym to play basketball.

HK: [Laughs] Okay, yes.

EA: Was your brother more involved? How involved was he with the Boy Scouts?

HK: Well, he must have been (involved) probably for a couple of years, because, as you know, it's a great experience. He became a Life Scout in camp.

EA: Oh, so that's quite high.

HK: That's just one step below Eagle. My understanding of that, they could not become an Eagle Scout because they didn't have the facilities or whatever. But at least my brother went all the way up to Life Scout. I was only able to get to what's called First Class. I think we joined there at the beginning level and (Tenderfoot), Second Class, First Class, and that's as far as I got.

EA: So did you work on earning merit badges? You must have, to get at least a couple.

HK: No, if I continued (when I got to the) level next would be getting merit badges. I did not get any merit badges. I don't know how many merit badges my brother got. I asked him, he says he couldn't remember, he doesn't have his merit badge sash anymore.

EA: Not a single merit badge for you, huh?

HK: Not a single one. I was lucky to pass (first class), you have to pass swimming in order to get First Class. And I barely struggled and passed the swimming test.

EA: So I've heard some, there was also some sad stories associated with the Boy Scouts there. Weren't there a couple of drownings that happened with some of the boys? Do you remember that?

HK: I remember something about that, but I don't know the details.

EA: Okay.

HK: So I don't know if the drowning was in the local river, the Shoshone River, or the swimming hole.

EA: It was the swimming hole.

HK: After a year they dug a big hole there on the camp site, and we had a big swimming pool.

EA: I think, at least the one that I'm thinking of happened at the swimming hole.

[Interruption]

BN: Did you know Norman Mineta, who was in your same block?

HK: No. And he was only there for (about two years) because the family left early.

BN: Actually, one thing I wanted to ask, following up with the Scouting is what did you do for uniforms, or did you bring them? Were they made, or did you even have anything?

HK: I guess maybe Sears Roebuck had scouting uniforms, I do not know.

BN: But you did have them?

HK: Yeah, we had uniforms.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.