ON TO THE PACIFIC! This was the third National Boy Scout Jamboree held July 17-23, 1953, on the Irvine Ranch., California. (Today, Jamboree Drive and Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Center in Newport Beach.)

One of the largest of the 15 National Jamborees, it spread over 3,000 acres on one of the last Spanish Grant Ranches in the US. It was attended by over 45,500 Scouts and leaders who stayed in 30,000 tents. This was the first jamboree held west of the Mississippi River. It had a fire company, a bank, a theater, a hospital, a telephone office, a U.S. Post Office, stores and even a zoo. People called it "Tent City" and "Jamboree Town." Boy Scouts, leaders and their guests came from 16 foreign countries and all 48 states as well as Alaska and Hawaii to participate.

Go West with the whole country on a westword movement. It was the single biggest peacetime rail movement of personal, troops, equipment, and food to date, in the nation

Organization 45,000 boys can eat a staggering amount of food. According to records at the Irvine Historical Museum they consumed about 600,000 quarts of milk, 170,000 loaves of bread, 34,000 pounds of butter, 50,000 chicken drumsticks, 500,000 eggs, 200,000 pounds of meat, 500,000 rolls and 63,000 pies and that doesn't even cover the hot dogs, pancakes, cans of orange juice and a whole lot more.

It took 48 railroad carloads of charcoal and 90 railroad carloads of food alone to supply everyone for the week according to reports. There was also a monumental task of lying almost eighty-eight miles of pipe to bring 3 million gallons of water to the Jamboree each day.

And Fun There were many shows including a rodeo and fireworks with several Hollywood stars making the trip to Orange County to entertain the all, including Bob Hope, Debbie Reynolds, Danny Kaye, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans with Roy's horse, Trigger.

The Albion Malleable Iron Company provided Albion Mi. area Boy Scouts with a "miniature foundry" that was one of the most popular attractions at the event. The boys demonstrated pouring molten aluminum into molds and casting them as neckerchief slides in the shape of the seventh Scout region emblem. Scouts from other troops watch as Dave Farley pours the aluminum into the mold, assisted by Frank Rote (striped shirt) and Alden Hensel (far left). A finished neckerchief slide is presented to pioneer scout leader Dan Beard (left). Next are scouts Jim Pritchard of Homer, Dave Farley, and Don Henderson.