Camp Wolverton Patches
From the collection of Frank Glick

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1939  This is the first known camp patch or badge. It was made with very dark blue to almost black felt and white flocking, and has a fabric backing material. The camp was apparently not called “Wolverton” yet. Instead, before World War II, it was apparently first called the High Sierra or High Sierras camp in 1939 and 1940, and then the Sequoia Camp in 1941. (“Sierra” is a Spanish word; the correct term is the singular High Sierra, not the plural High Sierras.) The Crescent Bay Area Council issued a patch very similar to the Wolverton “1939 High Sierra GOOD CAMPER” patch for climbing Mt. Whitney; that patch says “14,495 CLUB CRESCENT BAY CNCL, B.S.A.”


1939

1940  This is a white sateen diamond-shaped patch with green flocking; it has a canvas backing. It says “1940 HIGH SIERRAS.” A combination of green, red, and blue ribbons were added to the bottom of this patch to show awards won, or activities participated in, during the Scout's week in camp.


1940

1941  This is a purple rectangle-shaped felt patch with gold ink lettering. It also shows a gold sequoia tree, possibly the General Sherman Tree in Giant Forest, and says “1941 SEQUOIA”. No known patches were issued to Scouts staying at Camp Wolverton during the summers of 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 because of World War II.  There was a green rectangle felt patch issued for a 1942 Pack Trip that started at Wolverton and ended at Mt. Whitney.


1941

1946  This was the first time the name “Camp Wolverton” appeared on a patch. It is also the first time the camp totem (a bear head) was used on a patch. This bear was known as the “Hamms Bear” because of his similarity to the bear used to advertise Hamms Beer. All of the camps in the Crescent Bay Area Council had a cartoon character totem during the late 1940s and the 1950s. This 3-inch diameter round patch is made of gold felt with no canvas backing material, is dated 1946. (The 1947 patch is identical to the 1946 patch but has no date.)  In subsequent years there were three colors of each patch to signify the “camp veteran” status of the Scout. The gold color was used for a Scout's first summer at the camp. (Gold is the most common color of Wolverton felt patches.) The white color was used for a Scout's second summer at the camp; and the blue color meant the Scout had been to the camp at least for three summers. Apparently the 1946 and 1947 patches were made in only the gold color felt.


1946

1947 The 1947 patch looks just like the 1946 patch except there is no year on it. There appears to be two slight varieties of the 1947 patch; both are 3 inches in diameter gold felt with no backing material. Both the 1946 and the 1947 patches are only inked on the felt; they have no flocking.


1947
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