Senior Girl Scout Roundup 1956

June 29, 1956 - July 11, 1956

Highland State Park, Milford, Michigan

Theme "Americana"

-TRAVEL UNIFORM -

Based on several newspaper photos Girl Scouts and adults traveled in uniform to the Roundup.

The uniform was either:

Mariner Girl Scout uniform with the official 1956 Roundup patch on the left breast pocket.
Senior Girl Scout Alternate uniform of dark green skirt, white blouse with the official 1956 Roundup patch on the left breast pocket, the trefoil printed tie, and the "overseas" style hat.

Patch

&

The First Lady was officially and formally invited to the Roundup. She declined, but sent a note.

Official Information Packet

Roundup Hankerchief

Charleton Heston was a guest speaker on

July 4, 1956. He spoke on the how the

freedom of America was linked back to Moses.

He was the star of the movie

"The Ten Commandments" that would debut

in October 1956. He played the biblical Moses.

Forgotten Highlights of the 1956 Roundup:

Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran was also a guest speaker. She was voted one of the top 10 most admired women by campers. She was well known at the time because she was the first woman to break the sound barrier in 1953. She was also known as an aviation pioneer and really good at aviation racing.

This photo, shown above, was carried in several newspapers in the summer of 1956. It shows a Brazilian Girl Scout swapping with an American Girl Scout at the Roundup.

Also voted one of the top 10 most admired women by the campers and a speaker at the Roundup was Lillian M Gilbreth. Two lighthearted movies were made based on her life. She was an amazing woman. There are many "1st" in her long list of accomplishments. Books have been written about her! Wikipedia notes that she was a "genius in the art of living." And yes - she had 12 children. I wonder how many were Girl Scouts?

Souvenir Eye-Spy trinket & view

3 things you can count on the newspapers photographing at any Girl Scout camp:

Girl Scouts cooking something outdoors
Girl Scouts "trying to stay pretty" in the outdoors
Girl Scouts in different outfits

Souvenir Compact shown above

Who camped at the first national Senior Girl Scout Roundup? Girl Scouts & Girl Guides from:

all 48 states (Alaska & Hawaii were not yet states)
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal Zone (U.S. territories)
Canada
Columbia
Brazil
Denmark
Norway
Great Britain
British West Indies
Mexico

Souvenir ball-chain necklace

Souvenir plate

Souvenir Directory

Clasp

for a bolo-tie

Uniform while in camp:

White Crew style Cap with emblem

Girl Scout SS Blouse with emblem

Bolo-tie with Roundup clasp

Green Girl Scout "Bermuda" shorts

Dark Green Girl Scout knee socks

Sturdy Shoes

Tours and excursions were part of the camping experience and included such places as:

Thomas Edison's homestead and laboratory
Stephen Foster's memorial
The Wright Brothers' bicycle shop
Henry Ford's birthplace & chapel
Henry Ford Museum

Another destination was the Ford Rotunda at the Ford River Rouge plant. Now almost forgotten, at one time was the 5th most popular tourist destination in America! After the World's Fair it was moved to this location. Known for it's Christmas Festivals, 20 ft. rotating globe and a the first real-world use of R. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome as well as telling the history of Ford cars and upcoming models. Burned to the ground in 1962 and not replaced.

Another Forgotten Highlight...

It takes a lot of work and cooperation to run a Roundup for 12 days. Just take a look at some of the people who contributed to the cause.

1956 Smokey Bear poster was issued by the

US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

in cooperation with GSUSA. Shows Smokey Bear

with a Senior Girl Scout in Roundup uniform.

2 versions were offered:

With the Roundup information listed
Without Roundup information printed at the bottom.

3 Pageants were held during the Roundup. These would be performed in front of the entire camp plus visitors in the evening. Some parts would be cast prior to the camp, allowing the campers to learn their parts and create costumes. Other parts were cast during the camp.

All three pageants were produced by Mrs. Martha Coe, a New York City concert pianist known to radio and TV, as well as part of the Girl Scouts.

The first pageant was a celebration of the 4th of July.It included famous speakers and a military fly-over.
The second pageant was July 7th and called The American Festival. It included the history of America from the caveman period, to Ponce de Leon, the Pilgrims, Indian tribes, California 49ers, and Rosie the Riveters of World War II and more. The Flint (Michigan) Orchestra played the background music.
The third pageant was on July 9th and was written by Dorothy Fields (author of Annie Get Your Gun and other Broadway shows).It was called The Girl Scout Story and told the history of Girl Scouting.

And when it's all said and done...

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One version of the 1956 Roundup postcard

Girl Scout Leader magazine, October 1956

In 1957 GSUSA received $1,000 and an award from the Freedom Foundation in its annual American Awards class for the

Senior Girl Scout Roundup 1956.

The foundation annually honors Americans in all walks of life for outstanding efforts in improving public understanding of constitutional rights and freedoms inherent in the American way of life. - INS newswire service

Girl Scout All-States Encampments

Senior Girl Scout Roundup - 1956 | Senior Girl Scout Roundup 1959 | Senior Girl Scout Roundup 1962

Senior Girl Scout Roundup 1965 | Girl Scout Roundup 1968 | Girl Scouts Jubilee 1986 | Girl Scouts Diamond Jubilee 1987

...

Vintage Girl Scout Online Museum