BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT PATHFINDERS
The early years. From 1900 to 1907, several churches and schools experimented successfully with junior societies, and in 1907, in Mount Vernon, Ohio, official church action was taken recognizing these efforts and recommending the concept to the church at large. A "Standard of attainment" manual was developed which was the forerunner of the "Progressive Clashes". By 1911, several boys' clubs, such as the Takoma Indians and the Woodland Clan, started to form in Maryland. In 1919, the Mission Scouts, directed by A. W. Spalding, formed in Tennessee and adopted a Pledge and Law, the basis of our present Pledge and Law.
The formative years. In 1920, Harriet Holt joined the General Conference as a junior youth specialist. During the next two years, the Junior Missionary Volunteer Society (JMV) and the JMV Progressive Classes were formed. These included the friend, Companion, and Comrade (now Guide). In 1930, the Adventurer classes (Busy Bee to Helping Hands) were added. The first 16 adventist youth honors made their debut in 1928. Summer camps also started during this time. The first was held in Town Line, Michigan, in 1926. In 1927, Wisconsin joined the fun, and by 1928, Illinois and others joined as the idea spread across the country. Early leaders of these camps included A. W. Spalding, G. H. Smith, G. R. Fattic, R. MacKenzie, W. Holbrook, and E. W. Dunbar.
The Pathfinder Years. While the name Pathfinders was used earlier for various local clubs, the first conference-sponsored club bearing the name was organized in 1946 at Riverside, California. The Club director was Francis Hunt, and the conference youth director was John H. Hancock, who designed the Pathfinder emblem. In 1949, the General Conference accepted the Pathfinder Club concept and organization. The Pathfinder flag was designed two years later by Henry Bergh, who also wrote the Pathfinder song in 1952. The first Pathfinder camporee was held in 1954 in Southwestern California, and the first Union Camporee was held in Sweden for the North Europe-West Africa division in 1971. The first North American Camporee was held in August 1985, High in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.