Map of the United States completely surrounded by Texas
Cartographer:
Morgan, Dan
Date of Creation:
1949
“Holly-Wood-Fornia”, “Knee-va-dugh”, and “Arid-zona”…
This witty map, full of bold exaggerations as to how Texas is the biggest and best, and making terrible puns at the expense of the rest of the US, was issued as a “Souvenir 1950 – National Jamboree – Valley Forge, Pennsylvania Comanche Trail Council – Brownwood, Texas”.
The Comanche Trail Council, based at Lake Brownwood, sent a troop of Scouts and leaders to the first Boy Scout National Jamboree, held in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1937. The next jamboree was not held until after WWII in 1950, at Valley Forge, between June 27th and July 6th. Approximately 50,000 scouts were encamped at the original eighteenth century parade grounds. President Truman and General Eisenhower both spoke to the scouts, during the same week that the North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel. “Truman spoke of advocating fellowship and human brotherhood, while Eisenhower damned the invasion and hinted at U.S. intervention” (King of Prussia Historical Society online).
The scouting troops from Texas travelled by a special train to the Jamboree, via Santa Fe and Fort Worth. “The Jamboree opened with an aerial bomb after which all the flags of troops, states, nations and possessions all went to the top of the flag poles all over the camp. At 8 p.m. troops from all over the Jamboree site moved to the main arena for the opening program. There were about 120 acres of Boy Scouts and visitors present to hear first a speech by President Truman and then witness a pageant about Valley Forge. It included Washington on a white horse, foot soldiers in the Continental Army uniforms, covered wagons, cabins and other items. The highlight of the evening came when Washington kneeled on the huge stage, with blue lights focused on him, and offered the prayer that came from his lips when his troops were in such dire distress during that winter of some 175 years ago. The biggest thrill of the local Scouts was when the cameraman from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios came into their campsite and wanted to take pictures of the group in their Indian dress. They had five minutes in which to get dressed, but only took three. As they reported back to the Brownwood Bulletin, “News paper cameras and thousands of other cameras and movies came moving in at the same time and there is no telling how many thousands of pictures were taken of the Comanche Trail Council Comanche Indians. Special poses were required of the larger newspapers of the East. We surely will make somebody's headline pictures for the week” (Comanche Trail Council online).
Rare: no other examples recorded.