Firecrafter’s first official document of operation, its constitution, wasn’t adopted until the end of the 1927 camping season.  It was written by Chief Alfred Chouinard and Advisor Norton. The preamble contained the first formal statement of the principle by the growing organization: “The Firecrafter Organization’s one guiding principle is service to others.” The constitution set the organization on a solid foundation. The “Hill Ceremony” was written and kept in the Chief’s Box. The Chief’s box was a wooden box approximately 14”(l) x 6”(w) x 8”(h). The names and year of every chief was wood burned into one of the surfaces of the box. The side of the box had the Firecrafter Chief’s emblem consisting of the Firecrafter emblem with three small yellow chevrons in the open part of the “C”. This box was subsequently passed on from chief to chief beginning in 1928 to sometime in the early 1980’s when it disappeared.

Having been founded in summer camp at Chank-Tun-Un-Gi, Firecrafter reflected the camping customs and facilities of its day.  Things have long since changed, so that it is difficult to associate the practices of the early days with the camp, as it exists today.  Many early Firecrafter meetings were held in a barn near Boy Scout Road.  Soon all the meetings were held in the K Hut, and later in the Field House.  Firecrafter Hill was in an area not commonly used by the other campers, near the south boundary of the camp. Firecrafter became more and more active and helpful, undertaking service projects of increasing difficulty.  It gained in prestige among the camp membership, with the result that eligible Scouts were attracted into the organization in increasing numbers.  


The attitude of the campers is reflected in one of the early songs, sung to the tune of a popular song of the day.

I want to be a Camper here,

Throughout its existence the Firecrafter idea has been tried and adopted in several councils throughout Indiana and in other parts of the country. As early as 1926 Firecrafter was the camp activity of choice at Camp Horseshoe Bend, of the Madison-Tipton County Council, near Ingalls, Indiana. Also, in 1926 seven Eagle Scouts and Mr. J. M. Guest, Scout Executive from the Gateway Area Council, La Crosse, Wisconsin attended Camp Chank-tun-un-gi and were initiated into Firecrafter. Unfortunately the Firecrafter Scroll does not record their names.  

Firecrafter had spread to several councils.  Here is a list of some of the known fires, Aurora Area Council, Aurora, IL; Champaign-Urbana (Arrowhead) Council, Champaign, IL, and Wayne Area (Whitewater Valley) Council, Richmond, IN; Kikthawenund Council Madison County, IN; Delaware County Council, Muncie, IN; Buffalo Trace Council, Evansville, IN; Lincoln Trails Council, Decatur, IL, Okaw Valley Council, Flora, IL, Sekan Area Council, Independence, KS, South Plains Area Council, Lubbok, TX, Wabash Valley Council, Terre Haute, IN; Licking County Council, Newark, OH; Grand Valley Council, Grand Rapids, MI; and Pottawattomi Council, Jones, MI.

Even a Scout Club was started at Shortridge High School. The officers were: Leslie Barlet, president; James Shoemaker, vice-president, and Richard Agster, secretary. Mr. Joel Hadley was the faculty sponsor. Evidence of Firecrafter would eventually be found in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Texas, and Pennsylvania.

A few unique facts of the time include: William Cook suggesting that a general camp reunion should be held one night each summer. This was the forerunner of the grand rituals. Also, at this time Chief Belzer pushed for a scroll to be created listing all of the members’ names.  Also during this era, the tradition of having cracker barrel after the Hill ceremony became official.  This came about in 1937, when older junior staff would sneak into the Mess Hall late at night after the Hill ceremony and steal pies that the cook would bake.  Herman Reese reported on the food situation in 1937 and it was decided that pie and ice cream would be served to all Firecrafters after the Hill ceremony.  The tradition has held up all of those years.

Marion Disborough would go on to become a Scouting professional in the Buffalo Trace Council in Evansville, Indiana.  This may have led to the introduction of Firecrafter at Camp Pohoko.  Disborough moved on from there in 1943 when he became Scout Executive of Sekan Area Council in Independence Kansas.  Going off of his original idea that was not accepted in the Central Indiana Council, when he started Firecrafter at Camp Cauble, Disborough used a red border on all three ranks.  Uniquely, when Sekan Area Council went with the nationally recognized Order of the Arrow instead of Firecrafter, they named their lodge “Mi-Ni-Ci-No”.  

World War II and the late '40's brought many changes in the world, Scouting, and Firecrafter.  The trend of mass camping was fading and the move to individual troops camping with their own leadership was gaining favor. Chief Belzer retired June 1940, and Homer T. Gratz was his successor. However Gratz was only here a short time before joining the Navy in 1941. Delmar H. “Skipper” Wilson followed serving from 1941 to 1950.  There was a big problem with the Firecrafter program at camp. The Firecrafter candidacy was geared for a two-week candidacy with the ritual held at the end of the two-week period. By 1949, Firecrafter was forced to go to a five-day candidacy.  For some time Firecrafter refused to adapt the candidate’s card to the shortened period or the revised rank requirements.  By 1950, “Skipper” Wilson was succeeded by Frank Chase as Council Executive. It was suggested by National to Chase that, as Executive of the Central Indiana Council, he should try to drop the Firecrafter program in favor of the supported OA program. Very quickly it became apparent that the local community leaders, involved with the Scouting program, were strongly against such a move.