Leadership Challenge at the Summit

Leadership Challenge at the Summit

• Leadership Challenge at the Summit Syllabus

• Old Man of the Mountains Narration at SLC

Please refer to all other sections on our Philmont Leadership Challenge page.

Resources for Scouting

• Almost Heaven - The Story of the Summit

• SLC Chaplins Aide Faculty Reflections

• SLC Inspiration Guide

• SLC Journal Prompts

• SLC 2025 Recruiting Guide

• SLC 2025 CD Vision Statement

• SLC 2025 CD Faculty Development and Feedback

• SLC 2025 Recruiting Tips

• SBR Low Cope Stations  (under development)

• CDC Guidebook for LC and NAYLE

Indigenous Inhabitants

Books:

• “The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology’s Greatest Mystery” by J.M. Adovasio and Jake Page (covers early Paleo-Indians).

• “Mound Builders of Ancient North America” by E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis (classic study on Adena culture).

Online Resources:

• National Park Service: Adena Culture

• Indigenous Peoples’ Timeline: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

Early Exploration

Books:

• “Exploring the Appalachian Frontier: The Exploration and Settlement of the Cumberland Gap” by Nancy O’Malley.

• “West Virginia: A History” by Otis K. Rice and Stephen W. Brown.

Online Resources:

• West Virginia Division of Culture and History: Early Exploration

• Library of Congress: New River History

Colonial Period and Treaties

Books:

• “The American Colonies: A History” by Alan Taylor (covers treaties like Fort Stanwix and Albany).

• “The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830” by R. Douglas Hurt.

Online Resources:

• Native American Rights Fund: Historical Treaties

• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: Treaties and Colonial Expansion

 Statehood and Civil War

Books:

• “Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War’s Aftermath” by Andrew L. Slap.

• “West Virginia and the Civil War: Mountaineers Are Always Free” by Mark A. Snell.

Online Resources:

• West Virginia State Archives: Statehood History

• Civil War Trust: West Virginia and the Civil War

Industrial Growth

Books:

• “Appalachian Coal Mining Memories: Life in the Coal Fields of Virginia’s New River Valley” by Mary B. La Lone.

• “When Miners March” by William C. Blizzard (focuses on labor and coal industry development).

Online Resources:

• Coal Heritage Trail: National Coal Heritage Area

• West Virginia Geological Survey: Coal Mining History

West Virginia Coal Wars

Books:

• “Thunder in the Mountains: The West Virginia Mine War, 1920-21” by Lon Savage.

• “Bloodletting in Appalachia: The Story of West Virginia’s Four Major Mine Wars and Other Thrilling Incidents of Its Coal Fields” by Howard B. Lee.

Online Resources:

• Mine Wars Museum: West Virginia Mine Wars

• PBS Documentary: The Mine Wars

The Summit and Modern Legacies

Books:

• “Scouting Frontiers: Youth and the Scout Movement’s First Century” by Nelson R. Block and Tammy M. Proctor (covers BSA’s impact).

• “Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice” by Bruce Martin et al. (great for leadership development in outdoor settings).

Online Resources:

• Summit Bechtel Reserve: Official Website

• Project Arrow Overview: BSA National

West Virginia Natural Heritage

• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Roger Tory Peterson

• Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont, Timothy P. Spira

• Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia, Lloyd H. Snyder Jr. and James G. Bruce

• Trees of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada, William M. Harlow

• Appalachian Trail Guide to West Virginia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, Appalachian Trail Conservancy

• The Appalachian Forest: A Search for Roots and Renewal, Chris Bolgiano

• Mammals of the Eastern United States, John O. Whitaker Jr. and William J. Hamilton Jr.*

• Amphibians and Reptiles of West Virginia, Thomas K. Pauley and Michael A. Pague

• Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail, Leonard M. Adkins*

• The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail, Brian B. King

• A Naturalist’s Guide to the Southern Blue Ridge Front, Donald W. Linzey

• Mountain Nature: A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians, Jennifer Frick-Ruppert

• The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier, Mari-Lynn Evans and Robert Santelli

• Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians, Scott Weidensaul

• Hiking West Virginia, Mary Reed

• Paddling Southern West Virginia, Paul Davidson and Ed Grove

• Backpacking Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland: A Guide to the Area’s Greatest Hiking Adventures, Johnny Molloy

• Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Virginias, David Lillard and Gwyn Hicks

• Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia: A Hiking and Photography Guide, Randall Sanger

West Virginia Historical and Cultural Heritage

• Appalachian Folklore Omens, Signs and Superstitions, Nancy Richmond and Misty Murray-Waite

• Historical Notes on Fayette County West Virginia, Rev. C. Shirley Donnelly, Fayette County Historical Society

• West Virginia, Barbara Somerville, Children’s Press

• A History of West Virginia, Ana Egan Smucker, Charleston, WV: West Virginia Book Company

• Appalachian Tales & Heartland Adventures, Randy Pease

• Bee Line March, Lee Maddex,  e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia

• Ghosts, Spirits, and Hauntings of Appalachia, H. Eugene Poe

• Whispering Spirits of the Appalachian Foothills, Nancy Richmond and Misty Murray-Waite

• The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales, Ruth Ann Music

• Foxfire 2: Ghost Stories, Spring Wild Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Custom, Corn Shuckin's, Wagon Making, and More Affairs of Plain Living, Eliot Wigginton

• Appalachian Folkways, John B. Rehder

• West Virginia Ghost Stories, Legends, Haunts, and Folklore, Tony Urban

Native American Heritage

• The Shawnee and Their Neighbors, 1795-1870, Stephen Warren**

• West Virginia and the Captains of Industry, John Alexander Williams

• The Mingo: Their Wars and Their Treaty,  Jared C. Lobdell

• The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears, Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green

• The History of the Delaware Indians: As Told by the Preacher John Heckewelder, John Heckewelder

• Susquehannock Indians: An Account of the Tribe and Its Habitat in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Barry C. Kent

• The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier, Mari-Lynn Evans and Robert Santelli

The Bechtel Family

• The Bechtel Story: An American Dream, Clinton Trowbridge

• The Bechtel Diaries, Fred Bechtel

• Building the World: An Encyclopedia of the Great Engineering Projects in History, Frank P. Davidson and Kathleen Lusk Brooke

• Friends in High Places: The Bechtel Story: The Most Secret Corporation and How It Engineered the World, Laton McCartney

Duty to God

• Duty to God Resources at Bechtel Summit