Scouting in Texas has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides Scouting for boys and girls in all programs. Texas is home to the BSA national headquarters, in Irving, Texas. The Boy Scouts of America in Texas are organized into 20 local councils.
Scouting in Texas unofficially dates to the publication of British lieutenant general Robert Baden-Powell's popular book, Scouting for Boys, in 1908. Even before a national organization had been started, groups of boys began Scout activities in troops and small groups in 1908, 1909, and 1910. The claims of several troops to be the first organized in Texas, whether before or after the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910, are difficult to verify. BSA archives do show that the thirty-seventh registered scoutmaster in the country was a Texan, Rev. George W. Sheafor, of Comanche, in 1910.[1]
In February 1910, just days after the Boys Scouts of America was organized, Boy Scout Troop 114 was established in Floresville, Texas by Professor W.H. Butler. A reference to the Floresville Boy Scout Troop can be found in the edition of April 2, 1911 of The Galveston Daily News when they published a picture of the Floresville troop. An article in the Victoria, Weekly Advocate (probably January 10, 1911 edition) refers to the Floresville Boy Scout troop as the second oldest in Texas. A short break in the troop's charter occurred in 1974. They no longer appear to be an active Troop.
Austin, TX Troop 5[2] was formed in 1911 and has been in continuous operation since that time. In 2011, Austin Troop 5 celebrated its 100th anniversary centennial at Camp Mabry. Troop 5 is believed to be the oldest continuously chartered scout troop in Texas.
In 1913 Troop 7 was established in Grapevine, Texas. The troop has been chartered every year since starting except 1979.
In 1916 Troop 1 was established in Wichita Falls, Texas. Troop 1 in Wichita Falls has been continuously chartered since 1916.
An African American troop was formed in Port Arthur as early as 1916. The BSA report to Congress for 1930 named Dallas as one of the southern cities in which Scouting was growing in the black community. Hispanic boys were also active in Scouting, often in units with non-Hispanic boys. Jewish youth had been active in Scouting in San Antonio for many years before a synagogue sponsored a troop for them in 1924.[1]
By 1918, unofficial Wolf Cub packs appeared in Paris, Texas.
The BSA national office was moved to Irving in 1979.
The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council traces its roots back to the 1920s when Frances Mann Law and Corrinne Fonde organized a Girl Scout Council in Houston.[3] The council office was in a three roomed cottage.
Most Girl Scouts of the USA units were originally segregated by race according to state and local laws and customs. The first troop for Mexican Americans was formed in Houston in 1922. In 1936, the first African American Girl Scout troop west of the Mississippi was formed in Texas.
The Girls Scouts' Camp Texlake was dedicated in 1949.
In 1919, the Beaumont Council (#565) was founded and changed its name to the Beaumont Area Council (#565) in 1934. In 1942 the council changed its name to the Trinity-Neches Council (#565). In 1970, Trinity-Neches merged into the Three Rivers Council (#578) with the Sabine Area Council.
In 1921, the Orange County Council (#578) was founded and was merged into Sabine Area Council (#578) in 1929. In 1970, Sabine Area merged into the Three Rivers Council (#578) with the Trinity-Neches Council.
In 1921, the Terrell Council was founded and closed in 1921.
In 1922, the Abilene Council (#561) was founded and changed its name to the Chisholm Trail Council (#568) in 1926. The Chisholm Trail Council merged with the Comanche Trail Council in 2003 to form the Texas Trails Council (#561).
In 1928, the Adobe Walls Council (#569) was founded and changed its name to Adobe Walls Area Council in 1934. In 1986 it merged with lano Estacado Council to form the Golden Spread Council (#562).
The Alamo Area Council, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, serves a 13 county area in Texas. The counties served by the Alamo Area BSA include Bexar, Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, La Salle, McMullen, Medina, and Wilson.
Organization
Districts
Fiesta District
River District
Coyote District
Roadrunner District
Oak Tree District
Mesquite District
Wildflower District (meta-district includes Scoutreach)
Prickly Pear District (meta-district includes Exploring)
Mission District (made up of units run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was dissolved at the end of 2019 when the Church dissolved all its scouting units)
The council is composed of:
Old Districts
Texas Hills District
Rough Rider District
Diamondback District
Summit District
Memorial District
Longhorn District
Cimarron District
Two Rivers District
Armadillo District
Victory District
Broken Arrow District
Cherokee District
Eagle District
El Dorado District
Four Rivers District
Galaxy District
Keystone District
Mission Tejas District
Phoenix District
Sioux District
Aztec District
Tomahawk District
Two Feathers District
These thirteen no longer have their old names, except Galaxy.
Camps
Alamo Area Council operates three camps: McGimsey Scout Park, where Cub Scout Day Camp is held during the summer, as well as other events throughout the year, Bear Creek Scout Reservation, where Boy Scout resident camp and Webelos resident camp are held during the summer, and the newest camp, the Mays Family Scout Ranch located south of downtown San Antonio.
The Capitol Area Council serves Scouts and Scouting volunteers in 15 Central Texas counties surrounding Austin. The council currently (when?) serves 24,000 young people, and is led by the current Scout Executive, Jon Yates.
First chartered by the National Council on January 20, 1937, by Joe Lindsay Jr. and Joe Lindsay Sr., Tonkawa Lodge #99 started as Tejas Lodge but was later changed to Tonkawa in 1938 with lodge 72 already having the name. Tonkawa Lodge #99 was proudly had one of its members become the Order of the Arrow National Chief in 2011, Jonathan "Bunker" Hillis. Currently Tonkawa Lodge #99 has 12 Chapters that are aligned and named with the above-mentioned Districts.
The Circle Ten Council serves BSA units in North Texas and a portion of Oklahoma. Its service area encompasses all or parts of Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro, Rains, Rockwall and Van Zandt Counties in Texas as well as Bryan County in Oklahoma. Founded in 1913 and based in Dallas, approximately 50,000 youth and 15,000 adults participate in Scouting through the council each year.
The council has four camps - Camp Wisdom, Camp James Ray, Clements Scout Ranch / Camp Trevor Rees-Jones and Camp Constantin / Jack D. Furst Aquatics Base. The Order of the Arrow is represented by Mikanakawa Lodge.
The Conquistador Council (No. 413), with its office in Roswell, New Mexico, primarily oversees BSA units in southeast New Mexico. However, Parmer County, Texas is included in the council territory because of its proximity to Clovis, New Mexico. There are no units chartered in Parmer County. The area is part of El Llano Grande District. The Kwahadi Lodge #78 of the Order of the Arrow serves local Arrowmen.
The Golden Spread Council (#562) serves Scouts in the Panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. Its service area includes all or part of 23 counties in Texas and three counties in Oklahoma.
The Longhorn Council serves Scouts in a 23 county area of North Texas and Central Texas. Its headquarters is in Hurst (near Fort Worth), with an additional service center in Waco.
Organization
The council is organized into 20 districts:
Aguila District, serving Soccer and Scouting[9] units in Fort Worth
NeTseO Trails Council serves Scouts in northeastern Texas (neT) and southeastern Oklahoma (seO) and has the Council Office in Paris, Texas on the west side of Loop 286. Council merged with Circle Ten 3/1/2017.
Organization
Two Rivers District
Northern Star District
White Oak District
Camps
Camp Frederick H. Dierks, Wright City, Oklahoma (sold 2017)
The Northwest Texas Council (#587) was founded in 1920. Based in Wichita Falls, the Northwest Texas Council serves almost 100 units in 12 Texas counties (Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, King, Knox, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, and Wilbarger).
Organization
The Northwest Texas Council has two districts:
Green Belt District
Red River District
Camps
Camp Perkins - a gift in 1941 from Mr. & Mrs. J. J. Perkins, is the primary camp for the council. It is about 400 acres (160 ha) located along the Red River.
The Rio Grande Council (#775) was formed in 1927 as the Lower Rio Grande Valley Council (#775). It changed its name in 1947 to the current name.[4] It covers 5 counties, including Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Starr & Zapata and it serves a membership of approximately, 4,000 youth and 1,500 adult leaders in the southernmost parts of Texas.
Organization
The Rio Grande Council has four districts:
Arrowhead District
Tip-O-Tex District
Arroyo District
Rio Bravo District
Camps
Laguna Station High Adventure Sea Base[11] is located on South Padre Island. Campers can gain SCUBA certification.
Camp Perry[12] was established in 1927 and has continuously operated as a Boy Scout Camp longer than any other such camp in Texas. Situated on the banks of the Arroyo Colorado, it covers over 260 acres (1.1 km2). There are twelve campsites at Camp Perry.
Camp Strake was a Boy Scout Camp in Southern Montgomery County, Texas off of I-45. The camp closed in December 2014. Camp Strake is moving to a rural site in the Sam Houston National Forest, between New Waverly and Coldspring near the community of Evergreen in order to create a 21st-century Scouting experience for Scouts and their leaders.[13]
El Rancho Cima Scout Reservation, a 2,680 acre mountain ranch purchased in 1953. It is located on the Blanco River near Wimberley, Texas in the Devil's Backbone of the Texas Hill Country. El Rancho Cima contains three main areas.[14] -
Due to devastating flooding at El Rancho Cima's River Camp on Memorial Day 2015, El Rancho Cima was closed as a scout camp. Hays County purchased a portion of the land from SHAC in November 2019.[15]
Camp Brosig is located seven miles north of Sealy, Texas. This camp is used primarily for weekend camping at district/council activities.
Bovay Scout Ranch is located off SH 6, just south of Navasota, Texas. Bovay Scout Ranch contains the McNair Cub Adventure Camp and the Tellepsen Scout Camp.
The Texas Trails Council was formed in 2003 by the consolidation of the Chisholm Trail Council (all of Taylor, Shackelford, Haskell, Jones, Callahan, and Coleman counties, and part of Runnels County) and the Comanche Trail Council (Brown, Comanche, Erath, Mills, San Saba, and Lampasas counties).
Neche Lodge 36, Second Oldest in the South until 1970 when the merger of Trinity Neches and Sabine Area required a combine lodge name change to Hasinai.
Yucca Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico in the El Paso area.
Organization
Geronimo District
Mescalero District
Polaris District
Sunshine District
Wapaha District
White Sands District
Camps
Black Range Cavalcade
Camp Dale Resler
Order of the Arrow
Gila Lodge
As the Boy Scouts of America has trademarked the phrase, "Scouting," there are no other organizations in the state who may use the term in reference to its program for boys.[19]
Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX) serves 46 counties and includes the former councils of: Girl Scouts — Bluebonnet Council, Girl Scouts — El Camino Council, Girl Scouts — Heart of Texas Council, Girl Scouts — Lone Star Council. In 2017, the Girl Scouts of Central Texas served 17,000 girls, ages 5–17 years, and over 12,000 adult volunteers in 46 counties.[20] The council runs two residential camps: Camp Texlake and Camp Kachina.
Camps
Camp Texlake comprises 455 acres (1.84 km2) on Lake Travis. It was assigned to the former Girl Scouts — Lone Star Council by the Lower Colorado River Authority, and was dedicated on July 17, 1949. That summer nearly 400 girls attended camp. The dining facility overlooks Lake Travis itself. The council houses ten horses at this site as well as encouraging watersports. The camp can accommodate 335 overnight guests in a variety of situations.
Camp Kachina is on the shores of Lake Belton. It covers a total of 244 acres (0.99 km2).[21] Activities include archery, sailing, and water sports.
Program areas include STEM, Financial Literacy, Bullying Prevention, Outdoors, Travel, and many special interest troops such as Outdoor Adventure, Robotics, Harp Ensemble, and Mariners.
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest – Southern New Mexico & West Texas
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest – Southern New Mexico & West Texas
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest brings together Girl Scouts of the Permian Basin, Girl Scouts of the Rio Grande and Girl Scouts - Zia Council. The merger on May 1, 2009, is part of the realignment of Girl Scout councils nationwide.(see Scouting in New Mexico).
Camp Mitre Peak is located in the Davis Mountains between Alpine and Fort Davis. There are three cabins, known as Kickapoo, Apache, and Seminole, located in Fern Canyon. There are also three tent units: Mescalero, Tonkawa, and Chippewa. These have views of Mitre Peak. The Janice Hill Mathews Amphitheater seats over 200 people and campfires are held here. The Pamela Catherine Haas Horseback Riding Arena, nicknamed Rebel Arena, gives girls the opportunity to participate in western riding and trail riding programs. The Laura Van Pelt Complex supports indoor activities. The complex consists of a pavilion and an educational building. The latter includes a kitchen and a darkroom. Alumni and supporters of the camp can join Troop Mitre.
Camp Bayview is 18 acres (73,000 m2) near Bayview, TX along the Resaca de los Cuates.[22] There are cabins and bungalows to accommodate campers. There is a swimming pool, amphitheater and a covered pavilion.
Camp Green Hill is spread over almost 50 acres (200,000 m2) and is located near Mathis, TX on Lake Corpus Christi. The site is mostly wooded. Small craft can be launched from the waterfront.
The Dallas Girl Scouts were established in December 1920 through the joint efforts of Mr. Elmer Scott and members of the Business and Professional Women's Club. In 1963, the Dallas Girl Scouts merged with the Chisholm Trail Girl Scout Council and began serving 11 counties as the Tejas Girl Scout Council. In 2007, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas was born through the merger of Cross Timbers, Red River Valley, and Tejas Councils.
GSNETX's other programs include Girl Scout Academy, Girl Scouts Direct, Girl Scout Leadership Institute, and Las Mariposas.
Council
Spanning 23,000 square miles, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas serves nearly 25,000 girls and 12,500 adults in 32 northeast Texas counties: Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood.
Mission: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Vision: To be the best organization to help girls thrive in the 21st century.
Value Proposition: Girl Scouts is the only organization that prepares every G.I.R.L. to practice a lifetime of leadership, by providing access to countless girl-led experiences, skill-building opportunities, and connections, because girls built of courage, confidence, and character make the world a better place.
Service Centers
There are a total of 8 service centers: Jo Ann Fogg (Headquarters), Collin Service Area Service Center, Denton Service Center, East Texas Service Center, Grayson Service Center, Highland Village Service Center, Paris Service Center, and Southern Sector Service Center.
Camps
Camp Bette Perot - A resident summer camp near Palestine, Texas where campers to live in a cabin, lodge, or platform tent. Camp activities include swimming in a sparkling pool, partaking in challenging ropes courses, and participating in Bette Perot's most notable program: their equestrian program.
Camp Rocky Point - A resident summer camp on Lake Texoma founded in 1952, with a scenic waterfront view where campers can go kayaking, canoeing, and swimming.
STEM Center of Excellence - at Camp Whispering Cedars is located 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, TX with several facilities accommodating STEM based activities. Campers are also able to go swimming in the pool, go hiking, and shoot arrows in archery.
Camp Kadohadacho - 150 acre area on Lake Texoma where the campers get to pitch their own tent. Includes an on-sit bath house, fire circle, and amphitheater.
Camp Gambill - 54 acres (220,000 m2) near Paris, Texas. Initial bit donated in 1947 by John C. Gambill. This camp offers sailing, archery, kayaking, sand volleyball, hiking, and playing a round of Goosey Golf.
Awards
Tech Titans Technology Advocate Award Finalist- 2017
Dallas Business Journal Real Estate Award-2017 Most Creative Financing STEM Center of Excellence
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council was founded by Mrs. F. M. Law and Miss Corinne Fonde in 1922 in Houston.
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council serves 26 counties in Southeast Texas, including Angelina, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, and Wharton.
Program Place and Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History
The Program Place and Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History opened in 2007. It is situated next to the headquarters building and is intended to function in harmony with the headquarters on the shared site. The Program Place includes a library, theater, Girl Scout shop, stage, café and a lounge for older girls, as well as a park with fire pit. The Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History, in the same building, features a timeline from the start of the council in the 1920s until the present, and interactive displays. The building acquisition and renovation cost $5.6 million.[23] The entrance canopy of the Program Place was designed and built by University of Houston graduate architecture students.[24] The pavilion was represents a Girl Scout sash.[25]
Camps
There are ten camps run by the council. Three of these form the Treelake Complex, a series of connected camps. Trails allow Girl Scouts to hike from Camp Misty Meadows to Camp Silver Springs via Camp Agnes Arnold.[26]
Camp Agnes Arnold is a 479-acre (1.94 km2) camp near Conroe. Campers can be accommodated in tents, yurts, tree houses or cabin units. The camp offers canoeing and fishing on Shadow Lake. A nature trail encircles the lake. In total, there are 7 miles (11 km) of hiking and cycling trails on the site. The Ann Temple Allen Lodge is air-conditioned. The Nature Center was opened on 2008-04-12.[27] The center has over 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of space and includes a workroom, classroom and exhibit hall, as well as overnight accommodations for two naturalists. A glass wall makes an indoor observation deck. There is also a pillared observation deck. Wood from around the site was used to build the center. The council received the 2008 Excellence in Wood Design Award from the Texas Forestry Association (TFA) for the Nature Center.[28] In total, there are 7 miles (11 km) of hiking and cycling trails on the site. The Ann Temple Allen Lodge is air-conditioned.
Camp Camwood covers 100 acres (0.40 km2) in Hockley. It is only operational during the daytime.
Camp Casa Mare is a year-round camping facility for Girl Scouts ages 8–17 years old. It is located on Galveston Bay in Seabrook, Texas and under ownership of the Girl Scouts San Jacinto Council. Camp Casa Mare was founded in 1958[29] and has offered sailing programs, aquatics, and sporting activities, not to mention performing arts and academic classes. Fencing is also offered to campers at this site.
The Galveston Boat Club (GBC) is a two-storey building on Galveston Island. Visitors sleep on the floor on the second storey. Adult leaders can be accommodated in a separate small building. The GBC is in a residential area. Visitors primarily use the GBC to visit the island's attractions.
Camp Misty Meadows is a 328-acre (1.33 km2) wooded camp located in Conroe. The main attraction of this camp is its horse riding facilities. In 2007, there was a herd of forty horses. Visitors sleep in cabins or dormitories.
Camp Myra S. Pryor includes air-conditioned cabins and a camping area. The activity center is also air-conditioned.
Camp Robinwood is a 206-acre (0.83 km2) camp in Willis. Campers are accommodated in platform tents, cabins or dorms. Swimming and canoeing is conducted on Lake Ann, a man-made reservoir donated to the camp by a family whose daughter, a Brownie Scout named Ann Winchell, died at age nine. There is also an outdoor swimming pool.
Camp Silver Springs is a wooded 131-acre (0.53 km2) camp located in Conroe.
Camp Whispering Pines is a 93-acre (380,000 m2) site located in Garrison. Swimming, canoeing and rope assisted hill climbing are all on offer at this site.
Camp Wind-A-Mere is located in Alvin. The Tejas unit had two teepees. These were destroyed in Hurricane Ike, but will be replaced. The Caddo unit has platform tents. Pine Meadows and the Chickasaw site are camping areas. During Hurricane Ike, a great oak tree fell on the lodge and half the building was declared unsafe and unrepairable.[30]
Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas serves more than 19,000 girls and was established in 2007 from the San Antonio Area council plus a large section of the old El Camino council.
Organization
Counties served:
Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Frio, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, and Wilson from the San Antonio Area jurisdiction, Edwards, Dimmit, Kimble, Kinney, Maverick, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala from El Camino Council jurisdiction, Comal, Gonzales, and Guadalupe from Lone Star Council jurisdiction, and Karnes from Tip of Texas Council, now Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas jurisdiction.
Camp La Jita is 236 acres (96 ha) on the Sabinai River near Utopia, TX. The land for it was donated in 1946 by the John F. Camp family.[31] Campers sleep in cabins. An equestrian program is offered at this camp. La Jita means precious possession.
Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains serves over 24,000 girls and 9,000 adult volunteers. It was formed by the merger in January 2008 of Girl Scouts of Caprock Council, Girl Scouts-Five Star Council, Girl Scouts Norcentex Council, and Girl Scouts Circle T Council. The first Girl Scout troop in Fort Worth was formed in 1924.
^Spaeth, Bob (November–December 2008). "Around Camp"(PDF). The Golden Link. Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. 34 (6). Archived(PDF) from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
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