Boy Scouts of America began in Oklahoma

The scouting movement was started by Robert Baden-Powell a General in the British army and a hero of the Boar Wars.  After returning from the wars and noticing a need for direction in his country’s youth, he held his first summer camp on Brownsea Island in 1907.  After his success with the boys he wrote his book Scouting for Boys.  By 1909 there were 100,000 British Scouts.

 Scouting began in the United States in May of 1909 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma by a priest from the Episcopal Church named John Mitchell who was a friend of Baden Powell.  They can claim to be the first troop in the United States who were properly uniformed and following the program set down in Baden Powell’s Scouting for Boys.

 The first scout council in Ponca City was chartered in September 1921 with the headquarters in Tonkawa.  In 1939 the council office for the Northern Oklahoma Council was located in Ponca City.  In 1948 the Northern Oklahoma and Cimarron Valley Councils merged to create the Will Rogers Council with the council office located in Ponca City. The council headquarters would remain in Ponca City for the next 50 years until the creation of the Cimarron Council when the headquarters were moved to Enid, Oklahoma.  The Cimarron Council is divided in to 4 districts the Pawnee Bill, Enid-Metro, Great North-West and 101 District.

The 101 District of the Cimarron Council of the Boy Scouts of America includes Kay, Grant, Noble and Osage counties.  It stretches from as far west as Medford and as far east as Hominy.  Its northernmost tip is Newkirk and it southern border is Red Rock.  The 101 district also boasts the largest population of Native Americans which includes the Ponca, Tonkawa, Kaw, Otoe and part of the Osage Tribes.  The district serves over 900 youth and adult scouting volunteers by providing training for adult volunteers in packs, troops and crews, district events such as camp-o-ree’s and service through council employees.  The 101 district is led by the District Committee chairman Mike Collins and the District Service Program Aide Roger Findahl.

The goal of United Way is to help make lasting changes in people’s lives, right where people live.  With the help of United Way and agencies like the Boy Scouts of America - changes are happening every day.

United Way helps support the following 13 member agencies: American Red Cross, Arthritis Foundation, Boy Scouts-Cimarron Council, Child Development Center, Domestic Violence Program of North Central Oklahoma, Girl Scouts – Bluestem Council, Golden Villa Adult Day Services, New Emergency Resource Agency, Northern Oklahoma Youth Services, Peachtree Landing, RSVP, The Salvation Army, and the YMCA.  Results you can see.

For more information on United Way and its member agencies call 580.765.2476.