Scouting in Texas

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.
Girl Scouts of the USA, organized into eight local councils, only serves girls.
History.
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.
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.
Austin, TX Troop 5 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 1 was established in Wichita Falls, Texas. Troop 1 in Wichita Falls has been continuously chartered since 1916.
In 1913 Troop 7 was established in Grapevine, Texas. The troop has been chartered every year since starting except 1979.
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.
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. 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.
Boy Scouts of America in Texas.
Texas is home to the BSA National Headquarters in Irving, Texas. The National Scouting Museum is also located in Irving.
There are twenty Boy Scouts of America local councils in Texas. All of Texas lies within the Southern Region, except for El Paso, Hudspeth and Parmer Counties, which are part of Western Region.
Alamo Area Council.
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.
The council is composed of:
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.
Buffalo Trail Council.
The Buffalo Trail Council comprises five Districts serving West Texas.
Caddo Area Council.
Headquartered in Texarkana, Texas, the Caddo Area Council (#584) serves Scouts in Northeast Texas and Arkansas.
The Longhorn District serves Bowie and Cass counties in Northeast Texas.
Capitol Area Council.
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.
Order of the Arrow.
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.
Circle Ten Council.
Lamar County, Texas
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.
Conquistador Council.
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.
East Texas Area Council.
The East Texas Area Council was formed in 1930 through the merger of the Davey Crockett Council, the Pine Tree Area Council, and the Tejas Council. It serves 17 counties in Texas.
Golden Spread Council.
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.
Organization
Camps
Order of the Arrow
Longhorn Council.
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:
NeTseO Trails Council.
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.
Northwest Texas Council.
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:
Rio Grande Council.
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. 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:
Sam Houston Area Council.
The Sam Houston Area Council serves youth in 16 counties in southeast Texas. The council headquarters is in Houston.
Organization.
Central Division
East Division
Frontier Division
North Division
South Division
West Division
Learning for Life Division
International exchanges.
Houston Scouts have an international relationship with Scouts in Chiba, Japan.
South Plains Council.
The South Plains Council (#694) serves the area around Lubbock.
South Texas Council.
The South Texas Council of Corpus Christi, Texas, was renamed from the "Gulf Coast Council" in 2003.
Texas Southwest Council.
The Texas Southwest Council serves Scouts in Southwest Central Texas through the jurisdiction of two districts and 26 Boy Scout troops.
Order of the Arrow.
2021 Lodge Chief-Victor Zapata
Texas Trails Council.
The Texas Trails Council was formed in 2003 by the consolidation of the Chisholm Trail Council and the Comanche Trail Council.
Yucca Council.
Yucca Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico in the El Paso area.
Order of the Arrow.
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.
Girl Scouts of the USA in Texas.
There are 8 Girl Scout councils in Texas.
Girl Scouts of Central Texas.
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. The council runs two residential camps: Camp Texlake and Camp Kachina.
Camps.
Camp Texlake comprises 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 . Activities include archery, sailing, and water sports.
GSCTX serves girls with programming that is fun, high-quality, relevant, innovative, and meaningful. 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 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).
Organization.
Service Centers:
Midland, TX;
Odessa, TX;
Alamogordo, NM;
Artesia, NM;
Carlsbad, NM;
Deming, NM;
Hobbs, NM;
Las Cruces, NM;
Roswell, NM;
Silver City, NM;
Camps.
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.
Camps:
Girl Scouts - Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Headquarters: North Little Rock, Arkansas
Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas.
Formed by the merger of Girl Scouts Paisano Council and Girl Scouts — Tip of Texas Council in 2007.
Organization.
Council Offices:
Program Centers:
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.
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.
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council.
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. The entrance canopy of the Program Place was designed and built by University of Houston graduate architecture students. The pavilion was represents a Girl Scout sash.
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.
Camp Agnes Arnold is a 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 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. The center has over 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. In total, there are of hiking and cycling trails on the site. The Ann Temple Allen Lodge is air-conditioned.
Camp Camwood covers 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 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 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 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 camp located in Conroe.
Camp Whispering Pines is a 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.
Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas.
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.
Service Centers:
Camps.
Houses:
Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains.
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.
Organization.
Regional Offices:
Service Centers: