Lone Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
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[thumb\|75px\|BSA Lone Scout logo](/wiki/Image:Lone_Scout_%28Boy_Scouts_of_America%29.png "Lone Scout (Boy Scouts of America).png")

The Boy Scouts of America strongly defended their right to the usage of the term *Scout*, and West wrote to Boyce voicing his concerns, but the BSA never brought litigation against the LSA. In 1916, the BSA created the Pioneer Scout program in direct competition to the LSA, but it was never very successful.

In April 1924, Boyce finally accepted James West's persistent offer of a merger with the BSA. On June 16, 1924, the merger was formalized. When *The Lone Scout* ceased publication, many of the boys dropped out of Scouting entirely. About 65,000 Lone Scouts transferred to the BSA, and membership peaked at 108,000 in 1926\. The BSA ran the program unchanged for about a decade as the Lone Scout Service and then the Lone Scout Division. The unique program features were then eliminated and the Lone Scouts transitioned to the standard [Scouts BSA](/wiki/Boy_Scouting_%28Boy_Scouts_of_America%29 "Boy Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)") program. Lone Cub Scouts were added after the [Cub Scouting](/wiki/Cub_Scouting_%28Boy_Scouts_of_America%29 "Cub Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)") program was introduced in 1930\.

The last issue of *The Lone Scout* in April 1924 announced the merger with the BSA. The BSA continued to print *The Lone Scout* for a short time before it was merged as a section of *[Boys' Life](/wiki/Boys%27_Life "Boys' Life")*. Some of the more literary Lone Scouts later helped form the National Boy Scout Press Association.

Both the Lone Scout and Lone Cub Scout programs continue to serve boys who cannot take part in a nearby troop or pack on a regular basis because of such factors as distance, time, disability or other difficulties.


Can a similar merger between two organizations lead to increased membership and participation in Scouting?