Early_history Scouting_in_Arizona

major burnham bsa troop, carlsbad caverns, 1941

boy scouting founded robert baden-powell in england , co-founded american scout major frederick russell burnham. boy scouting brought united states william d. boyce. incorporated boy scouts of america on february 8, 1910. boy scouts of america chartered congress on june 15, 1916, same year first boy scout council in arizona formed prescott council. burnham served honorary president of arizona boy scouts throughout 1940s until death in 1947.

the first 2 boy scout troops in arizona territory organized in prescott, in september 1910 , in tombstone @ same time. in prescott, e.p. cole of whipple barracks first scoutmaster. arizona territorial historian sharlot hall honorary member of tombstone troop. scouting came phoenix in fall 1910 clarence r. craig scoutmaster. other scout troops formed; in bisbee in 1911. , in st. joseph , snowflake same time.

harold steele, principal of new tucson high school, organized first scout troop in tucson on april 20, 1911.

on november 29, 1911 church of jesus christ of latter-day saints (lds church) organized mia scouts along lines recommended boy scouts of america part of mutual improvement association youth program. in march 1912, lds church published first lessons mia scouts in improvement era. on may 21, 1913 lds church invited boy scout national council become first chartered sponsored organization in movement. boy scouts of america program adopted in lds church congregations part of youth program. each lds church congregation in arizona organized scout troop.

in april 1921 8 lds troops in maricopa (lds) stake , methodist troop met in @ coffee cup in mesa organize apache council. second council in arizona. george a. johnson first council president. edwin m. lebaron first field commissioner. first summer camp held on sycamore creek near payson, arizona.

on september 16, 1921, board of apache council met scouters phoenix @ tempe national bank reorganized roosevelt council, headquartered in phoenix. tim murray galveston texas, first professional scout executive. 1922 summer camp @ pineair (now call reavis ranch located in superstition wilderness area 45 miles (72 km) east of mesa). name, camp geronimo, still used grand canyon council camp although location has changed several times. throughout 1940s, frederick russell burnham served honorary president of roosevelt council boy scouts.

the roosevelt council changed name theodore roosevelt council. in 1993 theodore roosevelt council (located in phoenix) , grand canyon council (located in flagstaff) merged phoenix council assuming current name, grand canyon council. nassau county council in new york renamed theodore roosevelt council in 1997.

campaign save bighorn sheep

boy scouts dedicate cabeza prieta nwr, 1939

in 1936, boy scouts in arizona mounted statewide campaign save bighorn sheep. scouts first became interested in sheep through efforts of major frederick russell burnham. burnham observed fewer 150 of these sheep still lived in arizona mountains. called george f. miller, scout executive of phoenix scout council, plan save sheep. burnham said,

i want save majestic animal, not because in danger of extinction, of more importance, day might provide domestic sheep strain save them disaster @ hands of yet unknown virus.

desert bighorn sheep

several other prominent arizonans join movement , save bighorns poster contest started in schools throughout state. burnham provided prizes , appeared in store windows across arizona. contest-winning bighorn emblem made neckerchief slides 10,000 boy scouts, , talks , dramatizations given @ school assemblies , on radio. national wildlife federation, izaak walton league, , audubon society joined effort.

these efforts led establishment of 2 bighorn game ranges in arizona: kofa national wildlife refuge , cabeza prieta national wildlife refuge. on january 18, 1939, on 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km) set aside , civilian conservation corp side camp set develop high mountain waterholes sheep. desert bighorn sheep official mascot arizona boy scouts.