Scouting in Maine dates back to the creation of the Katahdin Area Council in 1920 and has continued prominently to the present day.
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Boy Scouting started early in Maine, with two local councils in operation by February 1915. The first second class council was in operation by 1916, and by 1917 three second class councils existed, in Auburn, Bath and Saco. South Portland Council began in 1918, as did Waterville Council, but that council apparently only existed for a year. Bangor, Old Town and Portland Councils were begun in 1919 in those localities, while in that same year Auburn, Bath and Saco's councils all ceased to exist. Old Town's council ceased to exist in 1920, while Oxford County Council was formed, with its headquarters in South Paris, Maine.
In 1921, South Portland Council ceased to exist, while a new one, Biddeford & Saco Council, blossomed once again in Saco. Bangor Council opened Camp Roosevelt, believed to be the first council camp in Maine, the same year. Portland Council changed its name to Cumberland County Council in 1922, no doubt reflecting its expansion beyond the city of Portland (Portland Council had probably absorbed South Portland Council's troops upon its demise the previous year). No organizational changes appear to have occurred in 1923, but big changes would occur the next year.
In 1924, the leaders of Bangor Council took a step similar to that taken by Portland Council in 1922; they changed the council's name to one more reflective of the region served—Penobscot Council—with the change effective at the New Year. Meanwhile, Scouting in the Saco area again took a down turn, with Biddeford & Saco Council ceasing to exist. Oxford County Council also ceased to exist in 1924.
In September 1925 organizers formed a council headquartered in Rockland—Pine Tree Council. Camden was added to this council in 1928, but then Pine Tree Council was absorbed into Cumberland County Council in 1929. The latter council had been growing quite nicely already, as it had added eight towns in Oxford County in May 1929. Also added in 1929 were units in Sagadahoc, Franklin, and Kennebec Counties, as well as those in parts of Knox, Lincoln, and Somerset Counties. Five more towns in Knox County were added in 1930.
Organizers in Saco tried again in 1927, forming York County Council, which also included units in Biddeford and North Berwick. Units in Somersworth, New Hampshire joined York County Council in 1929, but that town moved to New Hampshire's Daniel Webster Council in 1932.
In 1929, Penobscot Council changed its name to Katahdin Area Council, possibly reflecting its growth to encompass all of the northern part of Maine. Although there are references to the council being named "Katahdin Council" on Camp Roosevelt patches, it is generally believed that "Area" has been a part of the council name since its inception.
After two decades of growth and consolidation, by the BSA's twentieth anniversary in early 1930, there were just three councils in Maine—Katahdin Area Council, headquartered in Bangor; Cumberland County Council, headquartered in Portland; and York County Council, headquartered in Saco. The 1930s would see the final changes in council organization: at the end of 1932 Cumberland County Council changed its name to Pine Tree Council; and in 1935 York County Council merged into Pine Tree Council. That merger left Maine with the two councils present there today—Katahdin Area Council in Bangor and Pine Tree Council in Portland.
Although Katahdin Area Council claims 1920 as its starting date, Bangor Council actually began operation in 1919. The Council changed its name to Penobscot Council in 1924 and to Katahdin Area Council in 1929. Present day Katahdin Area Council contains 17,981 square miles (46,570 km2), making it the largest council in land area east of the Mississippi. With nearly 3000 adults and 6000 youth, Katahdin Area Council has one of the highest adult-youth ratios in the country. The council center is located in Orono, Maine. The Council is broken down into six different districts:
Camp Roosevelt or KSR (Katahdin Scout Reservation) is Katahdin Area Council's resident Boy Scout camp and has been in operation since 1921. The camp is in Eddington, Maine and has over 1800 acres (7.3 km²) of pristine forest at the base of Black Cap Mountain that surround the 300 acre (1.2 km²) Little Fitts pond. The camp has 16 camp sites and can handle about 400 campers at one time. One of the hallmarks of the camp is the log cabin style Dining lodge built in 1929. It remains as one of the largest free standing log cabins in the country.[1] In 2001, the camp added a COPE program, (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) which provides both high and low element activities and challenges for scouts over 14 years old. In August 2006 the Peter Vigue Scout Center was completed, it includes the Teddy Roosevelt Welcome Room and a Lodge that seats 420 people. The prior lodge was renamed the Pamola Lodge in 2009 and is now used for program activities.
Maine High Adventure BSA, formerly Maine National High Adventure Area,is operated by the Katahdin Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and serves as a high adventure program for Scouts from throughout the country.Hundreds of Scouts and Ventures, enjoy a unique backcountry experience in northern Maine. The area encompasses nearly 3 million acres (12,000 km2), including Mt. Katahdin, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the Penobscot watershed, the St. Croix International Waterway, the northernmost 100 miles (160 km) of the Appalachian Trail, and many other streams and lakes. Much of the almost 10,000 square miles (26,000 km2) open for exploration remain untouched - as travelers like Henry David Thoreau experienced it over 150 years ago.
For over 35 years, Maine High Adventure has been providing customized, fully outfitted, guided trips for youth groups of all kinds. Participants have come from across the country and the world to experience the type of backcountry adventure that is becoming more and more scarce each day. Maine High Adventure provides food, camping equipment, van transportation, and a fully trained "Matagamon guide".
Pamola Lodge 211 is the Order of the Arrow lodge for Katahdin Area Council, serving northern and eastern Maine, and is part of the Northeast Region, Section NE-1A. Pamola Lodge has the biggest area of any lodge east of the Mississippi and is the most northern lodge in the continental United States. The Lodge was first chartered in 1941, although much of its early history is shrouded in mystery. In 1951 the lodge disbanded only to be rechartered again in 1955. Lodge activity continued to grow in the late 1950s and 1960s with the Lodge's first Vigil ceremony being held in 1961.
The Totem of the Lodge is the Running Deer, which is shown on the flap. The Lodge is named after the legendary Penobscot Indian Spirit of Mount Katahdin, Pamola. Pamola Lodge is one of the few lodges to have retained its original flap for its entire history.
The present-day Pine Tree Council can trace its beginnings to 1919, when organizers formed Portland Council in that city. South Portland Council had been formed a year earlier but that council folded in 1921 (its units were probably absorbed by Portland Council). In 1922 Portland Council became Cumberland County Council, no doubt reflecting its growth outside of the city of Portland. Between 1922 and 1932 Cumberland County Council continued to grow, adding units in Oxford, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox Lincoln,and Somerset counties. The original Pine Tree Council, formed in Rockland in 1925, merged into Cumberland County Council in 1929, and in 1933 Cumberland County Council became the Pine Tree Council we know today. York County Council merged into Pine Tree Council in 1935. The council contains five districts:
Camp Bomazeen, located on Great Pond in North Belgrade, Maine, was opened in 1946. Summer Camp operations ceased after the 2003 summer season. Pine Tree Council is currently in a fund raising campaign to convert Camp Bomazeen into a Cub World-theme camp. Cub Day Camp for Kennebec Valley District was once again held at Camp Bomazeen starting in the 2007 and 2008 summer seasons.
Camp Bomazeen is named for Chief Bomazeen of the Norridgewock tribe of the Abnaki nation. The Camp Bomazeen property was donated in 1944 by Dr. George G. & Francis M. Averill of Waterville.
Located on Loon Pond, Sabattus, Maine, this council property is now used primarily for Abnaki District events. Camporees have been held at Camp Gustin since at least 1947. The camp is under consideration for sale in order to support other properties and/or relieve council debt.[2]
Camp William Hinds opened in 1927 as the summer camp for Cumberland County Council. The camp was named for the son of the businessman who donated the property to the council. The camp is located on 230 acres (0.93 km2) of land on Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine and is currently the only Boy Scout summer camp servicing Pine Tree Council. They provide a variety of merit badges including swimming, boating, canoeing, motor boating and water skiing. Hinds has 14 campsites along with three cabins that are facilitated year round. Summer camp programs include 7 Boy Scout weeks and 2 4-day 3-night Webelos camping sessions.
Camp William Nutter, located on Loon Pond in Acton, Maine, was originally the summer camp for York County Council. When that council merged into Pine Tree Council in 1935, it was initially not used as a summer camp; however, sometime after 1944 the council opened it as a summer camp. It operated as such into the 1950s. The earliest dated patch is 1949. The council still owns the property, but it is only used by the York District for weekend events & Cub Scout Day Camp.
Madockawanda Lodge 271 is the Order of the Arrow Lodge for the Pine Tree Council, serving scouts in central and southern Maine. It is a part of the Section NE-1A of the Northeast Region. Madockawanda Lodge has continuously operated since its founding in 1944 at Camp Hinds. Madockawanda Lodge was founded by Frank W.P. Bailey, a long time staff member of Camp Hinds. Mr. Bailey gave the name Madockawanda, after the story of the great Indian Chief Madockawanda who unified the Penobscot Nation. The Lodge totem is the snapping turtle.
In the early years, chapters of the Lodge were located at the Council's summer camp facilities (Hinds, Bomazeen). Camp Nutter was the summer camp of the former York County Council. They had adopted a different honor society, the "Nikiwigi", and a period of negotiation was required before Camp Nutter OA chapter replaced the Nikiwigi tribe there. The chapter was active for only a few years before summer camp operations ceased at Nutter, and the chapter disbanded.
As the elections moved from summer camp to units, camp based chapters co-existed with chapters divided along the lines of the Council's districts. Each camp chapter had a Lodge Vice Chief that supervised the districts closest to his camp.
The Lodge inducted its first Vigil Honor member (& the first Vigil Honor member in any Maine Council) in 1952 when founder Frank W.P. Bailey was inducted and given the name Sirus. The Lodge continued the tradition of star and constellation based Vigil names until 1971.
Four members of Madockawanda have received the National Distinguished Service Award, numerous youth and adults have served as Section officers and advisers. In 2000, Madockawanda Lodge was one of eight Lodges to receive the first National Service Award. It also earned the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009. It holds the record for the most National Service Awards awarded to a single lodge in the Northeast Region. Madockawanda has received quality lodge recognition 14 years since 1991.
The sole Maine Girl Scout council, Girl Scouts of Maine, formed in October 2007 by the merger of Abnaki Girl Scout Council and Girl Scouts of Kennebec Council. It serves over 14,000 girls and has about 4,000 adult volunteers and is headquartered in South Portland, Maine.
The first known active troop in Maine was in 1917 in Augusta. Abnaki Girl Scout Council was established in the northern part of Maine in 1962 from Bangor-Brewer, Central Penobscot, Presque Isle and Houlton councils and many lone troops. Girl Scouts of Kennebec Council was established in 1963 from 11 southern Maine councils and again many lone troops.
Service Centers:
Camps:
friendsofhinds.org/history/ptc/index.htm
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