Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.
In the early days of ″Scouting″ there were several different ″Scouting″ type organizations. Some of the organizations known to have members in California were:
The Boy Scouts of United States (a wing of the National Highway Protective Association),[3] Young Men's Christian Association and the Salvation Army may have also had ″Scouting″ type programs in California.[2]
In 1914, parents and Chinese-American boys organized their own Boy Scout troop in San Francisco, the first troop for Chinese Americans and possibly the first troop in San Francisco. It was recognized as Troop 3 once San Francisco became a council. The troop continues today.[4]
Further Information:
The 1953 National Scout jamboree was held at Irvine Ranch, California. Jamboree Road in Newport Beach, California was named to commemorate the site of the 1953 event.
The 1973 National Order of the Arrow Conference was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are twenty-four Boy Scouts of America local councils in California.
Alameda Council is one of seven smaller Boy Scout councils in the United States, serving youth in the city of Alameda. It was first organized in December 1916, shortly after the organization of BSA councils in Berkeley and Oakland, making it the third oldest BSA council in Northern California. It is one of six BSA councils that serve the San Francisco Bay area.
Camps
California Inland Empire Council
The California Inland Empire Council (CIEC) was formed in 1973 through the merger of the Arrowhead Area and Riverside Area Councils. In 1974 Grayback Council also merged into the new council.[9] In 2006, the council acquired the San Bernardino County portions of Old Baldy Council.
The Council is served by the Cahuilla Lodge #127.[10] It currently has nine chapters, roughly one serving each district (the High Desert District has two chapters due to its large geographic size). "[It] was formed January 1, 1973 from the merger of Tahquitz Lodge # 127 and Wisumahi Lodge # 478.[11] In 1974, the Lodge welcomed A-tsa Lodge # 380 into the family to make the territory of the Lodge as we know it today." With the merger of the Old Baldy Council, Navajo Lodge #8 also was merged into the Cahuilla Lodge.[10] The Lodge has received many awards, local and national, in its history, including the National Service Award (2001), the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award (most recently in 2006), and the Section W4B Spirit Award (17 times in 29 years; most recently in 2006 (tie)).
Crater Lake Council serves Scouts in Oregon and California.
The Golden Empire Council, first chartered in 1920, serves Scouts in a large section of Northern California, primarily the Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra Nevada mountains.[12] The council headquarters are located in Sacramento. The council covers 16 counties in Northern California: Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Shasta, Sierra, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba counties.
Formerly Boulder Dam Area Council, Las Vegas Area Council serves Scouts in Nevada, California and Arizona.
Long Beach Area Council (LBAC), headquartered in Long Beach, is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California.[13]
The Long Beach Area Council does not charter an Order of the Arrow lodge, instead it has a preexisting honor society, the Tribe of Tahquitz.[14]
Los Angeles Area Council (LAAC) (#33) serves most of the City of Los Angeles as well as several other cities in the greater Los Angeles area. It is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California.
Serving the youth of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties 1919.
One of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area.
In the Summer of 2007, the Esselen Lodge celebrated its 50th Anniversary.
The Esselen Lodge consists of three chapters
Mount Diablo Silverado Council serves chartered organizations and BSA units in Contra Costa County, Lake County, Napa County, Solano County (except the cities of Dixon, Rio Vista, and Vacaville), and the cities of Albany and Berkeley in northern Alameda County. It was formed in 1992 as the result of a merger between the former Silverado Area Council and the former Mount Diablo Council.
The Mount Diablo Silverado Council can trace its history back to the Berkeley Council which was organized in March 1916.[15]
Nevada Area Council serves approximately 14,000 youth through chartered organizations and BSA units in northern Nevada and northeastern California. The parts of California served by the NAC are Alpine County, Lassen County, Plumas County, the northern portion of Mono County, and the eastern portions of El Dorado County, Placer County, and Sierra County.
On May 1, 2006, Old Baldy Council was dissolved, with the chartered organizations and units reassigned into two neighboring councils. The Sunset District (in Los Angeles County) joined with the San Gabriel Valley Council and the Golden Eagle and Trails End Districts (in San Bernardino County) merged with the California Inland Empire Council. In the San Gabriel Valley Council the area that was formerly Old Baldy Council's Sunset District is now divided and added to expand the Valle Del Sol and Golden Eagle districts.[16]
Dating back to 1921,[17] the council was formed by the merger of the North Orange County Council and the Orange Empire Council in 1972. The Orange County Council's Order of the Arrow Lodge, Wiatava #13, was the home lodge of the National Chief of the Order of the Arrow, Evan Chaffee, in 2007. Orange County Council is one of the 20 largest councils by traditional membership in the nation. In 2008 it had over 40,000 youth members.
One of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area.
The Piedmont Council (California) of BSA serves chartered organizations and BSA units located in the City of Piedmont, a city located in the East Bay hills and surrounded by the city of Oakland. The council was first chartered in 1921, and by some measurements is the smallest in the BSA, but has a high level of activity and serves a high percentage of the available youth living in Piedmont.
Piedmont Council is one of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay Area; the other five are (1) San Francisco Bay Area Council, (2) Alameda Council, (3) Mt. Diablo Silverado Council, (4) Marin Council and (5) Pacific Skyline Council.
A total of 3,788 youth are active members in 243 units. Of the 68,439 prospective members in the area served by the Redwood Empire Council, 6.5% currently enjoy Scouting.
The San Diego-Imperial Council is headquartered in San Diego, California, and serves youth members and volunteer leaders through Scout units in San Diego and Imperial counties of Southern California, as well as a portion of Arizona. Desert Pacific Council was renamed to San Diego-Imperial Council on January 3, 2005.
Tiwahe Lodge #45 is the Order of the Arrow Lodge that services the San Diego Imperial Council. It has a yearly average membership of 1,030 scouts and scouters. The Order of the Arrow is the Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America
Tiwahe Lodge was formed from the merger of Ashie Lodge #436 and Pang Lodge #532 in 1992.
Tiwahe Lodge has been the recipient of the Quality Lodge Award 15 times in a row. Tiwahe Lodge also received the National Service Award in 2005.
Tiwahe is a member of Section W-4S in the Western Region of the Boy Scouts of America. Tiwahe is one of four lodges in this section, the other three are Wiatava #13, Cahuilla #127, and Ta Tanka #488. Tiwahe Lodge has produced 3 Section Chiefs and 3 Section Advisors.
Tiwahe Lodge currently runs three lodge events throughout the year. The first is the Fall Fellowship Weekend in November, which consists of training and lodge officer elections. Lodge Leadership Development is held in January and is the primary tool for training new lodge and chapter officers. Spring Encampment is help in March and is a service weekend usually held at Camp Mataguay.
Tiwahe Lodge currently has nine chapters acting within the lodge: Allohak, Bitani, Elauwit, Hadaazli-to, Kah-Shinni, Naabaahii, Pischk, Shash-Tsoh, and Wulinaxin.
Formed by a merger of the San Francisco and Oakland Area Councils.[20] Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving the cities of Colma, Daly City (northern section), San Francisco, Emeryville, Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Union City, Newark, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore, as well as unincorporated communities such as Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and Sunol. Headquartered in San Leandro, this council surrounds both the Piedmont and Alameda Councils.
One of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area.
San Francisco Bay Area Council
Camp Royaneh began its existence in Cazadero in the mid 19-teens and moved to its present location in 1925 when the Scout Executive, Raymond O Hanson bought a piece of property that was formerly the Watson Ranch. Since that time, it has served countless Scouts and Scouters. Camp Royaneh is the oldest scout camp west of the Mississippi River.[21]
Wente Scout Reservation is located outside of Willits, California. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Bay Area Council.[22][23]
Located in Los Angeles County's San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Valley Council (#40) is one of five Councils serving Los Angeles County.
Santa Clara County Council, Inc. is a Boy Scouts of America council headquartered in San Jose, California. As of 2004, the council serves over 11,000 youth in over 400 Boy Scout troops, Cub Scout packs, Venturing crews, and Explorer posts.
It operates 5 weeks of Boy Scout Summer Camp at Camp Hi-Sierra. One of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area.
Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts of America was officially chartered as Council 57 on June 23, 1921, after a series of meetings that followed a proposal put forward at a County Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 28, 1921 in the Masonic Hall. Mr. C. H. Whipple, then of Moorpark and later Oxnard, became the president; and Col. J.L. Howland became commissioner. Harvey R. Cheesman, an assistant scout executive in the Los Angeles Council, became the first Scout Executive, assuming his duties on July 11.[24]
The original charter indicates that there were nine troops in existence at the time. Research shows that these most likely included: In June 1910 the Ventura Free Press published an article, "Boys Organize Band of Scouts".
A band of Scouts was organized in the Pastor's study of the Congregational Church Monday evening, June 20. So far as we can learn this is the first organization of this worldwide movement in Ventura or even in California. The movement originated in the mind of Ernest Thompson Seton. It has been pushed in England under the leadership of General Baden Powell, and now there are in England three hundred thousand boys enlisted in the movement.
We have framed our constitution after the international one, but changed it to meet the needs of our Western life and customs. It includes the things that tend to the physical and moral development of the live boy.
Tramps in the hills, with the study of nature, will be a part of the physical development. It also includes many of the things called for by Thompson Seton. For the moral development, we have first the study of the Book, each Sunday.
Honor in all things is called for. Each boy must attend school if possible, must have some regular labor for which he receives pay.
Six months after membership is attained he must have a bank account in his own name. Our badge will be the arrowhead, with the words upon it, "Be Prepared. These words have great significance known only to the wearers of the badge, in fact it is the sign to them of life, and can be taken from them if it is not honored.
The band now numbers only twelve, but the invitation is extended to any boy of proper age who is not in any Sunday School, and wishes to live a clean life to join us. We say "come with us and we will do you good".
Records of the Ventura Congregational church indicate that the group was officially disbanded in January 1914. Various articles gleaned from the local newspapers indicate that troops were active in most of the local communities. The YMCA had one in Santa Paula in 1911. They then formed another in Fillmore in 1912 with 25 boys. The scoutmaster was Mr. A.J. Dicks, and his assistant Professor A.C. Marcey. Ray Horton was the Seal Patrol leader, and his brother Harold leader of the Foxes. The same article mentions leaders from a group of 20 scouts in Bardsdale helping to form the group. In February 1913, the Oxnard Courier talks of a YMCA group under Scoutmaster Kirchner and Commissioner Stant, while in November 1913 the Star mentions Scoutmaster Ramsey expecting to enroll as many as 100 boys and young men and is setting up a recruiting station at City Hall. A later Courier article in February 1916 mentions Scoutmaster Rev. J.M. Barhart, assisted by Ross Winter and Elmer Johnson, while the committee consisted of George Hume, Frank Petit, and J.W. Shillington. A surname that appears in the boys noted, Willett is very familiar to long time scouters in the council, as Camp Willett gets its name from the family. Surely additional information is buried in the old microfilm and will shed more light as research continues.
The earliest of these was Troop 1, sponsored by St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church of Oxnard from February 1916 to February 1918. Next in line is Troop 1 (later 301) of Santa Paula sponsored by The Clipper Club of Presbyterian Mariners Club from December 1917 to December 1919, again from November 1920 to November 1933, and once more from August 1934 to February 1963. Moorpark Troop 1, sponsored by the Community M.E. Church existed from December 1919 to December 1922; Ojai Troop 1, by a Group of Citizens, went from December 1919 to December 1920; and Troop 1 of Ventura (later 101), sponsored by the Rotary Club appears from December 1919 to December 1926. 101 still exists today, but is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, its last reincarnation after an interim sponsorship by the Kiwanis. Troop 1 of Port Hueneme appears to have existed, beginning in April 1916; but disappears before the council was chartered.
Camp Three Falls is located in the Los Padres National Forest at the base of Mount Piños in the northern portion of Ventura County, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Castaic Junction. The camp has been open since 1933. The name is derived from the three waterfalls: North Falls, Middle Falls, and Bitter Falls, that are located on the streams running from the mountains above the camp. The camp is at 5,400 feet (1,600 m) elevation. The summer weather at this elevation is dry and the temperature ranges from 70-90 °F with cool evenings and crisp nights.[25]
This is the Council where Rock Climbing and Rappelling started in the Scouting Program in 1973. Camp Three Falls was the first BSA summer camp to offer Rock Climbing and Rappelling as a new program element in scouting. This was 22 years before it was considered to become a merit badge at Philmont. A 57-foot (17 m) Climbing tower was built at Camp Three Falls in the spring of 2003.
Camp Willett Mrs. Edith Scott Willett donated a 535-acre (217 ha) plot near Oak View, California in 1954 and named in her honor. Camp Willett has been used for events such as Camporees. There are no facilities at this camp. Extensive history PDF's and maps can be found at: http://sites.google.com/site/campwillettcamporee/Home/camp-willett-history . Also check: http://www.vccbsa.org/Camping/Camp%20Willett.aspx
Many years ago the Chumash Indians roamed the forests and hunted game in the bountiful Ojai Valley. When a bad omen came to the tribe, the great spirit sent two white gophers to Chief Matilija. The gophers instructed the chief and his people to perform acts of unselfish service and sacrifice. Chief Matilija perished in a great calamity, but with the acts of service and devotion done, the great spirit sent Chief Topa Topa to the Chumash to save the worthy people from an evil horde. In the 1920s the spirit of unselfish service was rekindled at Ventura County Council's Camp Grey. There, the "Tribe of Matilija" was founded as the honor camping organization of the council. The tribe had as its purpose to promote camping at Camp Grey. The Order of the Arrow in Ventura County was established in June 1944, when ceremonies were conducted during the Camp-O-Ral at Steckel Park to induct 13 selected scouts as charter members of Topa Topa Lodge #291 of the Order of the Arrow. Thus the Order of the Arrow came to replace the "Tribe of Matilija." The new lodge took its name from the legendary Chief Topa Topa.
Verdugo Hills Council (VHC) is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Headquartered in Glendale.
Western Los Angeles County Council (WLACC) (51) is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Headquartered in Van Nuys, the WLACC services over 30,000 youth spanning six districts including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, Malibu, and much of West Los Angeles.
Western Los Angeles County Council
The Western Los Angeles County Council was formed in 1972, when the Crescent Bay Council merged with the San Fernando Valley Council to form the Great Western Council. The Great Western Council was later renamed Western Los Angeles County Council.
The Western Los Angeles County Council is divided into six districts.
The Malibu Lodge #566, chartered in 1972, serves 755 Arrowmen as of 2004. The lodge totem is a Pacific blue shark, and the name translates to "From the Mountains to the Sea" in the Chumash language. Malibu Lodge was created in 1972 from the merger of Tamet Lodge 225 and Walika Lodge 228.
There are 13 Girl Scout councils in California of which 8 have headquarters there.
In California, serves a small portion of far eastern San Bernardino County.
Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona Website: http://www.girlscoutsaz.org/
New council forming by the merger of Monterey and Tres Condados councils on October 1, 2007. It serves girls in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
Headquarters: Camarillo, California
Website: http://www.girlscoutsccc.org/
Girl Scouts of Central California South was formerly Girl Scouts Golden Valley Council before expansion and renaming in October 2008.
Headquarters: Fresno, California
Website: http://www.girlscoutsccs.org/
The new council, "Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles", is a merger on December 1, 2008 of Angeles Girl Scout Council, Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach, Joshua Tree Council (southeastern portion), Mt. Wilson Vista Council, Spanish Trails Council, and San Fernando Valley Girl Scout Council. It serves nearly 45,000 girls and has over 22,000 volunteers.
Headquarters: 801 S Grand, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Website: http://www.girlscoutsla.org/
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A new council formed on June 1, 2007, by the merger of Muir Trail and Tierra del Oro councils. It serves more than 29,000 girls and has over 10,000 volunteers in 18 counties (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado , Glenn, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba).
Headquarters: Sacramento, California
Website: http://www.girlscoutshcc.org/
Service Centers:
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A new council formed by the merger of Konocti, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Clara County, Sierra Cascade, and Napa-Solano councils on October 1, 2007. It serves about 55,000 girls in 19 counties (Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, and Trinity).
Headquarters: Oakland, California and San Jose, California
Website: http://girlscoutsnorcal.org/
Known for it annual "Golden Gate Bridging" where Junior Girl Scouts bridging to Cadette Girl Scouts walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. This event was started in 1981 with one troop but now has several thousand scouts involved each year many of them from outside of the council.[26]
Camps
Camp Bothin officially known as the Bothin Youth Center, is a Girl Scout summer camp. Since 1948 it has been located in Marin County, California. The site is managed by Girl Scouts of Northern California and supported mostly through private foundation grants and individual donations.
In 1905 Camp Bothin was established as "Hill Farm", a convalescent home for women and children, near Fairfax, California, on property then owned by Henry E. Bothin. Before antibiotics, medicine had few treatments other than rest and good food for many illnesses, especially tuberculosis (TB). The patients were initially housed in an old farmhouse. Normally, Hill Farm was home to 30 patients, but during the summer the mild climate allowed as many as 60, who were housed in tents and slept on cots. During this time, Miss Elizabeth H. Ashe was director.
In 1910, the officers formed the corporation named Bothin Convalescent Home for Women and Children. Mr. Bothin deeded 152 acres (62 ha) of land to this corporation. The old farm house was torn down and a rustic building, now known as Manor House, was erected that could accommodate 40 patients. It had deep sleeping porches (fresh air was considered important for TB patients) and an outdoor dining room.
That same year the Arequipa Sanatorium, directed by Dr. Philip King Brown, was opened to serve women in the first stages of TB. At the time, the only known treatment was rest and good nutrition, in the hopes that the lungs could recover and heal. The name Arequipa, taken from a city in Peru, was said to be a Native American word signifying 'place of rest.' Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, dust- and ash-filled air had contributed to a tuberculosis epidemic in San Francisco.
With the help of local artists and members of the area's philanthropic community, Dr. Brown introduced therapeutic handcrafts to the women, to combat idleness and avoid the stigma of charity. The hospital hired potter Frederick Hurten Rhead to teach patients and develop a pottery studio. Work from the Arequipa pottery is now highly prized among collectors. In 1913 Rhead was dismissed for not being sufficiently businesslike, as he led his students to experiment with glazes and techniques, and tried to get the best materials for them. His successor at the pottery was directed to reduce production costs.
In 1917, the Bothin Helping Fund was incorporated. This organization, now known as the Bothin Foundation, was responsible for raising the $30,000 needed to build Stone House. It was here that professional and business women could come to rest and recuperate after illness.
As treatment methods for TB changed, the need for the Bothin Convalescent Hospital was reduced. The Bothin property was abandoned from 1922-1940.
In 1948, Miss Ashe offered a small building now known as Little House to the San Francisco Girl Scouts for troop camping. A few years later she made Manor House available for Girl Scout use, and by 1955 the entire Bothin property was offered to the Council for its use. The Girl Scouts developed the property as a camp, and added a swimming pool. They changed the name to the Henry E. Bothin Youth Center.
In the 1950s, Arequipa was closed as a hospital. In 1959 the property was leased to the Girl Scouts. By 1963 both sides of the property began to operate as the Henry E. Bothin Youth Center.
Headquarters: Irvine, California
Website: http://www.gscoc.org
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Headquarters: San Diego, California
Website: http://www.girlscoutssdi.org
This council will remain mostly the same except it will acquire some bits from neighboring councils (the realignment hopes to decrease the number of councils that cross state and county lines).[27] Its name is also likely to change.
Headquarters: Redlands, California
Website: http://www.gssgc.org
See Scouting in Nevada for more information. In California it serves girls in southern Inyo country.
Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: http://www.girlscoutsnv.org/
Headquarters: Reno, Nevada
Website: http://www.gssn.org/
Cambodian Scouting in exile existed at least into the early 1990s in Los Angeles, alongside fellow Vietnamese Scouting in exile and Laotian Scouting in exile groups. Colonel Oleg Pantyukhov, Chief Scout of Russia, moved to the United States, where large troops of Russian Scouts were established in cities such as San Francisco, Burlingame, California, Los Angeles, etc. Also, Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség Hungarian Scouting maintains four troops in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco. There is also a branch of Polish Scouting for girls in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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