Scouting in Iowa
Scouting in Iowa 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 in Iowa | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 BSA councils serving Iowa | |||
 GSUSA councils serving Iowa | |||
|
| |||
Early history (1910-1960)
The earliest verifiable evidence of Boy Scouts of America involvement within Iowa appears to be with Troop 1 in Villisca. The Scoutmaster was W.H. Bell and his signature is clearly visible on the tattered remains of a Boy Scout Certificate (tucked into a 1st edition scout book) for Ned Cecil Osborn (1898-1985). Ned was 13 years old, in the Ram Patrol, and "Qualified as a Tenderfoot" on October 29, 1912. Both of Ned's sons, Donald and Richard participated in scouting and continued to do so when the family relocated to Stuart during the Great Depression. When Richard achieved his Life Badge in 1943, it was awarded by a Scout Executive from Des Moines. The executive started the ceremony by announcing that one of the very earliest scouts registered in the State of Iowa was present and would assist in the presentation. He then called Ned forward to assist in his sons ceremony.
Beyond his Tenderfoot certification, Ned remained active in Troop 1 and when older, participated as an assistant scout leader. While serving in that role, Ned befriended and mentored younger scout Claude Maxwell 'Max' Stanley (about 6 years younger than Ned). Max went on to found Stanley Engineering in Muscatine. Max also founded the Stanley Center for Peace and Security which seeks to mitigate climate change and address global violence and atrocities.
Scouting began in Jewell, Iowa, due to the generosity of Mrs. Carrie A. Strong. Mrs. Strong had resided in Jewell and moved to California, but due to her interest in the town even after relocation, she gave the town of Jewell its first step in Scouting. In 1916, Mrs. Strong came back to Jewell for her annual visit went before the city fathers to tell them that she would provide the fund to buy and build a Scout House on, and give $1000 to construct a building suitable for The Scout program.
A parcel of land was bought from H. K. and Christian Gronbeck on October 14, 1916, for the sum of $840.00. The building was let to Peterson Builders for the Scout House 240 by 48 feet and 12 foot high. The completed cost for the building was $935.00. The First Scoutmaster was Reverend Norstad and his assistants were professors from the then Jewell Lutheran College. F. H. Ferbitz became Scoutmaster in October 1923 with 28 Scouts under his leadership. A Fife and Drum Corp was also started at that time and the grounds were cleaned and the building painted. A basketball league was formed which consisted of four teams. After the basketball games, the boys would have what they referred to as, "a feed." These feeds were paid for by the continued contributions of Mrs. Strong up to the time of her death on November 27, 1923.
Recent history (1960-2010)
During the 1950s and 60s eastern Iowa was home to the Buffalo Bill Area Council (#176) spanning an area from Dubuque to Muscatine. The council office was located in Davenport. The summer camp, Camp Minneyata, was outside of Dixon on the Wapsipinicon River and featured a canoe base, swimming pool, and lodge hall. The Order of the Arrow Lodge was the "Golden Eagle" Lodge, No. 313.
Councils
There are eight BSA local councils serving Iowa.
Hawkeye Area Council
| Hawkeye Area Council (#172) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | ||
| Founded | 1952 | ||
|
| |||
| Website hawkeyebsa | |||
The Hawkeye Area Council serves Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, Johnson, Linn, and Washington counties within Eastern Iowa. It Currently has two districts, Northern Lights and Southern Prairie.
Order of the Arrow
- Cho-Gun-Mun-A-Nock Lodge[4]
Illowa Council
The Illowa Council serves Scouts in Illinois and Iowa.
Mid America Council
Headquarterd in Nebraska, the Mid-America Council offers programs in 58 counties in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. The council has several camps, including the Little Sioux Scout Ranch.
Mid-Iowa Council
| Mid-Iowa Council (#177) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Des Moines, Iowa | ||
|
| |||
| Website www | |||
The Mid Iowa Council serves the area of the state capital, Des Moines.[5]
Mississippi Valley Council
This council is headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, and is served by Black Hawk Lodge #67. This council serves Scouts in Illinois and Iowa.
Northeast Iowa Council
| Northeast Iowa Council (#178) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Dubuque, Iowa | ||
|
| |||
| Website www | |||
The Northeast Iowa Council is headquartered in Dubuque, IA and serves the counties of Dubuque, Delaware, Clayton, and Allamakee, as well as the cities of East Dubuque and Bellevue. Camp C.S. Klaus is the resident summer camp facility of the Northeast Iowa Council, and is located just west of Colesburg, Iowa.
Winnebago Council
| Winnebago Council (#173) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Waterloo, Iowa | ||
|
| |||
| Website www | |||
The Winnebago Council (#173) is a council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Winnebago Council serves Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts, adult volunteers and Venturers in 17 counties located in North Central Iowa. Including: Black Hawk, Grundy, Butler, Franklin, Wright, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth, Cerro Gordo, Mitchell, Floyd, Bremer, Chickasaw, Howard, Winneshiek, Fayette, and Buchanan.
Sioux Council
The Sioux Council serves Scouts in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.
Girl Scouting in Iowa
| Girl Scouting in Iowa | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Map of Girl Scout Council in Iowa | |||
|
| |||
There are two Girl Scout councils in Iowa, realigned from nine former councils.
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois
As part of a national realignment the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois formed in April 2007 by combining four former councils. It serves some 20,000 girls.[6]
- Council headquarters
- Rock Island, Illinois
- Service centers
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dubuque, Iowa, Waterloo, Iowa, and West Burlington, Iowa.
- History
The former councils are:
- Conestoga Council of Girl Scouts
Waterloo, Iowa - Girl Scouts of Little Cloud Council, Inc.
Dubuque, Iowa - Girl Scouts of Mississippi Valley
Rock Island, Illinois and Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Girl Scouts of Shining Trail Council, Inc.
West Burlington, Iowa
- Camps
The council has three camps:
- Camp Liberty (formerly Camp Conestoga) is 340 acres (1.4 km2) in New Liberty, Iowa. It was established in 1947.
- Camp Little Cloud is 154 acres (0.6 km2) in Epworth, Iowa.
- Camp L-Kee-Ta established in 1945 is 150 acres (0.6 km2) in Danville, Iowa
- Camp Tahigwa was in Dorchester in Allamakee County, Iowa and had 315 acres (1.3 km2). Tahigwa was established in 1967. This camp was sold in 2017.
Currently, Camp Liberty is the designated resident camp program for girls throughout eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Camp Little Cloud and Camp L-Kee-Ta are used by troops and groups for events and both day and overnight outdoor adventures.
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa covers 74 counties including 71 in central and western Iowa, one county in Nebraska, and one and one-half counties in South Dakota. As part of the national realignment, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa was created in October 2007 from the merger of five councils.
- Headquarters
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Service centers
- Des Moines, Iowa, Council Bluffs, Iowa, Mason City, Iowa, and Sioux City, Iowa.[7]
- History
The five former councils are:
- Girl Scouts of Lakota Council
Fort Dodge, Iowa - Moingona Girl Scout Council
Des Moines, Iowa - Nishnabotna Girl Scout Council of Southwest Iowa, Inc.
Council Bluffs, Iowa - Girl Scout Council of North Iowa
Mason City, Iowa - Sioux Trails Girl Scout Council
Sioux City, Iowa[8][9]
- Camps
The council operates five residence camps.
- Camp Sacajawea is over 400 acres (1.6 km2) in Boone, Iowa.
- Camp Tanglefoot is 50 acres (0.2 km2) in Clear Lake, Iowa.
- Camp Joy Hollow is 360 acres (1.5 km2) in Westfield, Iowa.
- Former camps
In the 1970s the Caravan Trails Girl Scout Council owned Camp Strother in Eldon, Iowa.[11]
References
- "Northern Lights District". Hawkeye Area Council.
- "Southern Prairie District". Hawkeye Area Council.
- "Camping". Hawkeye Area Council.
- "Cho-Gun-Mun-A-Nock Lodge". Hawkeye Area Council.
- "Mid-Iowa Council".
- "Join - Volunteer | Girl Scouts of E IA and W IL". www.girlscoutstoday.org.
- "Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa". www.girlscoutsiowa.org.
- "Girl Scouts plan to hang onto Joy Hollow". Le Mars Daily Sentinel. October 14, 2010.
- "Public meeting to focus on future of Joy Hollow Camp". Le Mars Daily Sentinel. August 20, 2010.
- "News, Sports, Jobs - Messenger News".
- "Girl Scout Camps in Iowa". www.vintagegirlscout.com.
External links
- www.hawkeyebsa.org Hawkeye Area Council
- www.girlscoutstoday.org Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois GSEIWI