Scouting in Arkansas

Connected to: Boy Scouts of AmericaChickasaw CouncilDe Soto Area Council

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Scouting in Arkansas

Boy Scout Councils Serving Arkansas

Map of Girl Scout Councils in Arkansas

Scouting portal
Scouting in Arkansas has a long history, from 1913 to the present day, serving
thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

Boy Scouts of America in Arkansas

Early history (1910-1950)
Arkadelphia Boy Scout Hut
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Scouting in Arkansas
Location 8th St., Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Coordinates 34�7'45�N 93�3'16�W
Area less than one acre
Built 1939
Built by A.F. Bishop
Architect National Youth Administration
Architectural style Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Other,
Rustic
NRHP reference # 01001526[1]
Added to NRHP January 28, 2002
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) began in Arkansas in 1913, when the Little Rock
Council was chartered by the National Boy Scout Council and was directed by a
volunteer commissioner. In 1920, the Little Rock Council was reclassified and W. G.
Moseley became the first council executive in 1921. Two years later, the Little
Rock Council was renamed to the Pulaski County Council.[2]

In 1916, the De Soto Area Council was formed (#013). In 1916, the Blytheville
Council was formed; it disbanded in 1917. In 1916, the Westark Area Council (#016)
was formed. In 1916, Kia Kima Scout Reservation was opened in Hardy by the
Chickasaw Council (#558).

In 1917, the Jonesboro Council (#019) was formed; it changed its name to the Saint
Francis Valley Council (#019) in 1923. The council disbanded in 1930.

In 1918, the Hot Springs Council (#014) was formed; it changed its name to the
Ouachita Area Council (#014) in 1925.

In 1919, the Jefferson County Council (#017) was formed; it changed its name to the
Kanawha Area Council (#017) in 1930.

In 1920, the Fort Smith Council (#016) was formed; it changed its name to the Fort
Smith-Van Buren Council (#016) in 1924. In 1928 the council merged into the
Northwest Arkansas Council (#016). In 1926, the Ozark Council (#753) was formed; it
merged into Northwest Arkansas in 1928. In 1930, the council changed its name to
the Fort Smith Area Council, changing again in 1936 to the Westark Area Council
(#016) .

In 1922, the Fayetteville Council (#015) was formed; it changed its name to the
Eastern Arkansas Area Council (#015) in 1935.
In 1924, the Crowley Ridge Council (#677) was formed; it changed its name to the
Mohawk Council (#677) in 1926.

In 1930, the Kanawha Area Council was formed; it disbanded in 1934. The council
disbanded in 1930, with half of the council moving to the De Soto Area Council
(#013) and the other half to the Quapaw Area Council (#018).

Arkadelphia Boy Scout Hut

The Arkadelphia Boy Scout Hut, located in Central Park,[3] Arkadelphia, is on the
National Register of Historic Places. Since the roof and the original shutters and
windows were replaced in 1953, the Hut is precluded from being listed on the
National Register under Criterion C. However, it is listed under Criterion A as a
"property that made a contribution to the major pattern of American history".[4]

The Boy Scout Hut was constructed from 1938 to 1939 as a National Youth
Administration (NYA) project. It is an example of the typical type of buildings
constructed by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) and NYA during the Great Depression. However, it is the
only known building constructed by the NYA and the only building designed in a
Rustic style that remains standing in Arkadelphia that was designed and constructed
during the New Deal era.[4]

Aubrey Williams, Executive Director of the National Youth Administration, stated in

a press release on 24 September 1937:

City Recreation Departments, children's agencies, YMCA's, YWCA's, Settlement

Houses, institutions for the blind, public schools, orphanages, hospitals for
handicapped and crippled children, Boy's clubs, Boy Scouts, community centers and
churches were reported as cooperating agencies in supervising the students and
providing facilities for increased recreational programs to all young people in the
community. [sic]

�?[4]
While the Boy Scout Hut was constructed specifically as a meeting place for two
local Boy Scout troops, and its use is controlled by the Boy Scouts, the building
is actually owned by the city of Arkadelphia. Starting around 1958, the Boy Scouts
allowed local Girl Scout troops to use the building. Currently Cub Scout Pack 3024
and Girl Scout Troop 454 use the building.[4]

Boy Scouting in Arkansas today

Currently, all BSA Scouts in the State of Arkansas are served by five area
councils: the Caddo Area Council, the De Soto Area Council, the Quapaw Area
Council, the Westark Area Council, and the Chickasaw Council.

Caddo Area Council

Caddo Area Council (#584)

Cossatot Double Eagle

Long Horn
Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters Texarkana, Texas
Country United States
Website
caddobsa.org
Scouting portal
The Caddo Area Council serves youth in ten counties in southwest Arkansas and
northeast Texas.

Organization
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2013)
The council is divided into the Cossatot, Double Eagle and Longhorn districts.

Order of the Arrow

The council is supported by the Akela Wahinapay Lodge #232.[5]

Camps
Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Arkansas, a regional Boy Scout resident summer camp[6]
Camp Preston Hunt - near Texarkana, Arkansas, a Cub Scout and Webelos resident
camp, and year-round camping facility. Located outside Texarkana, Camp Preston Hunt
is over 250 acres, with eleven campsites with cabins, as well as numerous areas for
tent camping, swimming pool, large dining hall, lake with canoes, shower
facilities, cub pirate ship, and COPE course. Camp Preston Hunt is used year-round
for district camporees and Webelos resident camp.
Chickasaw Council
Main article: Chickasaw Council

Chickasaw Council (#558)

Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters Memphis, Tennessee
Country United States
Founded February 22, 1916
Membership 7,339 youth
4,135 adults

(as of January 13, 2015)[7]

Website
www.chickasaw.org
Scouting portal
The Chickasaw Council serves Scouts in Crittenden County, Arkansas as well as in
Shelby County, Tennessee and fifteen counties in northwest Mississippi. It was
founded on February 22, 1916 to oversee the many Boy Scout troops already present
in Memphis, Tennessee.[8] The Chickasaw Council has two camps: Kia Kima Scout
Reservation and Camp Currier. The Chickasaw Council is also home to the Order of
the Arrow Ahoalan-Nachpikin Lodge 558.

De Soto Area Council

De Soto Area Council (#013)

Three Rivers Conquistador

Loblolly

De Soto Area Council office

Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters El Dorado, Arkansas
Country United States
Website
desotoareacouncil.org
Scouting portal
The De Soto Area Council serves youth in eleven counties in southeastern Arkansas.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2013)
Organization
The council is divided into three districts.

Camps
Camp De Soto
Order of the Arrow
The council is supported by the Abooikpaagun Lodge (#399). The lodge's headquarters
is located in El Dorado and was founded in 1948, the same year the Order of the
Arrow became officially integrated into the national camping program of the Boy
Scouts of America.

Quapaw Area Council

Main article: Quapaw Area Council

Quapaw Area Council (#018)

Cherokee Delta
Diamond Lake Foothills
Mohawk Saracen
Nischa Sipo Three Rivers
Thunderbird White River
Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters Little Rock, Arkansas
Country United States
Previous
Pulaski County Council
Website
quapawbsa.org
Scouting portal
The Quapaw Area Council is the largest in Arkansas in both area and members, and is
headquartered in Little Rock.[9] In 1927, the Pulaski County Council was renamed
the Quapaw Area Council and covered several counties. In 1934, the Kanawha Area
Council of Jefferson County was split between the Quapaw Area Council and the De
Soto Area Council, which had a council office in El Dorado (Union County).[2]

In 2002 and 2012 respectively, the Eastern Arkansas Area Council and Ouachita Area
Council merged with the Quapaw Area Council. These mergers enlarged the Quapaw Area
Council from seventeen counties to thirty-nine.

The council serves over 18,000 youth and 3,600 adults in thirty-nine counties
divided into nine districts, and approximately 100 boys become Eagle Scouts each
year.[10]

Council members who have received national honors include Dr. Raymond V. Biondo[11]
and Dr. David Briscoe, both of whom received the Silver Buffalo Award.[12]

Order of the Arrow

The Order of the Arrow Quapaw Lodge 160 was formed with fifteen members in June
1939 and inducted sixty-two members during the summer of 1939. Today, the lodge has
about 500 members.[9]

Camps
Currently the Quapaw Area Council owns and operates the Gus Blass Scout
Reservation,[13] west of Damascus.[14]

The first permanent camping facility for the Quapaw council was Camp Quapaw, opened
in 1925. It was located on the Saline River west of Benton in Saline County. This
early facility was limited, so between 1930 and 1931, fifty-five additional acres
were purchased, and a mess hall was constructed. The numbers of scouts attending
camp increased, which led to overuse of the facilities. Additionally, the Army
Corps of Engineers was considering a dam on the Saline River. This would have
flooded a section of the camp.[9]

In 1975, the council acquired Camp Kiwanis in order to accommodate more Scouts and
camping activities. This was an unimproved site which included over 2,900 acres
west of Damascus. It was renamed the Cove Creek Scout Reservation and opened in
1976. Camp Quapaw was then closed and later sold.[9]

In 1981, the portion of Cove Creek that was used as a permanent summer camp was
named Camp Montgomery, after Nile Montgomery, a previous scout executive. The lake
was named Lake Butler, for Richard C. Butler Sr., a supporter of the local scouting
program.[9]

In 2001, the Cove Creek Scout Reservation and Camp Nile Montgomery were renamed the
Gus Blass Scout Reservation and Camp Rockefeller in honor of Gus Blass II and
Lieutenant Governor Winthrop P. Rockefeller, both of whom were supporters of the
Boy Scout program for many years.[9]

The Gus Blass Scout Reservation also includes the Donald W. Reynolds Scout Training
Center. This facility includes a 320-seat dining hall with commercial kitchen, 88
person/28 room sleeping wing including two ADA compliant rooms, three large
classrooms, an area with a large fireplace, two large terraced areas and additional
camping on the adjacent property.[15]

Westark Area Council

Westark Area Council (#016)

Cornerstone Razorback
Butterfield Trail Ozark
Magazine Mountain
Owner Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters Fort Smith, Arkansas
Location 1401 Old Greenwood Road, Fort Smith, AR 72901
Country United States
Founded 1920
Membership 6500
President Greg Fogle
Council Commissioner Robert "Bob" Christiansen
Scout Executive Chris Daughtrey
Assistant Scout Executive Christian Swain
Website
westarkbsa.org
Scouting portal
The WestArk Area Council was originally organized in July 1920.[16][17] The council
is divided into five districts and is headquartered in Fort Smith. It serves over
6,500 youth in seventeen counties located in northwestern Arkansas.[18]

Starting in July 1920, the council originally included only the city of Fort Smith
and was named the Fort Smith Council. From 1922 to 1937 the council underwent a
number of name changes and expansions. In 1922, the council expanded to include the
city of Van Buren and was named the Fort Smith � Van Buren Council. Then in 1927,
the council incorporating all of Crawford and Sebastian Counties, and the portion
of Franklin County south of the Arkansas River. In 1928, the council took over an
additional 13 counties, 10 of which had previously been part of the Ozark Council.
From 1922 to 1930 the council was named the Northwest Arkansas Council, and from
1922 to 1937 it was named the Fort Smith Area Council. Finally, in 1937 the name
changed to the Westark Area Council.[17]

The Westark Area Council currently serves over 6,500 youth in seventeen counties in
northwestern Arkansas.[19] The Council Scout Service Center is located at 1401 Old
Greenwood Road, Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72901 and was built in 1963.[19]

In 2003, the council began a Youth Diversion Program that provides an alternative
to the formal court proceedings for first-time offenders and gives a second chance
to those young adults who are willing to accept responsibility and move forward.
Through structured activities, this program aims to reduce the recidivism rate
among these youth.[16]

OA
The council is supported by the Wachtschu Mawachpo Lodge 559. The Lodge began in
1963[20] with 103 members.[17] The first Lodge chapters were Butterfield,
Northwest, Ozark, and Magazine Mountain. It now has five chapters: Butterfield
Trail, Magazine Mountain, Ozark, Razorback and Cornerstone.

Camps
In 1953, land for a Scout camp was purchased and developed in Camp Orr.[17] It has
been in use since 1955 and covers nearly 600 acres of the Buffalo National River
Wilderness Area. It is located south of Harrison, and is the only Boy Scout Camp
situated within a National Park.[21]

In 1973 the Arkansas State Legislature permitted the Westark Area Council to
purchase 2,842 acres of the Booneville Sanatorium, just south of Booneville, for a
future camp development.[17] The land development began in 1975 and completed in
May 1976. Construction of the camp started in the spring of 1976. The Scout camp is
now known as Rogers Scout Reservation.[22]

The council also owns Camp Spencer, a 100-acre primitive camping facility, located
on the shore of Lake Norfork, east of Mountain Home.[23]

High Adventure
There is one High Adventure Scouting event in Arkansas.

White River Canoe Race[24]

There is also one regional High Adventure Base within Arkansas. Camp ORR High
Adventure Base located in Jasper Ar off of the Buffalo National River. Camp ORR Is
the first and only camp or proprietary within a National Park.

Camp ORR is filled with over 100 miles of hiking int the Ozarks, The Buffalo river
where you have access to all 165 miles to float where you please. WestArk Area
Council has also opened up nearly 20 miles of high quality mountain biking within
the Camp. You will also have access to countless climbing and rappelling within the
Camp. Most notably, Garrhole Bluff! Garr is a 300Ft repel that you are able to do
within Camp.
http://www.westarkbsa.org/camping

Girl Scouting in Arkansas

There are two Girl Scout councils in Arkansas.

Girl Scouts - Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas

Girl Scouts - Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas

Owner GSUSA
Headquarters North Little Rock, Arkansas
Country United States
Chair of the Board Barbara Bethell
Chief Executive Officer Denise Stewart
Website
girlscoutsdiamonds.org
Scouting portal
The Girl Scouts - Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas serves girls in Adair,
LeFlore, and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma, girls in Bowie and Cass counties in
Texas, and all of Arkansas except Crittenden county. It was formed on October 1,
2008, by the merger of Arkansas Post Girl Scout Council, Girl Scouts of Conifer
Council, Girl Scouts of Crowley's Ridge Council, Girl Scout Council of Mount
Magazine Area, Noark Girl Scout Council, and Girl Scouts of Ouachita Council.

Service centers
Fayetteville
Fort Smith
Jonesboro
Pine Bluff
Texarkana
Camps
Camp Cahinnio is almost 400 acres (160 ha) near Booneville.
Camp Crossed Arrows is 400 acres (160 ha) south of Batesville. It opened in 1965.
Burnham Woods is a small, 13.5 acres (5.5 ha) property serving the Fort Smith
service center.
Radford House is a 14.23 acres (5.76 ha) property in Hot Springs.
Camp NOARK is 300 acres (120 ha) in the Ozarks near Huntsville. [25]
Camp High Point is 163 acres (66 ha) in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains
east of Mena. It was established in 1945. Not in use.[25]
Camp Taloha - not in use[25]
Camp Kemp - not in use[25]
Former camps
Camp Storeywood is 100 acres (40 ha) near Searcy. Closed September 2009.
Historic
Camp Ouachita was used as a Girl Scout camp from 1937 until 1979 when the cost of
providing potable water proved too much for the local council. It is now a National
Historic District as the only surviving Works Progress Administration (WPA)
constructed Girl Scout camp.[26] It was built in the Ouachita National Forest for
the Little Rock Area Girl Scout Council, which before had only occasional use of a
local Boy Scout camp.