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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)

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.

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, 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".

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.

Camps
  • Camp Preston Hunt - in Texarkana, Arkansas, is a year-round camping facility is used for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and outside organizations. Located on the outskirts of Texarkana, Camp Preston Hunt is over 250 acres, with cabins, as well as numerous areas for primitive tent camping, a large dining hall, lake with canoes, shower facilities, cub pirate ship, and pavilions. Camp Preston Hunt is used year-round.

Chickasaw Council

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. 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

The De Soto Area Council serves youth in eleven counties in southeastern Arkansas. On June 1, 2024, De Soto Area Council merged into the Natural State Council.

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

The Quapaw Area Council is the largest in Arkansas in both area and members, and is headquartered in Little Rock. 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).

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.

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

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. west of Damascus.

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.

Westark Area Council

The WestArk Area Council was originally organized in July 1920. 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.

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.

The Westark Area Council currently serves over 6,500 youth in seventeen counties in northwestern Arkansas. The Council Scout Service Center is located at 1401 Old Greenwood Road, Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72901 and was built in 1963. with 103 members.

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.

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

High Adventure

There is one High Adventure Scouting event in Arkansas.

  • White River Canoe Race

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 in 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

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 near Booneville.
  • Camp Crossed Arrows is south of Batesville. It opened in 1965.
  • Burnham Woods is a small, property serving the Fort Smith service center.
  • Radford House is a property in Hot Springs.
  • Camp NOARK is in the Ozarks near Huntsville.
  • Camp High Point is in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains east of Mena. It was established in 1945. Not in use. 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.

Girl Scouts Heart of The South

Serves Crittenden County in Arkansas.

See also

  • Roy Williams (Scouting)
  • Southern Region (Boy Scouts of America)
  • East Arkansas Area Council Historical Preservation Society

References