Scouting in Louisiana

Scouting in Louisiana 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.

Early history (1910–1960)

The first Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop in Louisiana was founded in 1910 in Monroe, LA by Isaac Cowden. The group of boys had formed the year before as "The Newsboy's Club" and met Sundays in the Knights of Pythias Hall on St. John Street. This troop was among the first in the south. The first Scout Master to be commissioned in Louisiana was Osee W. Zeagler.

In the days of segregation, five of the seven Louisiana councils maintained a separate summer camp for Negro scouts and the other two ran a special session at the regular council camp in order that black scouts would not be denied a camping program. In the period 1957–1967, each of the "Negro Scout Camps" were closed and the regular councils camps were integrated. Negro camps in Louisiana were: Camp Pioneer (Norwela Council), Camp Britton (Ouachita Valley Council), Camp Chenier (Evangeline Area Council), Indian Village Scout Camp (New Orleans Area Council), and Camp Carver (Istrouma Area Council).

In 1924, the Evangeline Area Council (#212) was formed. In 1917, the Minden Council was formed, ending in 1919. In 1917, the Ruston Council was formed, ending in 1918. In 1917, the Minden Council was formed, ending in 1919. In 1923, the Fourth District Council (#213) was formed, changing its name to the Ouachita Valley Council (#213) in 1925. In 1919, the Alexandria Council (#208) was formed, changing its name to the Attakapas Council (#208) in 1921. In 1923 the council changed its name to Rapides Parish Council (#208), and back to Attakapas (#208) in 1925. Attakapas (#208) dissolved in 1925, reforming in 1938. In 1917, the Baton Rouge Council (#211) was formed, changing its name to the East Baton Rouge Parish Council (#211) in 1922. It changed its name to the Istrouma Area Council (#211) in 1924. In 1924, the Old Hickory Area Council (#657) was formed, merging into the Istrouma Area Council (#211) in 1931.

In 1923, the Choctaw Area Council (#210) was formed. In 1919, the Calcasieu Parish Council (#209) was formed, changing its name to the Lake Charles Council (#209) in 1920. It changed its name to the Calcasieu Parish Council (#209) in 1922. In 1925, Calcasieu Parish changed its name to the Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes Council (#209). In 1930, the Choctaw Area (#210) and Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes (#209) councils merged to form the Calcasieu Area Council (#209).

Evangeline Area Council

The Evangeline Area Council (#212) serves Scouts in Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, Iberia St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes.

History

The Evangeline Area Council was founded in April 1924 by F.E. "Pa" Davis and various other business and community leaders from Lafayette, New Iberia, Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, Opelousas, and a handful of other small towns. Davis served as the council's first President from 1924 to 1928. H.F. Cotey served as the council's first Scout Executive from 1924 to 1927.

The council territory included the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, Lafourche, Iberville, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, Terrebonne and Vermilion. The parishes of Iberville, Lafourche and Terrebonne were turned over to the New Orleans and Baton Rouge councils in 1928.

In 1966, the Atchafalaya Lodge of the Order of the Arrow was established in the Evangeline Area Council.

In 2024, the Evangeline Area Council celebrated its centennial year, having served the Acadiana area under the same organization name for 100 years.

Organization

Bon Temps District
Kuna Nisha District

Camps

Mountain Bayou Scout Camp
Camp Brownell
Camp Steen
Camp Thistlethwaite

Order of the Arrow

Atchafalaya Lodge

Istrouma Area Council

Istrouma Area Council serves Scouts in 14 parishes in Louisiana (Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Feliciana and West Baton Rouge). The council is divided into two service areas - Capital Service Area and Northshore Service Area.

Camps

Avondale Scout Reservation- 1,700 acre reservation located in Clinton, LA. The reservation is divided into 4 camps- Camp Avondale (summer camp area), Woodbadge Hill (primitive camping), Camp Tigator (Council Training Center) and Camp McGee (Cub Scouts). The property has three lakes (Lake Istrouma, Lake Tigator, and Lake McGee) and frontage on Sandy Creek.

Carruth Scout Preserve- 150 acre property in Port Allen, La. Home to primitive camping.

Order of the Arrow

Quinipissa Lodge

Norwela Council

The Norwela Council of the BSA was established in 1923. It serves a nine-parish region: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster.

History

In 1925, the ClaiBienWeb Council (#699) was formed. In 1921, the Shreveport Council (#215) was formed, changing its name to the NorWeLa Area Council (#215) in 1923. The ClaiBienWeb Council merged into the NorWeLa Area Council (#215) in 1923.

Order of the Arrow

Caddo Lodge

Southeast Louisiana Council

The Southeast Louisiana Council serves the Southeast Louisiana Parishes of Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemine, St. John the Baptist, St. Bernard, St. Charles, East St. Tammany, and Terrebonne.

History

In 1917, the Minden Council was formed, ending in 1919. In 1924, the Mississippi-Gulf Coast Area Council (#666) was formed, merging into the New Orleans Area Council (#214) in 1927.