HISTORY OF COUNCILS IN THE BSA

Every month, the Scouting E-Zine focuses on a different state of the union where we examine how Scouting has evolved over the past 90 years. Already we have received a lot of feedback from our first two installments for MISSOURI and SOUTH CAROLINA.

One Scouting E-Zine reader, Amy Roudebush, from the Hoosier Trails Council, asked us to look into Indiana Scouting History which is the focus of this issue. If you would like for us to profile your state next send an e-mail to info@honorpub.com and we will research your state next.

Indiana has seen many Scout Councils form, merge, and evolve into the modern day collection of 10 councils that serve the state including two that are based in other states:

* Lincoln Heritage based in Louisville, Kentucky
* Prairielands based in Champaign, Illinois

The modern day Indiana based councils are:

* Anthony Wayne Area based in Fort Wayne
* Buffalo Trace based in Evansville
* Calumet based in Munster
* Crossroads of America based in Indianapolis
* Hoosier Trails based in Bloomington
* La Salle based in South Bend
* Sagamore based in Kokomo
* Wabash Valley based in Terre Haute

Several of the councils based in Indiana also extend their reach into other states, especially Illinois:

* La Salle also serves some counties in Southern Michigan along the other side of the northern border of Indiana.
* Buffalo Trace, headquartered on the Ohio River serves scouts in Southern Illinois but does not go across the river into Kentucky
* Calumet, based in the small town of Munster IN is just over the line from Chicago area in the northwestern tip of the state and serves several counties in Illinois.
* Wabash Valley based in Terre Haute is also a border city and extends its services into Central Illinois.

The entire state of Indiana is in the Central Region of the B.S.A. with the regional headquarters based out of Naperville IL.

Most modern day councils got their earliest start in the late 1920's. At one time there were more than 800 councils in the United States. Today there are well less than half of that number. The Anthony Wayne Area Council is the oldest council in the state that has kept the same name and headquarter city, dating back to 1925 in its current form while the Wabash Valley Council appears to have the earliest roots in the Hoosier state, going back to 1912.

ANTHONY WAYNE AREA COUNCIL http://www.bsaawac.org/, based in Fort Wayne IN has probably changed the least of all Indiana Councils. Fort Wayne has hosted a Boy Scout Council as far back as 1916 when it was simply known as the Fort Wayne Council. In 1924 a name change took place, becoming the Allen County Council before again changing names a year later to the Anthony Wayne Area Council which it has kept till this day. The only other record
of council activity in this part of the state is a reference to the short lived Albion Council in the city of the same name that lasted one year from 1917 to 1918. Today the council serves 11 counties. The Council operates the Anthony Wayne Scout Reservation, (1,200 acres) near Pleasant Lake IN. The reservation has two camps: Camp Chief Little Turtle for Boy Scouts and Camp Follinger for Cub Scouts. The council recently wrapped up a successful capital campaign and has heavily invested in upgraded camping facilities. With the camp being centered midway between Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis the camp attracts many out of council units.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp?cid=107

BUFFALO TRACE COUNCIL http://members.sigecom.net/bsa156/, is based in Evansville IN which has undergone quite a few name changes beginning with its founding in 1914. Then it was organized as the Vandenburg County Council. In 1917 the name was added onto to become the Evansville-Vandenburg County Council. That name stuck around for just a year with the council changing its name again in 1918 to become simply the Evansville Council, which carried for over a decade until 1931. With the recession underway many councils were under financial pressure in the early 1930's and several smaller nearby councils folded. With the expanded territory the council came to be known as the Southern Indiana Area Council (1931 - 1955). Some of the other councils that folded into the Evansville based council during this time was Council # 145 based out of Princeton IN.

This Princeton based council was first called the Wabash Valley Council (1923-1924) and then the George Rogers Clark Area Council from 1924 - 1926. It is interesting to note that both of these names used by the Scouters of Princeton were later picked up by other councils in other parts of the state for their own council names. In 1955 the council underwent its last name
change as the result of a merger, becoming the Buffalo Trace Council. This occurred when the Mount Vernon Illinois Council (known as Buffalo Trace #116) was partitioned into several councils. To welcome in the new Illinois territory the Evansville based council adopted the name of the then disbanded Mt. Vernon based Council but retained its old council number of
156. The name Buffalo Trace and Council Number 156 have been retained ever since. The Council operates the Old Ben Scout Reservation (240 acres) in Winslow IN.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp?cid=108

CROSSROADS OF AMERICA COUNCIL http://www.crossroadsbsa.org/ is by far the largest council in the Hoosier State, the result of quite a few mergers over the years. Based in Indianapolis, the current name was adopted in 1972. One of the hallmarks of this council is the use of the Firecrafter Program and (http://www.firecrafter.org/) which is a local program that in many ways serves the same function as Order of the Arrow does in other councils. Indianapolis itself has had a council office since 1915, the being known as just the Indianapolis Council (#160) until 1934 when it started adding a lot of other council and became known as the Indianapolis and Central Indiana Council. This long name lasted until 1942 when the council simply was known as the Central Indiana Council. In 1972 a major merger was undertaken with
the present name being adopted. A number of councils were folded together including Delaware County #679 (this was the Muncie IN based Council that operated from 1924 - 1972), Kikthawenund Area #149 (Anderson IN) and the Whitewater Valley Council #151 based in Hagerstown IN. Anderson IN itself had a long history of council before the 1972 merger. First founded in 1919 as the Anderson Council the council went under a year later in 1919 only to return with the same name in 1923, this time lasting until 1928 when the council changed it's name to the Hoosier Council. That name ran for 3 years. In 1931 the Anderson IN based council became the Chief Anderson Council which lasted four years until 1935. The last name for the council, Kikthawenund proved to be the longest, running from 1935 to 1972 before finally merging into the new Crossroads of America Council. Hagerstown IN has a similarly long history as a separate council before the 1972 merger. Beginning as the Wayne County Council #151 in 1927, the council became the Wayne Area Council for four years afterwards. In 1935 Hagerstown became known as the Whitewater Council which also ran all the way till the 1972
mass merger. There were also a few short lived councils in the area now served by Crossroads of America including the Connersville Council based in the city of the same name from 1922 - 1924 and the Frankfort Council of Frankfort IN which operated from 1918 to 1920. Shelbeyville had a council of the same name from 1915 to 1922. Finally Boone County Council, based in
Lebanon IN operated for two years from 1927 - 1929. As you might suspect, given both the number of Scouts served and the number of councils that were merged together in 1972, the Crossroads of America Council has a number of camping facilities. The camps of this council are:

* Camp Bear Creek has 331 acres of rugged & heavily timbered camping areas on Bear Creek. Canoeing is available on nearby Whitewater River. Near Connersville IN, this camp has a dining
hall, swimming pool, 10 campsites, outpost sites, and two lakes.

* Camp Belzer has 130 acres of rugged & wooded campsites on Fall Creek. It is close to Interstate I-465 and easy access to downtown Indianapolis. The Akela Trail for Cub Scouts & the base for Voyageur Canoe Training program & outfitting are both here.

* Camp Bradford is the largest camp in Crossroads of America Council, with 1600 acres of very beautiful camping areas, and offers wilderness type camping at its best. A self-reliant camp for self-reliant units, it has hiking trails, cliff climbing and survival.

* Camp Kikthawenund
http://www.bsacamps.org/Camps/Indiana/Kikthawenund.html is northeast of
Indianapolis in Frankton IN and rests on 300 acres. It has a Swimming pool,
Lake, River, & Canoes are available. There is also a Dining Hall & Winter
Facilities.

* Camp Redwing http://www.campredwing.freeservers.com AND
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2070/redwing.htm has 134 acres of
rolling land and timber on White River. Canoeing is available on White River
and the nearby reservoir. The camp is rich in the lore of the Delaware
Indians.

* Ransburg Scout Reservation
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2070/ransburg.htm home camp of the
Firecrafter organization. This is widely regarded as the council's flagship
camp.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=109

CALUMET COUNCIL http://www.jorsm.com/calcouncil/, is based in Munster IN.
Many of the other major metropolitan areas of the United States have
coalesced over the years into one or two supercouncils. The Chicagoland
area is the prominent exception to that rule with nearly a dozen councils
still serving the greater Chicago area. To be sure there the Chicago area
has seen quite a few mergers and the Northwestern corner of Indiana has not
been immune to that trend. Today's Calumet Council was founded in Munster
in 1965 but a number of nearby towns and cities also had Boy Scout councils
over the past 90 years. East Chicago IN had a council of the same name
dating back to 1919 as did the nearby city of Indiana Harbor which also
formed in 1919. In 1921 those two councils merged and became known as the
Indiana Harbor and East Chicago Council. In 1925 that council, still based
in East Chicago, became known as the Twin City Council and continued on
until 1970 when it folded into the Calumet Council. Gary IN is another
nearby community that also operated as a council for a number of years.
>From 1918 to 1940 the council was simply known as the Gary Council before
changing its name to the Sauk Trails Council. That council ended in 1965
with its merger into the Pokagon Trails Council of Hammond IN to become a
major part of the modern day Calumet Council. Hammond is the other city
that co-existed for many years in this corner of the state as a separate
council. From 1918 to 1937 it was known as the Hammond Council. In 1937
Hammond changed its name to the Pokagon Council. Just a few years later in
1944 the Pokagon Council picked up the Pottawattomi Trails Council of
Illinois in a merger to become the Pokagon Trails Council. The Pokagon
Trails Council then lasted all the way until 1965 when both Hammond and Gary
Indiana saw their councils merged with a new headquarters city being
established in Munster. This part of the state yields other names of long
forgotten councils like one that operated in the town of Whiting from 1920
to 1935 before being taken over by Direct Service. The camp for the Calumet
Council is Camp Frank S. Betz http://www.jorsm.com/calcouncil/betz.html (90
acres). While the Calumet Council serves no scouts in the state of
Michigan, the camp is located just a few dozen miles over the state line
near Berrien Springs MI on the St. Joseph River but is only operated as a
short term camp.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=110

HOOSIER TRAILS AREA COUNCIL http://boyscouts.hsonline.com/Council.htm AND
http://www.htcbsa.org/, based in Bloomington IN has perhaps the least
developed web site of any in state council. Bloomington's first council was
called White River Area Council #145 which was founded in 1927 and ran till
1973 when it merged with the DuPont IN based Hoosier Trails Council. The
combined council stayed in Bloomington and kept the 145 council number but
adopted DuPont's council name which had existed there since 1929. There
were a few very old councils that are part of the modern day Hoosier Trails
Council. In Bedford IN from 1927 - 1931 there existed a Lost River Area
Council. Columbus IN has the Bartholomew County Council from 1921 - 1926.
The council, which covers 18 counties, has two camp properties. Camp Louis
Ernst is a 160 acre primitive camp located in Dupont IN. Maumee Scout
Reservation http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2070/maumee.htm (605
acres) is in the northwest corner of Jackson County in the middle of the
Hoosier National Forest. The camp has a 56 acre lake. There are 11
campsites, and 2 cabins for year round use.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=111

La SALLE COUNCIL http://www.lasallecouncilbsa.org/ is based in South Bend IN
near the Michigan State line. Sound Bens itself has had a number of name
changes and mergers over the years beginning in 1919 when it was known as
the Sound Bend Council. This ended in 1923 when the council adopted the
name of Saint Joseph County Council. This name ran till 1930 when the name
again changed to Saint Joseph Valley. This time the name stuck until 1952
when the council merged with Mishawaka Area # 164 forming the Tri-Valley
Council. The Mishawaka Council was based in the town of Mishawaka IN and
had a 30 year run, being formed back in 1922. The Tri-Valley name lasted
two decades until 1972 when two other councils: Pioneer Trails #155 &
Pottawattomie #731 were merged. The new council inaugurated its newest name
on January 1st 1973. This time the name stuck until 1991 when part of
another existing council broke off to join La Salle. The Sawasabee District
of the Southwest Michigan Council was added on, giving the new council
territory in both states. Now what has been the Pioneer Trails Council was
based in Elkhart Indiana. This council traces its roots back to the Elkhart
Council in 1920. Seven years later it became the Elkhart Area Council until
1935 when it adopted the Pioneer Trails name. The council was merged into
the current council in 1972. The Pottawattomie Council mentioned earlier
was based in Michigan City IN and ran from 1926 to 1972. Finally, there
was a Culver Council in Culver IN from 1920 to 1928. The council operates
four camps, Camp Topenebee in Michigan City IN and Camp Rice Woods in
Walkerton IN. In Michigan the Will Welber Family Camp and Camp Tamarack
(500 acres) make up the Wood Lake Scout Reservation, just 15 miles southwest
of Three Rivers, MI in the town of Jones MI. We could not locate any
functioning web sites for any of the council camps.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=112

SAGAMORE COUNCIL http://www.sagamoresignals.com/ based in Kokomo IN has
quite a few twists and turns in his history. The current Sagamore Council
was created in 1973. Half a century earlier there was a Kokomo Council in
the same city from 1919 to 1924. During the gap in between there was much
activity in the town of LaFayette, beginning with the establishment of the
LaFayette Council in 1921 to 1925. For one year there was actually a
council called LaFayette and West LaFayette Council. In 1926 that name went
away and became the Tippecanoe County Council. In 1932 "County" was
replaced by "Area." In 1940 the council again changed its name to the
Harrison Trails Council which had a long run from 1940 to 1973. That year
Harrison Trails was merged with Meshingomesia Council #163 & Three Rivers
Council #162. Three Rivers Council had been based in Logansport IN where it
was first created in 1918 as the Logansport Council. The Three Rivers
moniker was added in 1936 which the council kept until the return to Kokomo
IN with the current Sagamore name. The Meshingomesia Council was based in
Marion IN and also goes back to 1918 when it was known as the Grant County
Council. In 1921 the name was changed to the Marion City Council. Finally
in 1929 the Meshingomesia name was adopted and retained until the 1973
merger which formed the modern day Sagamore Council. Finally the community
of Wabash had a separate council in the early days of the BSA from 1919 to
1928. The council has two camps: Camp Buffalo http://www.campbuffalo.com/
is situated on a large wooded property along the Tippecanoe River in North
Central Indiana. Along with the river, the camp boasts of a pond that soon
will be a lake, heavily wooded campsites. The council also has a Cub World
camp called Franklin L. Cary Camp http://www.carycamp.com/ located east of
Lafayette Indiana.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=113

WABASH VALLEY COUNCIL http://www.wvcbsa.org/ is headquartered in Terre Haute
IN near the central part of the state on the Illinois border. Our research
reveals this is the oldest city in the state with indications of a Scout
Council. Terre Haute had a council as early as 1912 of the same name. In
1924 this became the Vigo County Council before switching back to the
earlier name for two years in 1929. Finally in 1931 the council adopted its
current name of Wabash Valley Council. The only other item of note is that
the town of Clinton IN had a separate council from 1922 to 1924 before going
out of existence. There are two camps in this council, Camp Krietenstein
http://www.wvcbsa.org/CAMP.ASP located in Center Point IN on 150 acres. Camp
Wildwood is a 92 acre weekend camping facility located just outside Terre
Haute IN that is best used as a Short-term & Winter camping facility.

To see all of the unit websites within this council visit:

http://www.scouter.com/Net_Roster/Boy_Scouts_of_America/Councils/council.asp
?cid=114

The only other council known to exist in the state was the New Albany IN
based George Rogers Clark Area Council which had a long run from 1927 until
it was merged with the Old Kentucky Home Based Council in 1993.

See our historical article coverage of Illinois & Kentucky for information
on councils based in those states.

The author maintains the links at NetRoster, Scout Camp Database and the
ScoutCamp.org for Indiana. For corrections contact him at BigEd@usscouts.org

Where would you like the staff at the Scouting E-Zine to take you next,
write us at info@honorpub.com and tell us which state's history you want to
read about in our next issue!

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