The Mid-America Council of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

offers programs in 58 counties in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. The Mid-America Council was formed from a merger of the Covered Wagon Council and the Southwest Iowa Council in 1965. The first recorded Council in the area was in 1918 as the Omaha Council. In 2000 the council merged with the Prairie Gold Council that had been located in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

. The first recorded Scouting activity was a 1917 potato harvest by Troop 42, still in existence, reported on by the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

''.

History

In 1917, the Hartington Council was formed, closing in 1918. In 1915, the Omaha Council (#326) was formed, changing its name to the Covered Wagon Council (#326) in 1930. The Mid-America Council (#326) was formed from a merger of the Covered Wagon Council (#326) and the Southwest Iowa Council (#175) in 1965. In 2000 the council merged with the Prairie Gold Area Council (#179) that had been located in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1920, LeMars Council (#182) was created, merging into the Sioux City Area Council (#185) in 1926. In 1918, Sioux City Council (#185) was created, changing its name to the Sioux City Area Council (#185) in 1926. In 1939, Sioux City Area changed its name to the Sergeant Floyd Area Council (#185) in 1939. Sergeant Floyd Area merged into Prairie Gold Council (#179) in 1972. With this merger the combined Council changed its name to Prairie Gold 'Area' Council In 1919, Fort Dodge Council (#179) was created. In 1942 the council changed its name to Prairie Gold Council (#179). In 1920, the Shenandoah Council was founded, folding in 1921. In 1919, Council Bluffs Council (#175) was created. In 1926 the council changed its name to Waubonsie Boyer Council (#175). It changed its name again to the Southwest Iowa Council (#175), eventually merging into the Mid-America Council in 1965. In 2024, Overland Trails Council merged into the Mid-America Council.

Organization

The Council is separated into twelve districts. * Black Hawk District * Diamond Dick District * Goldenrod District * Iron Horse District * Northwest Iowa District * Ohwahnasee District * Petah La Shauro District * Thundercloud District * Trailblazer District * Twin Lakes District * Wagon Wheel District * War Eagle District

Camps

Mid-America Council operates four camps. Its Boy Scout summer camp is located at Camp Cedars, near

Fremont, Nebraska Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it t ...

while its Cub Scout resident camp is located at Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa. Other council camps include Camp Eagle, near

and Camp Wa-Kon-Da,

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue ( French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 census, ...

. The council formerly operated Camp Wakonda near

Griswold, Iowa Griswold is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States. The population was 994 at the time of the 2020 census. History The town was named for J. N. A. Griswold, a railroad director. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

, in operation from 1948 until 1978. The Little Sioux Scout Ranch was heavily damaged by a tornado on June 11, 2008, which killed four Scouts and hospitalized 40 of 93 Scouts and Scouters attending a leadership development event. Camp Butterfield is currently being sold for private hunting and recreation purposes.

Little Sioux Scout Ranch

The Little Sioux Scout Ranch is a

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

reservation operated by the Mid-America Council of the

. It is located in Little Sioux, Iowa, approximately sixty miles north of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

in Iowa's

Loess Hills The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the westernmost parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the easternmost parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Geology The Loess (, , or ) Hills are generally located be ...

and is approximately 15 minutes east of

Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...

. Hiking trails cover the heavily timbered camp, along with mowed meadows and several remote campsites. There are also four cabin shelters and a lake. The

Mutual of Omaha Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company is an American Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health & Accident Association, Mutual of Omaha is a financial organization o ...

Administration Building was completed in 2000, and two years later the MidAmerican Energy Pavilion was finished, seating 300 at picnic tables. Individual packs, troops and posts use the facility, along with

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of Scouting America, composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Promise, Scout Oath and Scout Law, Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. It was founded as a camp fr ...

conclaves, district and council camporees. Pahuk Pride, a weeklong

National Youth Leadership Training National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is the current youth leadership training offered by Scouting America. It is conducted at the Council (Scouting America), council level for members of the Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouts (Scouting A ...

event, was held annually at this camp. The camp was the site of a tornado that killed four

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

and injured 48 others on June 11, 2008.

Camp Cedars

The Mid-America Council's

summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

is located at Camp Cedars, located on the Covered Wagon Scout Reservation (CWSR) near the village of Cedar Bluffs in Saunders County,

. Perched on a bluff above the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

, the camp has of deciduous woods, prairie, and river bottoms. Facilities include a heated outdoor pool, shower houses, the Thomas Equestrian Center, an air-conditioned dining hall seating over 500 and an amphitheater with seating for over 1,000 audience members, as well as four renovated, air-conditioned cabins and three air-conditioned lodges. Cedars features an extensive Challenging Outdoor Program Experience (

COPE A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clerg ...

) course a

zip line A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide''Who Really Benefits from Tourism'', Publ. Equations, Karnataka, India, 2010. Working Papers Series. "Canopy Tourism"page 37/ref>Jacques Marais, Lisa De Speville, ''Adventure Racing'', ...

, a tall rappelling tower and climbing walls. There is also a shooting sports facility, a nature center, and an equestrian center. Twelve campsites provide 264 permanent tent platforms, including a wheelchair-accessible campsite, for Scouts and leaders. It has been the site of archeological digs. Following the tragedy at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch, Camp Cedars built

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

shelters in response. In addition to Little Sioux, Cedars plays is an important site for the Kit-Ke-Hak-O-Kut Lodge of the

, as well as its own camping society called Nani-Ba-Zhu. Nani-Ba-Zhu was founded in 1919 at Camp Gifford, which was the Council summer camp prior to Cedars. After ceasing to operate starting in 1939, the tradition was renewed at Cedars in 1990."Nani-Ba-Zhu"
Mid-America Council. Retrieved 9/19/08.

Kit-Ke-Hak-O-Kut Lodge

The

Scouting's national honor society is represented in the Mid-America Council by the Kit-Ke-Hak-O-Kut Lodge. The lodge is administratively divided into chapters corresponding to the council's districts. The Kit-Ke-Hak-O-Kut Lodge is part of Section G5, in the

Gateway Region The Gateway Region is the primary urbanized area of the northeastern section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The region is anchored by Newark, the state's most populous city, and constitutes part of the New York metropolitan area. The area enc ...

. Home of Steven Buer Jr., the 2022 National Vice Chief of the Order of the Arrow.

References

External links

Mid-America Council website

from WOWT-TV, Omaha, Nebraska
Remembering the Boy Scouts
at NPR.org {{Scouting Local councils of the Boy Scouts of America Central Region (Boy Scouts of America) Youth organizations based in Nebraska 1965 establishments in Nebraska