Scouting in Kansas 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 (1910−1950)

Brewer Boy Scout Cabin Solomon Kansas front entrance

The Brewer Scout Cabin in

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Mrs. Fern E. Sears was the organizer of the first Kansas City, Kansas council of Girl Scouts and author of a book on Christian symbols, "Let Me Speak". She trained Girl Scout leaders and established troops in Kansas City, Kansas in 1948 when the area qualified for a council, called the Santa Fe Trail council. Mrs. Sears was named first president, and was an honorary life president at the time of her death on August 24, 1959.

Recent history (1950−present)

In 1958 the

National Order of the Arrow Conference The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is a multi-day event where Order of the Arrow delegates from all lodges gather for training and activities. NOAC usually takes place on a university campus in the United States. NOACs are held ev ...

was held at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

. In the 1990s and 2000s, BTK killer, also known as

Dennis Rader Dennis Lynn Rader (born March 9, 1945), better known as the BTK Strangler or simply BTK, is an American serial killer and rapist who murdered at least ten people in Wichita, Kansas, Wichita and Park City, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. Although ...

, was a part of the Cub Scouts. He was a leader.

Scouting America in Kansas

There are six

Scouting 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 ...

(formerly the Boy Scouts of America) local councils in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Coronado Area Council

Coronado Area Council serves north central and northwest Kansas, across 32 counties, with headquarters in Salina.

Heart of America Council

Heart of America Council serves Scouts in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and Kansas.

Jayhawk Area Council

In 1928 the ''

Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...

Council'' took over 39 counties across northern Kansas and became the Jayhawk Area Council. *Bison District *Pony Express District *Sojadi District *Sunflower District

Camps

The Jayhawk Area Council operates the 340 acre Falley Scout Reservation, which is divided into Camp Jayhawk (Scouts BSA Summer Camp) and Camp Delaware (Cub Scout Programs).

Ozark Trails Council

Ozark Trails Council serves Scouts in Missouri and Kansas.

Pony Express Council

The Pony Express Council is based in

Saint Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

, and also serves Scouts in Kansas.

Quivira Council

Quivira Council serves youth in south central Kansas, with headquarters in Wichita. Kansa Lodge #198,

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 ...

serves local Arrowmen. They currently operate three camps: Camp Kanza (Cub Scouts and Webelos), which provides the name for their Lodge; Quivira Scout Ranch (Scouts BSA and Venturers), at which they host their largest summer camp program each summer, and offer Black Jack Trail, an introduction to backpacking, twice a year; and Camp Mandan which serves units in the western side of the Council. *High Plains District *Kanza District *Osage Nation District *Pawnee District *South Winds District *White Buffalo District *Santa Fe Trail District The Quivira Council website http://www.quivira.org/ has links to each district.

Girl Scouting in Kansas

There are three Girl Scout councils in Kansas.

Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland

The Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland serves more than 16,000 girls and nearly 5,000 adult volunteers in 80 counties in Kansas. It was formed by the merger of six councils in 2008: *Girl Scouts of Central Kansas, *Girl Scout Council of The Flint Hills, *Girl Scouts of Sunflower Council, *Girl Scouts Wheatbelt Council, *Girl Scouts of Tumbleweed Council, and *Girl Scouts of The Golden Plains Council Headquarters:

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

Website: http://www.girlscoutskansasheartland.org Camps: *Starwoods Outdoor Center is in Clearwater, Kansas *Camp Four Winds near

Leon, Kansas Leon is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 669. History Leon was founded in 1879. It was named after Leon, Iowa, which in turn was named after the Jewish "Fighting Doctor" D ...

. It has a lake. *Camp Double E is northwest of

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka, Kansas, Topeka and Wichita, Kansas, Wichita ...

Girl Scouts Missouri Heartland

Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland is mostly based in Missouri but serves girls in southeastern Kansas (Bourbon, Cherokee, and Crawford counties) and northeastern Oklahoma. See

Scouting in Missouri Early history (1910-1950) According to William D. Murray, a charter member of the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) when it incorporated on February 8, 1910, the first "Troop" to form in Missouri was formed by an Englishman in ...

for more information. Headquarters:

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

Website: http://www.girlscoutsrscmo.org One of its camps is located in Kansas: *Camp Friendship Fields in Crawford County

Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri

Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri (GSKSMO) supports girls in 47 counties across Kansas and Missouri. Its Kansas counties include Atchison, Anderson, Brown, Clay, Doniphan, Douglas, Geary, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Marshall, Miami, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Washington and Wyandotte counties. It was established on August 1, 2007, with a merger of three councils: Girl Scouts of Kaw Valley Council, Girl Scouts of the Midland Empire, and Girl Scouts of Mid-Continent Council. See

for more information. Headquarters:

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal city, principal cities in ...

Website: http://www.gsksmo.org Current Properties: *Camp Tongawood is near

Tonganoxie, Kansas Tonganoxie (pronounced ) is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,573. History Tonganoxie was platted in 1866. It was na ...

*Camp Prairie Schooner is in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

Former Properties: *Camp Daisy Hindman, founded in 1929, is in Dover, Kansas near Topeka. In 2008, Camp Daisy ceased its resident camp programs. It was closed in 2017 and sold in 2018 due to low attendance. *Camp Cutteru is near

Junction City, Kansas Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,932. Fort Riley, a major United States Army, U.S. ...

. It was purchased by Extreme Kansas Camp, a Christian youth organization. *Camp Timberlake was near

Stilwell, Kansas Stilwell is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Stilwell had its start when the Missouri Pacific Railroad began to plan to extend the railroad from Kansas C ...

, but was sold in 2009 due to terrain issues. *Camp ToKaVaCa near Topeka, Kansas. It was closed in 2008 and sold in 2009 as part of a long-range property de-acquisition project following the 2007 merger.

References

External links

Spanish Peaks Staff Association

Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch

Coronado Area Council

Jayhawk Area Council

Quivira Council

Santa Fe Trail Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scouting In Kansas Youth organizations based in Kansas

Central Region (Boy Scouts of America)