Main Entrance to Tunnel Mill Scout
Reservation
Scouting in Indiana 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)
Firecrafter was founded in Indianapolis, Indiana at Camp Belzer in
the summer of 1920 by "Chief"
Francis Oliver Belzer. Belzer also
served as the first Scout Executive for the Indianapolis Council,
later known as the Central Indiana Council.
In 1948
the National
Order of the Arrow Conference was held at Indiana
University
.
Recent history (1950-1990)
In 1950, 1956, 1961, 1965, 1969 and 1975, the National Order of the
Arrow Conference was held at Indiana University, the most frequent
venue for the event.
Scouting in Indiana today
There are
ten Boy Scouts of America local councils in Indiana
. All
of Indiana lies within Central Region, except for Jefferson, Clark,
Scott, Floyd and Washington counties, as part of Southern
Region.
Anthony Wayne Area Council
Based in Fort Wayne, Indiana and covering 11 counties in Northeast
Indiana - Adams, Wells, Jay, Huntington, Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange,
Noble, Steuben, Whitley, Kosciusko.
Anthony Wayne Area Council
- Lincolnway District (Whitley and Kosciusko Counties)
- Miami District (Southern Allen County)
- Pokagon District (DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben)
- Three Rivers District (Learning for Life)
- Thunderbird District (Northern Allen County)
- Wabash Valley District (Adams, Huntington, Jay, Wells)
Features
Anthony Wayne
Scout Reservation with Camp Chief Little Turtle
Anthony Wayne Scout Reservation
The
Anthony Wayne Scout Reservation is a Boy Scout camp located near Ashley
, Indiana, United States
. It is a local camp for the
Anthony Wayne Area Council to
hold summer camps, religious activities, and other events.
The reservation has three key areas: Camp Chief Little Turtle
(CCLT), Camp Foellinger, and Camp Wilderness.
- Camp Chief Little Turtle is the main camp. It has many activity
centers, such as a waterfront, handicraft, outdoor skills, Project
C.O.P.E., and other typical features of a Boy Scout camp.
- Camp Foellinger is used mainly for special events, such as
Cub Scout camp, National Youth Leadership
Training, and Order of the Arrow events.
- Camp Wilderness contains the Jack Zeiger Ropes Course — used
for C.O.P.E. and rock climbing — and Orion, an area used for
camping and wilderness survival training.
Buffalo Trace Council
The
Buffalo Trace Council is a Boy Scout council based in Evansville,
Indiana that serves southwestern Indiana and
southeastern Illinois. Its affiliated
Order of the Arrow lodge is Kiondaga
Lodge.
Buffalo Trace Council
Camps
The Buffalo Trace Council has operated three camps throughout its
existence, two of which are still in existence.
Camp Arthur, located near Vincennes
, opened in 1945 and was removed from the list of
BSA-approved camping facilities for a time in the mid-1990s.
Old Ben Scout Reservation (OBSR),
located in Pike County,
Indiana
opened in 1985 on the site of an abandoned strip mine operated by the Old Ben Coal Company and was the
council's current primary summer camp location, until a lack of
funding forced the council to cease having summer camps
there. Camp Pohoka was the
previous summer camp location, but was shut down when OBSR was
opened.
Districts
Algonkian (formerly Three Rivers)
Lincoln Heritage
Native Trails
Calumet Council
Calumet Council serves
Scouts in Indiana and Illinois
. Calumet Council
Serving
the youth of the 54 communities comprising the south suburbs of
Chicago
and Northwest
Indiana since 1917, the Calumet Council is the local entity of
the Boy Scouts of America and Learning for Life
Programs.
The
Calumet Council, headquartered in Munster, Indiana
, was formed in 1966. The Council is the
result of a merger of the Pokagon Trails Council in Hammond,
Indiana
and the Sauk Trails Council in Gary, Indiana
. In 1971 the Twin City Council in East
Chicago, Indiana
joined to make up the current structure.
Camp Frank H. Betz, located in Berrien Springs, MI (USA) is
operated by the Calumet Council. 'Betz' has served Scouts in the
South Suburbs of Chicago and Northwest Indiana since 1922.
In 2006, over 13,000 young men and women were active members of the
Scouting program in the Calumet Council. Over 4,100 adult
volunteers, supported by a small staff, provide a top quality
"values based" program, with an emphasis on outdoor programs and
life skills.
Due to the unique demographics of the Calumet Council, a special
program designed to serve the hardest to reach “at risk” youth,
called
Scoutreach, is used in lower
income communities. In 2006, sixty six Scoutreach Cub Scout packs,
Boy Scout troops and Venture Crews were active in nine different
communities with over 2,600 members.
The
Eagle Scout
Award, the highest award a boy can earn in Scouting, was presented
to 65 young men in 2006. These newest Eagles totaled over 3,000
combined service hours in the 65 different community service
projects which they carried out as part of the Eagle Scout
requirement.
The Council operates four districts: Crossroads, Nishnabec, Prairie
Dunes, and Thunderbird. These service areas were formed in 2005 as
a result of a restructuring to utilize volunteer resources
better.
The
Order of the Arrow is
Scouting’s National Honor Society. The council's chapter is
Michigamea Order of the Arrow Lodge number 110. It is youth-run and
advised by adult volunteers. Michigamea lodge has over 600 active
members. In 2007, the Lodge received The National Service Award for
their work on the new Frank H. Betz firebowl. This annual award is
only presented to eight lodges nationally.
The Council Executive board is made up of 45 local business and
community leaders who guide to the year-round operation of the
Council. The Council Key III is made up of President James K.
Larson, Council Commissioner Albin Sporny III and Scout Executive
Michael Creagh.
Crossroads of America Council
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Crossroads of America
Council serves Scouts and Scouters in Central Indiana. It was
initially formed when Central Indiana Council, Delaware County
Council, Kikthawenund Council, and Whitewater Valley Council merged
in 1972. Recently, Wabash Valley and Crossroads of America were
merged to form the new Crossroads of America Council, serving 25
counties in Indiana, extending from the Illinois state line to the
Ohio state line. As of the end of 2006, the Council served
approximately 35,000 children thanks to 10,000 volunteer
leaders.
Crossroads of America Council
The Crossroads of America Council is served by Jaccos Towne Lodge
#21,
Order of the Arrow. It is
also home to
Firecrafter, a local
Scouting service fraternity. Central Indiana Council was not home
to a lodge of the Order of the Arrow until the merger of the
councils in 1972. Scott Clabaugh is the current Scout Executive.
The council maintains Scout offices in Indianapolis, Anderson,
Hagerstown, Muncie, and Terre Haute.
The Crossroads of America Council has also served as home of the
Crossroads of America Scout Band. Founded in 1917 by "Chief" F.O.
Belzer as a camp band, this band has grown into a concert band that
has traveled throughout the United States, Canada and England
representing the Boy Scouts of America and the Crossroads of
America Council for 91 years. The Bands annual summer tour takes it
to as many scout camps as it can for the enjoyment of those scouts
at camp.
[15264]
Camps
The Crossroads of America Council currently operates seven camps:
Districts
- Del-Mi
District, serving Hamilton and Tipton Counties
- Golden Eagle District, serving Delaware,
northern Henry, and northern Randolph Counties
- Iron Horse District, serving Hancock, southern Henry,
Fayette, Rush, and Shelby Counties
- Hou Koda
District, serving western Marion County and Hendricks
County
- Northeast District, serving northeastern Marion
County
- North Star District, serving northwestern, central northern
Marion, and a small section of southern Boone Counties
- Old Trail District, serving southern Randolph, Wayne,
Union, and Franklin Counties
- Pathfinder District, serving southern Marion County and Johnson
County
- Pioneer District, serving eastern Marion County
- Sakima District, serving Madison, and parts of Henry
and Hancock Counties
- Sugar Creek District, serving Boone,
Montgomery, and southern Clinton Counties
- T-Sun-Ga-Ni District, serving central Marion County
- Wah-Bah-Shik-Ki District, serving Vermillion, Parke,
and Putnam Counties
Hoosier Trails Council
Hoosier
Trails Council
Districts
- Hoosier Hills District serving Dearborn
, Jefferson
, Ohio
, Ripley
, & Switzerland
Counties
- Lenni
Lenape District serving Bartholomew
, Jackson
, Decatur
, & Jennings
Counties
- Wapehani District (Miami District and Valley
Trails District merged in 2008) serving Brown
, Monroe
, Morgan
& Owen
Counties
- White
River Trails District serving Lawrence
, Orange
, Martin
, Daviess
, & Greene
Counties
Camps
Hoosier Trails has two camps.
Resident summer camp is hosted deep within
the Hoosier National Forest
at Maumee Scout Reservation in Norman
.
Primitive
camping is available at Camp Louis Ernst in Dupont
.
Nischa Chuppecat (#212) is Hoosier Trails' Order of the Arrow
Lodge. It was founded in 1973 as the merger of Wazi Yata (#290) and
So Aka Gha Gwa(#212) lodges. Nischa Chuppecat and So Aka Gha Gwa
has hosted the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) at
Indiana University ten times as of the summer of 2009, the most of
any lodge in the nation.
La Salle Council
La Salle Council serves
Scouts in Indiana and Michigan
. La Salle Council
Districts
- Algonquian District
- Dunes Moraine District
- Pioneer Trails District
- Potawatomi District
Lincoln Heritage Council
The
George Rogers Clark Council was formed by Scouts
of Clark
, Floyd
, Harrison
, Scott
, and Washington
counties in 1927, and merged with Old
Kentucky Home Council to form Trapper Trails
Council , which serves Scouts in Kentucky
and Indiana.
John Work House and Mill Site|Tunnel Mill Scout
Reservation
Tunnel Mill Scout
Reservation is a Boy Scout camp
just outside Charlestown, Indiana
, owned by the Lincoln Heritage
Council. In 1917 local Troop 3 decided to use the
property as a summer camp, as it would for three summers. The
George Rogers Clark Council shortly after 1927
bought Tunnel Mill from the Murphy family, who had bought the
property the previous year but lost interest after a mill fire. In
1933 the three-sided wooden Pioneer Village cabins were built. In
1942 the
Scoutmaster's Cabin and
Evergreen cabins were completed. In 1950 the McDonald Bridge was
completed across
Fourteen Mile
Creek. The camp saw its greatest use in the 1950s and 1960s,
with 564 Scouts, the highest attendance ever, in 1960. In 1969 the
swimming pool was built, to replace the creek, now-unsafe for
swimming. By the 1980s the lessening attendance made the future of
the camp uncertain. When the George Rogers Clark Council, which
owned the property, merged with
Old Kentucky Home
Council, one of the conditions was that Tunnel Mill would
not be closed. Since 1993 the camp has been used primarily by
Cub Scouts and
for winter camping. The property includes a cabin village, a
swimming pool, and a dining hall built in 2000.
The new dining hall
replaced the one from the 1980s that once served as a steakhouse in
Jeffersonville
.
On
November 6,
1996,
Andy Campbell, a ranger serving as Tunnel Mill's caretaker, was
shot to death by Roger Caldwell, "a diagnosed, paranoid
schizophrenic" who trespassed onto the property while drunk. This
was the first such incident in the history of Scouting. Campbell
was able to drag himself to call 911. After police arrived on the
scene to get information about the drunk from Campbell, they found
Caldwell wandering on Indiana Highway 62. Caldwell was sentenced to
70 years in prison, with parole possible after 31 years.
Prairielands Council
Prairielands Council,
previously the short-lived Illiana Council, has its
headquarters in Champaign, Illinois
, and also serves Scouts in Indiana.
Sagamore Council
The
Sagamore
Council was founded in 1973 by a merger of the Three Rivers
Council (Logansport, IN Office), Mesingomesia Council (Headquarters
in Marion, IN) and the Harrison Trails (Headquarters Lafayette,
IN). The council offices were eventually consolidated to Kokomo,
Indiana. The camp properties of "Green Hills" was sold. Green Hills
was south and west of Lafayette, IN. Camp Cary, Lafayette, IN was
still used as a cub day camp. Camp Buffalo, near Buffalo, IN (north
and east of Indiana Beach) was the now central camp. Mesingomesia's
Camp Crossland near Columbia City, Indiana was sold to the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources and is now called the Denison
Property (named after DNR employee, not a scouter). It is managed
through the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife.
A few things make Sagamore Council Unique:
1. Purdue University hosts several National Order of the Arrow
Conferences.2. Weaver Popcorn (
Trail's
End Popcorn) is manufactured/packaged in Van Buren,
Indiana.
3. The former military base Grissom provided several retired
servicemen who served in various capacities (ie. LTC Hal
Ivy).
4. Wabash, Indiana Scout Lincoln Pilgrimage is one of the longest
scout presidential day events in Scouting. Its patches are highly
sought after.
5. In the council, then-governor (Later president) William Henry
Harrison defeated a large band of Indians at the Battle of
Tippecanoe. Harrison was elected on the campaign phrase "
Tippecanoe and Tyler too).
6. George O. Crossland, a Scout Executive, served the
priorMesingomesia Council. He went on to other more notable
Scouting functions including creating an honorary that preceded the
Order of the Arrow.
- Arrowhead District
- Big One District
- Chief Logan District
- Meshingomesia District
- Tecumseh District
Girl Scouting in Indiana
There are 8 Girl Scout councils in Indiana though only 5 have their
headquarters in the state.
On Aug. 26, 2006, Girl Scouts of the USA’s (GSUSA) national board
of directors voted to endorse a plan to realign 312 councils into
109 high-capacity, community-based councils. The new structure will
make the most effective use of resources to better serve the local
community and create more opportunities in Girl Scouting for even
more girls. Girl Scouts of Central Indiana was the first Girl Scout
council in the nation to complete the merger process.
Girl Scouts of Central Indiana
Formed by the merger of Girl Scouts of Hoosier Capital Council,
Covered Bridge Girl Scout Council, Girl Scouts of Treaty Line
Council, Girl Scouts of Sycamore Council, and Girl Scouts of
Wapephani Council.
Girl Scouts of Central Indiana serves over 40,000 girls in 33
counties in Central Indiana.Council headquarters isIndianapolis,
Indiana but service centers remain in cities that were the
headquarters of former councils
Web Site: http://www.girlscoutsindiana.org/
Camps and cabins:
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
See
Scouting in Illinois for
more information. The former Scouts of The Calumet Council and
Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council became part of this
council.
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana
See
Scouting in Kentucky for
more information. Serves many counties in southern Indiana
Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana
This is a
new council includes more than 18.240 Girl Scouts in northern
Indiana (Adams
,Allen
,Cass
,DeKalb
,Elkhart
,Fulton
,Huntington
,Kosciusko
,LaGrange
,LaPorte,
Marshall
,Miami
,Noble
,Pulaski
,St. Joseph
,Starke
,Steuben
,Wabash
,Wells
, andWhitley
) and two counties, Berien
and Cass
, in southwest Michigan.
Formed by the merger of Indiana Lakeland Girl Scout Council, Girl
Scouts of Limberlost Council, Girl Scouts of Singing Sands Council
(except for a part that joined
Girl
Scouts Heart of Michigan), and Girl Scouts of Tribal Trails
Council.
Website: http://www.girlscoutsnorthernindiana-michiana.org/
Camps
Girl Scouts of River Bluffs Council
Headquarters is Glen Carbon, Illinois
website: http://www.riverbluffs.org/
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio
Headquarters is Cincinnati, Ohio
website: http://www.girlscoutsofwesternohio.org/
See
Scouting in Ohio for more
information
Girl Scouts of Raintree Council
Headquarters is Evansville, Indiana
website is http://www.girlscouts-raintree.org/
Located in south-west Indiana and also a small part of Illinois. It
was formed after a previous realignment in September 1957.
Camps are
Camp Koch in Cannelton, Indiana
, Carmi Little House in Carmi, Indiana, and Camp Three Lakes.
Camp Koch has a
sycamore that is a
"
moon tree"; as a seed it was on the
Apollo 14 mission to the
moon.
[15265][15266]
It serves Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer, Perry, Posey, Gibson,
Martin, Pike, Daviess, and Dubois Counties in Indiana and White
County in Illinois.
Girl Scouts of Tulip Trace Council
Tulip Trace is in the process of dissolving
, with the former area being covered by the Girl Scouts of Central
Indiana and the
Girl Scouts
of Kentuckiana.
Headquarters is Bloomington, Indiana
website is http://www.tuliptrace.org
It serves Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Greene, Jackson,
Jennings,Johnson, Lawrence, Monroe, Orange, Owen, Scott and
Sullivan countiesand some of Morgan county.
See also
References
- Tunnel Mill: the story of an historical grist mill and an
historic Boy Scout camp by Gary D. Purlee (2005)
- Purlee 2005
External links
(excluding the Newburgh area)
is on Wildcat creek.
is
is 350
acres (100 of which are still farmed)
is
is a primitive camp
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