Archives: Collections: Community Organizations
Potawatomi Area Council: Pre-History
compiled and edited by Michael R. Reilly, May 17, 2003
updated 05/19/2005
Early Waukesha County Boy Scout History
Note: This history isn't an attempt to include all of Waukesha County's many troops and packs, nor those of the Potawatomi Area Council outside of Waukesha. It's more of an attempt to show how scouting eventually evolved in the Sussex-Lisbon area, thanks to the early efforts of many individuals from other towns, villages, and cities (though as you read on, it looks very muck like it). At times, the word Potawatomi was also spelled "Potowatomi". Also see: Scouting: Lannon and Scouting: Sussex-Lisbon Area
Mike Reilly
Early National History of Boy Scouting
Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on February 8, 1910; On June 21, a group of 34 national representatives of boys' work agencies met, developed organization plans, and opened a temporary national headquarters in a YMCA office in New York.
The National Council office was established at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y., on January 2, 1911, with seven employees. The first annual meeting was held at the White House, Washington, D.C., and was addressed by President Taft. The Scout Oath, Law, badges, and fundamental policies were adopted. The first awards for heroism were presented by the National Court of Honor. Membership to date, Scouts and Scouters, 61,495.
1912 - By now Scouts were enrolled in every state. Scouts mobilized for the first of a series of national civic Good Turns, including the promotion of a safe and sane Fourth of July. Other community Good Turns began. Sea Scouting for older Scouts was started. Boys' Life was purchased to become an official BSA magazine. Membership during the year, Scouts and Scouters, 97,495. Total members to date, 126,860.
1913 - The first local council charters were issued to first-class and second-class councils. Local supervision was facilitated by dividing the United States into eight districts-the forerunner of *12 regions. Scouting, the official magazine for Scouters, was started. Boy Scout Week was observed. A registration plan for Scouts was adopted. Scouts demonstrated the motto ''Be Prepared'' in first aid during spring floods in Ohio and Indiana. Membership during the year, 115,364. Total members to date, 188,964.
So how do people in Waukesha county find out about scouting's earliest local history?
For the Boy Scouts, the earliest information we have dates to 1913 newspaper articles. The first one below was originally printed in the Oconomowoc Enterprise, and reprinted in the Waukesha Freeman.
For starters, if early issues, 1910 thru 1931 (and later), of the Oconomowoc Enterprise exist on microfilm, they might provide insight into county happenings. The Waukesha Freeman early editions can be found on microfilm at the Waukesha County Public Library; or, if one has an Ancestry.com account with access to certain digitized newspapers , like the Waukesha Freeman, and a high speed link (makes it much easier to research because of dial-up slow download speeds), some records can be accessed.
Many of the first scout troops were organized and sustained by church groups. Church council records or similar documents could provide information. Local newspapers which don't exist today, may have existence yet on microfilm at local libraries. For areas such as Sussex-Lisbon, and Lannon, etc., additional information could be found in the Menomonee Falls News microfilm files at the Maude Shunk Public Library in Menomonee Falls. Starting in 1976, the Sussex Sun, available in bound volumes at the Pauline Haass Public Library in Sussex, has scouting information.
Don't discount the importance of neighboring community newspapers - Janesville, for instance; Waukesha troops were aligned with them in the late 1920's. Waukesha country scout troops probably conducted programs at Watertown (Jefferson and Dodge counties) and other communities outside of Waukesha area - Milwaukee, Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, and Chicago are all areas whose newspapers or scouting histories may provide additional clues and information about our own local troops.
Family local histories and photos of grandfathers, fathers, and other male relatives (for Girl Scouts and Camp fire Girls - your grandmothers, and mothers, etc.) could shed light. Do any uniforms, scouting materials - uniforms, books, knives, medals, badges, exist in someone's dresser drawers or trunk? Some of the earliest uniforms worn were old military clothing - take another look at those WWI uniforms you have stored away for traces of scouting insignias.
The Waukesha Y. M. C. A. supported early scouting, perhaps records exist? The local municipal and school board records of a city, village or town from the time period 1910 - 1940 could be treasure. Local historical societies and/or local historians may have information. School P. T. A. minutes and student published papers and yearbooks may have information.
The Menomonee Falls Troop 17 was sponsored by the Menomonee Falls Rotary Club founded in 1928; additional information might be found in the records/minutes of those early sponsoring groups.
Lastly, but maybe most important, would be the Boy Scout National records and those possibly found in the Districts, later Regional office archives (if they exist). A Chicago Field Executive often traveled to Waukesha County, providing assistance. Region Seven included the states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Potawatomi Council records
at the Harkrider Service Center are accessible, if you have the Troop number,
unlike the Milwaukee Council that I could call and access my personal 1960's
records of scouting activities. Plus, troop numbers may have been used by more
than locale, or used more than once for a village or town, in the case where a
troop was resurrected after a lapse in membership, and temporary dissolution of
the troop occurred. So don't be misled if you're looking for a Troop 1 for
Waukesha and at first find records for a Troop 1 of Eagle.
Mike Reilly
Oconomowoc Enterprise - A branch of the Boy Scouts of America has been organized in Oconomowoc. Bernie Regula is scout master and Ernest Barker, assistant. Harold Behrend is Eagle patrol leader; Leonard Grokosky, leader of the Badger patrol; Jack Mann, leader of the Black Bear patrol, and Arthur Rhodee, patrol leader of the Score patrol. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, March 13, 1913, page 7.
May 22, 1913 - An organization which is to sustain the boy scout movement in this city was perfected at a meeting held Saturday evening. H. Kirk White was elected president, A. C. Hathaway, vice president; O. R. Eddy, secretary; Paul R. McKee, treasurer; and Forest R. Poe, scout commissioner. Bernie Regula is scout master and Ernest Barker, assistant. The local organization is to be known as the Oconomowoc Council of Boy Scouts. The council, which is to govern, is composed of ten adult members and the object is to promote the boy scout movement in Oconomowoc and vicinity. The boys living in the country are eligible to join the scouts and participate in the helpful stunts with the boys from town. It is expected that headquarters will be procured and every possible effort put forth for their welfare.
November 13, 1913, page 4 - Mentions Y. M. C. A. (Waukesha county) policy of - Recreation and health 2. co-operation with all existing organizations, as churches, Sunday schools, day schools, clubs, Boy Scouts, etc., in the promotion of field meets, camps, etc.
Hartland - The Boy Scouts of America were organized in the school house Monday afternoon by A. M. Heedrick, special Field Scout Commissioner, B. S. o, A. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, March 5, 1914, page 7
Merton - Between twenty-five and thirty boy scouts are at Lake Keesus under the escort of Stuart Walsch of Chicago. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, July 2, 1914, page 5
Dodge's Corners - Mrs. Snover and her boy scouts from Chicago, and her adopted son, Charles, came down the track last Thursday and had a boy scout dinner in the woods. They called at the Hollister home on their "hike" back homeward. May 6, 1915, page 6.
Waukesha Freeman, May 20, 1915, boy scouts and campfire girls
mentioned as to attending Memorial day observations.
May 27, 1915 - local (Waukesha) boy scouts
June 3, 1915 - Boys Scouts from Waukesha and Oconomowoc in Delafield parade.
Master Films At Colonial
Two Latest Mutual Productions Here Friday
and Thursday
The two latest Mutual masterpicture photoplays will be shown
at the Colonial Friday of this week and Tuesday of next. On Friday
"Strathmore", a 4-reel play featuring Charles Clary, will be the bill.
Tuesday at the benefit for the Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls,
"The Lure of the Mask," in four parts, will be shown. This is a drama
of romantic adventure, with much mystery and unusually handsome pictured scenes.
Waukesha Freeman,
June 14, 1915
Boy Scouts Camp
Waukesha Lads Having "Jolliest Ever" Week at
Nemahbin Lake
On Friday morning, June 25, part of Troops 1
and 2 , Waukesha Boy Scouts, left for a week's camping trip on lower Nemahbin
lake. J. F. Brandenburg, scoutmaster, was in charge.
The boys had planned to march to the camping ground but
through the liberality of many of the car owners of the city, they were taken
out in autos. Dr. McFarlane, Dr. Fuirath, Messrs. Albert Love, H. M. Youmans, H.
F. Stock and G. F. Belknap each took a load of Scouts and provisions.
The first day was spent mostly in establishing a camp, with a
little plunge in the lake to break the monotony, and the first night was chiefly
devoted to adjusting their beds and trying to keep the other fellow awake. Some
of the boys were up very early Saturday morning and went fishing before
breakfast. One of them was fortunate enough to catch a 2-pound pickerel. The
regular program was followed for the day.
There were about forty visitors at the camp on Sunday,
parents of the boys and many others, interested in the Scout movement. Many
donations of provisions and dainties were received, which were very much
appreciated.
The fathers of the boys furnished the camping ground and the
boys, twenty in all, were assessed $1.50 each for provisions. They will stay
until their provisions run out and will break camp about Friday.
Tuesday evening all the boys were reported having a good time
and acquiring satisfactory coats of tan and sunburn. Waukesha Freeman,
Thursday, July 1, 1915, page 4.
Pigs Raid Boys' Camp
Waterford Scouts Lose Rations and Supplies by Drove in Absence
Pigs is pigs at Wind Lake, and you can prove it by the
Waterford boy scouts who were in camp there last week. One day while the boys
were enjoying a swim in the lake and the camp was left alone, a drove of hogs
made a raid on their tent and ate or destroyed all their provisions. The boys
had to go to Waterford the same evening for another supply. Waukesha
Freeman, Thursday, July 29, 1915, page 4
Merton - Thirteen Boy Scouts from East Milwaukee spent Saturday and Sunday at the Boys' Busy Life club, Lake Keesus. Sunday morning they attended services at the Baptist church. In the afternoon, they "hiked" to Holy Hill. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, April 12, 1917
Mukwonago - The Boy Scouts recently organized here under the direction of Professor Johnson and Mr. Gerity have rented a large garden and are deep in the mysteries of agriculture. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 24, 1917, page 4.
Waukesha scouts seek financial backing to buy seeds and to pay for plowing of gardens. Scout Master Wm. J. Gilham. Note: Very hard to read article. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 24, 1917, page 6.
Dousman Index - The Boy Scouts are building a cabin on the island in Larkin lake. This is part of the equipment for the community work of Ottawa No. 1 and Dousman churches. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, October 14, 1917, page 7.
Local Boy Scouts participate in Liberty Bond parade. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, October 18, 1917, page 1.
Boy Scouts' "Treasure House"
Island and Cabin Named and Dedicated Out in Ottawa
Dousman Index -
The dedication of the cabin on the island in Weyker's Lake was a unique and a
pretty affair. A boat and a scow belonging to the Boy Scouts afforded means of
transportation to and from the island.
The cabin is 16 feet by 16 built from a house of one of the
early settlers on the present H. and H. Lurvey farm. Rev. Morgan, Rev.
Williamson, Harry and Harvey Lurvey drew the plans and erected the building. The
large open fire-place and rustic furniture are some of the cozy attractions of
the interior. The island and the cabin is to be used largely as an outing place
for the Boy Scouts and other community outdoor sports.
The lake was named Scout lake having in the past assumed
several names as Larkin's Lake, Dodmead's, Weyker's, etc., the island - Spirit
Isle; the Cabin - Treasure House; the path ascending the eastern slope, Sun rise
Trail; the one on the west . Sun Set Trail.
The island is less than an acre in area, but rises abruptly
to a considerable height and is covered with a luxuriant growth of vegetation.
Many plants are not found elsewhere in this locality. The trees are oaks,
cedars, basswood, elm and iron wood. The most
interesting shrubs are the high bush cranberry and the evergreen.
The island was told by the first white settlers, was used as
a burying ground by the Indians. They buried their dead on scaffolds. In
building the foundation for the cabin, parts of two different Indian skeletons
were found in the surface of the earth. The first settlers came after the red
cedar on this island to kindle their fires. The mammoth cedar stumps still
remain. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November 15, 1917, page 7
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Boy Scout Benefit - On Friday evening, at the Auditorium (Milwaukee?), a benefit for the Boy
Scouts will be given to enable members to start a bank account. This money will
be used to buy things to make the organization more useful and give the boys a
better time. The boys have show their willingness at all times to help in any
way they can, things going on in the city, and it is now hoped that the people
will make their benefit a success. Margarita Fischer, in "The Girl Who
Couldn't Grow up,", will be the attraction and the prices will be 15 cents
and 10 cents. We hope every body will take this opportunity to help. (for
Waukesha or Milwaukee Scouts ?) Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, December 13,
1917, page 5.
Book drive, Scouts in Waukesha active; Boy Scout George Love, received honorable mention for bringing in about 250 books alone. He was awarded first prize, "Private Peat", presented by the library, and Richard Breese, second prize, "Over the Top", presented by Mr. Gilham. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, April 4, 1918, page 2.
Pewaukee - Walter Roloff, Milwaukee, gave a very interesting talk to the Boy Scouts at the Hotel Savoy Saturday evening. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, April 26, 1918, page 5
Pewaukee - Boy scouts have been in camp on the Island (the same Island in Dousman area or?), the past week. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 30, 1918, page 5.
Pewaukee - as the growth of weeds in the lake is unusually heavy this summer, the Village Board has been requested to appropriate funds to have the growth removed. The Boy Scouts have been active in pulling the weeds from the water, as the vegetation floats to the shores and have thus helped in keeping the shores clean. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 1, 1918, page 8
Vernon Centre - The Holstein meet held Thursday at the home of G. J. Schuster, Riverview farms, was very largely attended. A Red Cross lunch was served by the Boy Scouts. A good program including music, helped to make the day an enjoyable one for all present. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 22, 1918, page 4.
A Great Camp Fire (an excerpt from original article)
On Tuesday evening, June 17, the great camp
fire of the G. A. R. will be held - with addresses by the national commander and
other prominent G. A. R. men.
Boy Scouts Right There
Boy Scouts will get in line for the encampment. Scout Master
Cooley says he has 120 boys enrolled of which fifty are on the honor roll. These
boys will meet trains, direct delegates, carry luggage and assist in every
possible way. No man or woman need fear to come because of infirmity. The boys
will be right there to help. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 8, 1919,
page 4.
Reaching the Boys of An Entire Community
What Shall it Profit a Community if it Gain
the Whole World - And Lose its Own Boys
Boys of to-day are the men of tomorrow. Can this country
afford not to give attention to its boys? Your answer is a decided,
"No". You said "no" for your boy as well as for other boys.
There are boys in Waukesha county, 4000 boys between the ages
of 12 and 19 years. Of this number only 400, approximately, are members of the
Boy Scouts.
Do you ask why they should be in Scout organizations? Your
boy needs the give and take relations of group society. He needs to be with
other boys like himself in order to know himself and his companions better.
Yet the fact that there are so few Scouts is not solely the
fault of the boys or the boy's parents. They are eager. There is a great dearth
of clean, stalwart leadership. Boys need the wholesome influence and direction
of a "bigger boy" in their group association to show them the way to virile
manhood. Scout law calls for such a leader for every thirty-two boys.
Waukesha county must furnish the needed scout masters for her
boys. The drive is on. Will everybody volunteer to help in this drive for
leaders?
Leaders, your experience with young manhood will be an
invaluable and delightful experience to you. Your work can be done in your spare
hours. You need a cross country hike now and then, and you need to study Nature
and to give of your influence and self to younger folks,
For further particulars and information, call or phone to the
Y. M. C. A. offices, above Farmers State Bank building. Phone 1199. Waukesha
Freeman, Thursday, June 5, 1919, page 3. (Editor's note -
The article above could be considered a newspaper advertisement.)
Zolar Gives Generous Lift To Boy Scouts
Emanuel Zolar, who has operated an open-air
canteen at the Cutler Park corner during the summer, contributed the profits of
the canteen, for a stated period, to the fund being raised by the Boy Scouts to
equip their headquarters. As a result the fund is swelled by $40.30, which the
lads appreciate greatly. Zolar is a returned Thirty-second division man. Waukesha
Freeman, Thursday, September 11, 1919, page 8.
?. G. Schmidt and L. G. Gehlert attended a Boy Scout banquet in Waukesha Tuesday evening. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, Sept 25, 1919, page 7
News-Boys Had One Fine Time
Newsboys of the city had one great time at
the banquet given in their honor
About 100 boys were present and here are some
of the things they ate: 500 sandwiches, 15 gallons of milk, 5 gallons
beans, three baskets full of doughnuts, and then, according to Scout Master
Harry E, Bilanski, "they hollered for more.",,,
The plan is to have some affair of this kind every month. The
aim of the newsboys is; according to Scout Master Bilanski: cleaner habits,
better school attendance and school standing, better service to the public,
cleaner dress and more co-operation. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November
13, 1919, page 1.
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Boy Scouts F. B. Champions
Another foot ball championship came home to
roost in Waukesha last Saturday when the Waukesha Boy Scouts won 55 to 11 from
the Milwaukee champion Boy Scouts, the game taking place on Frame Field.
This makes our boys champions in their class for southern
Wisconsin. they have played seven games and won them all, two with Mukwonago,
two with Pewaukee, one with Dousman, one with Phantom Athletic club and one with
Milwaukee.
Membership of the team is:
La Verne Larson, Capt.
Steve Terwilliger
Paul Martin
Ed Hoffman
Phillip Kano
Jack Blazing
Royal Mevis
Verne Mason
Lester Hoffman
Forrest Weinkauf
Harry Dobrick
Delbert Stacy
Harold Frantz
Delbert Frantz
Harold Larson
John Sylvester
John Williams
Harry E. Bilansky, Coach
Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November 26, 1919, page 4.
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Menomonee Falls - On Thanksgiving Day the Menomonee Falls Boy Scouts play
(football?) Lannon at the Whittaker property on East Ave. Waukesha Freeman,
Thursday, November 26, 1919, page 5.
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Menomonee Falls - The high school literacy society had their regular meeting on Friday
afternoon at 2 o'clock. The program given by the Boy Scouts was as follows:
story of the Boy Scouts, Joe Brazy; First Aid, J. Russell Perrin;
Signs & Symbols, Edwin Klohn. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, December
25, 1919
Boy Scouts to Meet Friday Night
Tomorrow (Friday) evening there will be a Boy
Scout mass meeting at the Stock Pavilion in connection with the committeemen, at
which time plans will be outlined for the activities of 1920. A national Field
Scout Commissioner will be in attendance and will give an address and aid in the
business of the meeting.
Later: - Deputy National Field Scout Commissioner C. K. Ward
of Chicago will be present and will speak on the subject of " What the Boy
Scout Movement Means to the Boy and the Community".
County Executive Bilanski urges all the Boy Scouts and their
fathers and other who may be interested to be present Friday evening at 7
o'clock. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, January 1, 1920, page 4.
Boy Scouts Meet Crisis
Some Unfortunate Complications are Prevailing
Hopes They Will Be Untangled
Opinions Differ as to the Best Means of Promoting the Movement
The Boy Scout organization in Waukesha
and the whole county is going through a crises that bids fair to make or break
it.
The troops through the county, about a dozen , including a flourishing
one at Oconomowoc and half a dozen in Waukesha, had come to the point last fall
where it was thought possible to organize a first class council, that is, one
with a paid full time scout executive, a sort of secretary. Up to this time the
organization in the county has been in affiliation with the county Y. M. C. A.
But as ???? as it was proposed to organize a number of new troops, the question
of the advisability of having the Y. M. C. A. connected with it was brought more
sharply to the fore by the suggestion of Scout Master Harry Bilansky that troops
be organized in the various churches. This idea was predominant at the Older
Boys meeting at Sheboygan last fall. At the same time, the idea appeared to be
to continue the connection with the Y. M. C. A.
The plan does not arouse the slightest enthusiasm among the
Catholic and Lutheran parishes of the county, the attitude of the Y. M. C. A.
toward these two branches of the church not being markedly cordial.
At the same time, leaders of smaller congregations and
parishes of other churches voiced their disapproval -- the plan would put their
youngsters in troops run by some other religious organization or leave them out
in the cold.
At the meeting last week at which the various proposals were
discussed, these points were brought out by Secretary George Girling, and he was
made chairman of a committee to represent each of the places where a troop is
now established, and each of the churches and other organizations that took part
in the first conference. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, Feb 5, 1920
Mr. Girling states his position as entirely
opposed to the idea of making the troops part of any closed organization such as
churches. It is his idea that the scouts should be as much national in plan as
the army, and be open to every citizen's children as the public schools. He
believes any hint of sectarianism or church proselytism should be jealously
barred from the organization as from the public schools - that it should be a corrective
of sectarian and other exclusiveness, working for fellowship of the children in
the patriotic sense of their Americanism and their patriotism, and duty of
service for the community, rather than for the cause of any part of the
community.
Mr. Girling had nearly completed his committee this week, and
intended to call a meeting within a few days to discuss what methods should be
followed.
Meantime, Secretary O. H. Cooley of the county Y. M. C.
A., who professes to be desirous of seeing troops succeed in getting a county
organization, has been conducting a drive for funds for the county Y. M.
C. A. this week, aided by a Mr. Brandenberg of Milwaukee.
The Oconomowoc scouts, which have been very successful, have
not been in affiliation with the Y. M. C. A. Waukesha Freeman,
February 5, 1920
Boy Scout Local Work
Well Known Clergyman Discusses
Situation
Discord is Not Pronounced
Deprecates Statement Indicating There
are ant Serious Differences
Editor of the Waukesha Freeman -
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Dear Sir:
I am presuming upon you for a few lines of space in your
valuable paper in order to refer to the article on the Boy Scout Movement in
last week's Freeman.
The Boy Scout Movement now operating for ten years in
America, has achieved an amazing amount of excellent work among boys and has
played a very important part in preparing strong and quick young men, mentally,
morally and physically, for the war recently ended. Boy Scouts in Waukesha are
easily distinguished by their manly bearings, their kindness to those weaker
than themselves and their fine
courtesy. Obviously,
anything to injure this Free School in man making, would prove very injurious to
the fine lads who are to be the leaders of the future Waukesha.
It seems to me, Mr. Editor, that undue emphasis has been
given to our local situation in the article referred to above. There is a drift
of suggestion about it that would lead the reader to infer something besides
amity and fraternity as existing among the leaders of the Scout Movement in our
city. This, I emphatically insist, is not the case. If there has been any
ruption among those who have scout work most at heart in Waukesha, I have yet to
hear of it. Is it therefore fair to these public spirited men or more serious
than this, to the boys themselves, that the readers of our papers should
conclude we are about to muster a roll call? What can do greater harm to the
Waukesha boy than such a suspicion of friction?
There are policies to be settled, plans to be laid out,
perhaps important changes impending, but so far as I know all of our fine men,
whether Methodist or Presbyterian, Baptist or Lutheran, Y. M. C. A. or K. of C.
stand shoulder to shoulder for the Boy Scout Movement of Waukesha county.
very sincerely yours.
Alfred D. Grey
Scout Master Troop 5 (Feb 12, 1920 letter to Waukesha
Freeman editor)
Boy Scouts Are Active This Week
At a meeting of a special committee Monday, comprising J.
F. Kettenhofen, Oconomowoc; L. A. Thompson, M. J. McCoy and George
Girling, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, this city, it was decided to
call a special meeting of citizens of the county at the Elk's club, Feb. 16, to
boost the Boy Scout movement. At Monday's meeting it was agreed that the county
should have a first class council. If a charter is obtained a county executive
will be installed and all matters directed from his office.
In the mean time this week the Scouts are carrying out a
campaign of enlistment and improvement and boosting the national slogan of
"Do a Good Turn Daily." On Tuesday there was a parade by the Scouts
and they made a fine appearance.
At the corner of Wisconsin and Grand Avenues, a headquarters
for enlistments, etc., was erected by the Scouts, of evergreen boughs and pine
poles, and shows ingenuity on the part of the builders. Waukesha Freeman,
Thursday, February 12, 1920, page 1
Boy Scout Work To Go Forward
Amicable Adjustment Arranged
Monday evening
Money Will be Contributed
Estimated it Will Be Necessary to
Raise From $3000 to $4000
Waukesha is to have a fist class Boy Scout executive and
council, independent of all other institutions, unless it is found impossible to
raise the between $3000 and $4000 by subscription and the first subscriptions
Monday night gave a very hopeful look to the situation. More than a hundred
representative men attended the meeting that night.
As one of the speakers said toward the end of the meeting at
the Elk's club what had seemed a charge of violent lightning in the air,
dissolved to rumblings of thunder, and the sky appeared.
R. G. Morey, chairman of the county Y. M. C. A. was elected
to the chair and stated the position of the Y. M. C. A. board. They were willing
to aid in any way the Scout movement, and did not at all insist on being
directly connected with the organization They wished only the welfare of
the scouts, and would deplore any connection that would be against the interest
of the Scouts.
C. K. Warne, Chicago Scout executive, explained the movement.
He said the Y. M. C. A. had done much for the Scouts, everywhere, but
affiliation was out of the question in the long run. The men who formed the
constitution of the Scouts builded better than they knew, he said, when they
eliminated all religious work from the constitution of the Scouts. The Y. M. C.
A. was an institution, the Scouts a movement. The Scouts had even refused the
school board of Texas to support its work in that state, because it would not be
tied up in any institution. In reply to a question by the Rev. C. E. Bovard
of the Presbyterian church, he said the first class executive council would in
an wise affect the organization of the individual troops, whether organized in
churches or elsewhere.
Dr. Bovard suggested that the opinion of outside scoutmasters
would be useful. O. H. Cooley of the county Y. M. C. A. suggested that the
secretary of the meeting, George Girling, as chairman of the committee which had
recommended a first class council, must have some letters from ministers at
Dousman, Oconomowoc and Menomonee Falls, opposing flatly any such council. The Rev.
Mr. Lloyd of Hartland, who was present as a scout master, said he was
not certain of the feeling there, but thought people rather averse to raising
any money.
The Rev. Mr. Grey then declared himself enthusiastic in the
work, and willing to accept the meeting's decision, saying the publicity
regarding the controversy has been unfortunate. The Rev. Mr. Logan said the
committee should have consulted the local scoutmasters. He was also willing to
abide by the meeting's outcome.
Judge D. W. Agnew spoke strongly against continuing
any affiliation with the Y. M. C. A., Benjamin Dempsey supported the same
view.
Mr. Morey said he would subscribe a tenth of the money
needed, about $4,000 in all, the executive to get at least $2400. Mr. Dempsey
said he would subscribe $200.
It was then voted to organize the first class council, with seven representative
men and a representative from each Scout troop, the council to be for Waukesha
only unless those outside wished to join it.
A. J. Hutton, Mayor Estberg, J. F. Judin,
Benjamin Dempsey, O. O. Larson, R. G. Morey and R. P.
Breese were named as general members. It was said six troops are already
formed in the city, and others ready to form.
The committee named will see to solicitation of funds, and
will consult scout committees in other towns of the county as to whether they
wish to affiliate.
The council will be called Waukesha council. If later the other troops of
the county join, as Mr. Warne said his experience showed they surely would,
the council will become Waukesha County council. Troops outside would
contribute in the ratio of the population they serve to the council fund. When
it becomes a county council all new troops organized must enter the movement
through this council. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, February 19, 1920, page
1
Boy Scouts of Troop No. 6 at Methodist Father and Son banquet.
Barry Hayes had charge of music. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, February 26,
1920, page 4.
Meno. Falls - The High School Camp Fire girls entertained the younger Camp Fire
group at Washington's birthday party Thursday evening. Waukesha Freeman,
Thursday, February 26, 1920, page 4.
Meno. Falls - Last Tuesday evening, Scoutmaster W. G. Schmidt took the Boy Scouts to the Y. M. C. A., Milwaukee for a swimming test. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, March 11, 1920, page 5.
Scout Council Waits Assurance of Funds
Mr. Logan Will Consult With C. K. Warne of
Chicago as to the Next Move
The first meeting of the Boy Scouts executive council was
held Monday night at the Congregational church. Most of the Scout masters and
the committee named several weeks ago were present, the Rev. Mr. Logan and the
Rev. Mr. Grey delaying their departure for the important church conference at
Madison to attend. The Rev. Mr. McKendry was obliged to be at Madison.
No one was able to report any progress in the establishment
of a fund to found the first class council, and it was said that C. K. Warne,
the Chicago Scout executive who was present at the former meeting had
volunteered to help in getting this fund together from throughout the county.
Accordingly to Rev. Mr. Logan was made a committee to write
to Mr. Warne and ask what had been or was to be done, and Mr. Logan was to call
the council together as soon as he had a reply, when further action was to be
taken according to developments. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, March 18,
1920, page 1.
Boy Scout Project Moves
Committee
Meets and Pushes Organization'
Field Executive Warne Here
Sixteen Troops in Waukesha County and All are in Good Form
Last Tuesday night C. K. Warne, National Field Executive for
Boy Scouts, came to Waukesha and was present at a meeting of the Waukesha
committee consisting of A. J. Hutton, prest., J. F. Judin, secr'y., R. G. Morsey,
O. O. Larson, Ben A. Dempsey, R. P. Breese and E. R. Estberg.
At this meeting a permanent organization was secured, and
besides members of the committee there were present representatives of organized
Boy Scout troops. It was decided at the general conference to invite Oconomowoc
council to meet with local council next week to fix upon a budget to apportion a
representative on the council and to proceed at once to employ a man as an
executive.
The officers at Oconomowoc are: F. R. Poe, prest, Dr. F. C.
Rogers, commissioner, H. L. Kellogg, 1st V.P., T. T. Cronin, 2nd V.P., J.
Flannigan, sec'y, and W. C. Kessler, treasr.
Waukesha and Oconomowoc will keep their permanent
organizations, but will unite in forming a County council, selecting their
representatives from the local committees.
One or more representatives will asked from Eagle, Dousman,
Mukwonago, Menomonee Falls, Pewaukee, Hartland, Sussex, Genesee, Merton and
Delafield.
Scouting has organized rapidly this year and now 16 troops in this county are
taking up activities, and scout masters find that is it necessary to get support
from the committees.
The local committee of Waukesha will be increased from seven
to twenty and the County council will have one more representative from each of
the places above mentioned, and representation according to population in
Waukesha and Oconomowoc.
It now appears that working plans have been agreed upon that
will permit of successful activities on the part of all scout organizations in
the county. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 27, 1920, page 1.
Herewith we present a summary of the report for the fiscal
year of the County Y. M. C. A. ending July 1, 1920, submitted by Secretary O. H.
Cooley
(Item) 8. Have organized 7 scout troops in communities outside of Waukesha the
past year. Genesee, Eagle, Merton, Delafield, Menomonee Falls, Sussex,
and Hartland. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, July 1, 1920, page 5.
Oconomowoc Scouts go on long hike; some scouts listed. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 12, 1920, page 7
Waukesha Girl Scouts playing Santa and distributing to the poor children of Waukesha. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November 25, 1920, page 1.
Carroll Men Offer Services to Scouts
Plan To Resume With Twelve Waukesha Troops
- Get Winter Camp
As soon as the Waukesha Y. M. C. A. building is opened by the
united churches the last steps in a reorganization of the Boy Scouts will be
taken, headquarters will be established there and scout work turned over
to three Carroll students, M. R. Spaulding, Melvin Hanson and H. T.
Erdstom of the college Y. M. C. A., who have volunteered to look after
registration of Scouts and resumption of general activities. Some of this work
has been done quietly in the last few weeks and Scout Commissioner O. H. Cooley
has made application for charters for twelve troops.
Winter Camp in Vernon
There are five troops in the city now, the churches, having
maintained these groups, and a community effort will be made to build up from
the basis, all scoutmasters working under the general supervision of the
Spaulding-Hanson-Erdstom committee.
On the farm of Lester Wright,
town of Vernon, an empty residence, well located and in excellent condition, is
to be available for parties of about twelve boys. The various troops on turn
will use it, hiking from the city Friday nights with bedding and food supplies.
Build
House of Logs
Mr. Wright has given permission for the
building of a log house on a tamarack marsh nearby; the construction of which
will go forward when winter sets in, the scoutmasters directing.
Cots for the new headquarters are to come from the Phantom Lake Y. M. C. A. camp
and a small amount of additional equipment necessary will be furnished by
friends of the Scouts. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November 25, 1920,
page 6.
Menomonee Falls - The local Boy Scouts played New Butler at that place on Memorial Day and came out victorious with the score 11 to 1. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, June 9, 1921
Menomonee Falls - The local Boy Scouts will decorate the graves of the soldiers on Memorial Day. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, May 26, 1921
The Williams-Counsell's of this city (Waukesha) will tackle the strong Menomonee Falls Boy Scouts. The Williams-Counsell's being claimants for the county 17-year-old championship must annihilate the Scouts. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 4, 1921
Menomonee Falls - The Advancement association held its regular monthly meeting. It was announced that there was a deficit of $3, but the Boy Scouts volunteered to turn over that amount, so the committee came out o.k. Last year there was a surplus of $400, which was turned over to the new high school fund. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 18, 1921, page 3.
Body of Dead Waukesha Boy Interred Here
Parents of Lester Wright Have Instructed Government to Ship Body Home
It has been definitely decided by Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Wright to have the body of their son, James Lester Wright, who met death at the hands of Turkish bandits in Syria, sent to Waukesha for interment. It is not known at just what date the body will be received, but machinery has already been put in motion to the end that the body will be shipped.
In connection with the death of Mr. Wright, many Waukesha people who knew him and had worked with him, feel the loss almost as keenly as if he had been of their immediate family. Of this number is O. H. Cooley who while head of the Y. M. C. A., work here was associated with Mr. Wright in many efforts for the betterment of conditions for the growing boys of the county.
"Lester Wright was a man of whom Waukesha county may well be proud, " said Mr. Cooley. "He was a man of highest ideals, of undaunted courage and a splendid intelligence that made it possible for him to carry out projects which his idealism suggested.
"He loved his fellow men. He was devoted to the services of humanity, and he was especially fitted for work among boys because boys were naturally attracted to him, and he knew how to hold their affection and guide them.
"Mr. Wright was trained as a Methodist minister and frequently preached throughout the county as a substitute. He did splendid work while at the Dousman Farm School for Boys and became so interested in the possibilities of this sort of work among the young, that at one time he turned over the use of one of his father's farms, for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, who were allowed to go there on alternate Sundays, with a chaperone, spending their week-end in the country. It was his ambition to make the farm a permanent home for the Scouts, to have an athletic field where different sports could be developed and to have much nature study work."
The Rev. Alfred D. Grey also worked with Mr. Wright on that.
Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, November 9, 1922, page 3.
Football Captain Resigns Scout Head
Appleton, Wis. - Howard P. "Cub"
Buck, former University of Wisconsin football captain, has resigned as executive
of Fox River Valley Boy Scout council. He will enter the automobile
business. His successor has not been named. Waukesha Daily Freeman, July
26, 1923
Boy Scouts Go On Camping Sojourn
Troop 1 of the Boy Scouts of America, of which the Rev. A. L. Drake is scoutmaster, will be in camp at Eagle lake Thursday and Friday of this week. This is the first of the many fall activities being planned by the local Boy Scouts. The troop now consists of two patrols of eight boys each but it is intended to bring the troop up to its full strength of thirty-two members. Ed Seybold, who took the training at Camp Douglas this summer, has been appointed assistant scout master and will drill the troop. Waukesha Daily Freeman, Wednesday, September 5, 1923
(An article excerpt) A gift of $100,000 to the National Council of the Boy Scouts is to be used to drive out pot-boilers, dime novels, and all the mass of Gead-Eye-Dick-and-his-kin cheap thrillers. The most important method used will be the substitution of good fiction, written by the best of American authors, for the poorly written and essentially cheap hack written story. The first step will be made by building "Boy's Life" into a national publication, reaching beyond the limits of Boy Scout membership. (Note: Follow-up article in October 5, 1923 edition) Waukesha Daily Freeman, September 27, 1923 -
Boy Scouts Meet In Church Parlor
At a meeting of the Methodist Boy Scouts Thursday evening,
Kingston Porter was initiated as a Second Class Scout by Scoutmaster Caldwell.
The Rev. C. W. Heywood presented the pin to the candidate. The boys sat around
the open fireplace in the church, in which a sparkling fire was burning, and
looked over the pastor's large collection of camp photographs, gathered during
seasons of camping with various groups of boys. Plans were made for camping
expeditions of the Boy Scouts in the summer of 1926. Waukesha Freeman,
Thursday, January 8, 1926, page 1.
Editor's note - Perhaps the term "Methodist Boy Scouts" is an indication of what may have happened to the Waukesha Boy Scout council of 1920? I'm speculating that either serious lack of financial support, or a rift among the various troop leaders was the cause of its' demise; not to rise from the ashes again until the late 1920's. I find it difficult to believe though, that the age of the prosperous Roaring Twenties led to the council's death. Until more information can be uncovered...
National Forest week - {Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of a larger Waukesha Freeman editorial article]…Could anyone tell us how many Waukesha is receiving and where are our Boy Scouts to plant them if we did get a dozen or two? Certainly no one will say that Waukesha does not need trees just as bad as it needs an active Boy scout troop, operated under the state and national Boy Scout council. From everything we can learn, there is an excuse of a scout troop here affiliated with a local church. We admire the initiative of that body in attempting to come forward with such a movement, but it does seem unusually deplorable that this city cannot support a real scout council such as other cities have had for years and years.
The Freeman would covet the opportunity to print weekly a section of Boy Scout news, as other papers do and help boost a live organization of red-blooded boys, formed under the well-founded principals of scout circles. We would be enthusiastic to aid in establishing a scout camp in a picturesque part of Waukesha county, nestled snuggly near a clear-water lake where your boys and ours could go as their brothers from other cities do and live real back-to-nature lives under the stars of the flag and the heavens, and under the stripes of purity, courage and strength.
Waukesha doesn’t need the trees of which we speak half as much as it does a Boy Scout council. Our neighbor, Watertown, dead from the the church steeples down as far as progress and growth are concerned, has just completed raising $1,456.30 of a $1,500 quota for a Boy Scout fund. Its scout council has been organized for years and still the people find it worthwhile enough to support. It is about the only thing it does support by public subscription, and that subscription is not yearly or even every five years. Let’s get in back of a Scout troop for Waukesha. It’s something that pays dividends in young lives. Waukesha Daily Freeman, Wednesday,
April 25, 1928Bernard Hansen, acting scout master of the local Boy Scout Troop 5 affiliated with the Presbyterian church. Waukesha Daily Freeman, Wednesday, April 28, 1928
1928 Scout summer camp at Moose Lake for eight days. December 12, 1929
To organize Scout council in Waukesha
Expect Eight to Ten Troops will be formed within short time
A first class Boy Scouts council will be organized here, Clifton G. Speer, deputy regional scout executive, stated today after soliciting the aid of local men interested in the Boy Scouts of America movement.
“Waukesha is one of three larger cities of Wisconsin that does not have a first class council of scouts”. The executive declared. ”Within six weeks these other two cities will have scout organizations for they are taking steps in that direction now. All the cities the size of Waukesha has first class councils.”
A meeting was held Tuesday afternoon at which further steps toward organizing the council were taken. These were present: J. E. Worthington, L. F. Thurwachter, E. R. Estberg, Charles Gittner, J. F. Jones, R. H. Schuett, L. S. Dancey, O. B. Lindholm, Arthur Rahn, Earl Doyle, C. C. Edmundson, E. R. Shurts. A meeting was held Tuesday night at which twenty-two citizens, members of the Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimist, Legion, schools and churches were present.
At the present time there is but one scout troop here. According to Mr. Speer there are over 600 boys in city between the ages for scout duty. Within a year or year and a half from eight to ten troops are likely to be organized.
Executive at Janesville
The Waukesha council will form with the Indian Trails Area council of which Jefferson, Janesville, Watertown, Fort Atkinson and other smaller cities are a part. The area council executive is F. H. Swits of Janesville, who will have charge of a field executive who will reside in this city and who will be of service in the entire county.
The organization of a first class council includes a president, treasurer, commissioner and nine committees consisting of a court of honor, camping, finance, troop organization, training and leadership, civic service, good reading, safety and health.
The scout movement of America began 19 years ago. During the period 3,500,000 boys have been members. At the present time there is a membership of more than 1,000,000. The national council of Boy Scouts is chartered by the United States Congress as are the American Legion and Red Cross. Waukesha Freeman, Tuesday, March 28, 1929
Assure Boy Scout Organization Here
A permanent Boy Scout organization for this city was assured at a meeting of the Scout Council Monday night, consisting of 300 men. At the meeting a nominating committee of three was chosen to set forth heads of the organization.
The committee consists of J. E. Worthington, L. F. Thurwachter, and E. R. Estberg. The committee met Tuesday morning and discussed possible leaders of the new organization. No definite choice has been made but it will be made within a week at which time it will be announced to the council and approved or rejected by that body. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, April 4, 1929
Nov 20, 1930 – First Father and Son banquet held in Waukesha. L. F. Thurwachter, president of the Waukesha Scout council. Scout John Young becomes first Waukesha area scout to receive Eagle Scout badge.
85 Attend Dad, Son Meeting
Annual Boy Scout Banquet Held in Pewaukee
Eighty-five scouts and their dads attended the annual scout father and son banquet in Pewaukee last night. The banquet was held in the new American Legion building under the auspices of the local post. Scout Robert Egloff spoke for the scouts while Joseph Ely spoke for the dads. Mr. Ely expressed approval of the citizens of Pewaukee toward their scout troop and pledged the scout organization the support of the community for the scout activity of the future.
Walter Dixon, scout executive, spoke on the necessity of volunteer leadership within the community in order to further the future activities of the scout movement in Pewaukee.
The new scoutmaster Todd Kellogg was introduced by Orley Hoyt, chairman. Mr. Kellogg outlined the program for the scout troop and asked the dads for their support in establishing a cub pack for the younger boys of Pewaukee. Over 20 boys have applied to him for membership in the new younger boy movement of the Boy Scouts of America. Following the banquet the scouts under the direction of Mr. Kellogg portrayed the scout laws in pantomime.
An agreement was reached at Watertown Tuesday afternoon to affiliate boy scouts of that city with the Waukesha-Oconomowoc council, according to Walter Dixon, scout executive of this area. A meeting will be held here within the next two weeks which will call together all scout officials of Waukesha county and the eastern half of Jefferson county to form a new area board. The former Indian Trails area was composed of Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties.
The coming meeting is being arranged by Jack Waite and Dr. F. E. Smart. Attys. Allen Young and E. B. Stillman have charge of drawing by-laws.
J. E. Worthington, G. W. Haverstick and J. F. Thomas were present at the meeting in Watertown Tuesday at which it was decided that it would be to the advantage of Watertown scout activities to join the new council. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, January 22, 1931, page 1.
Boy Scouts Will Stage Exposition
Show at Pavilion to Be Competitive and Demonstrative in Nature
The second annual Scout Exposition to be participated in by local scouts will be held this year in the Stock pavilion at Waukesha on Saturday, February 14 at 7:45 p.m. The 1931 Show will be of a competitive nature featuring the individual work of the troops of the council. The troops scoring the highest number of points in the competitive events will receive the President's cup to be held for one year. Ribbons will be awarded as troop prizes, with individual awards to the team members.
Included in the competitive events are fire by friction, semaphore signaling, a stretcher drill, and the scaling of a 10-foot wall by eight scouts of each troop. Demonstrations will be carried out by the various troops. The demonstration work will be of interest to the public because it will enable those attending the Exposition to examine the work after the show has been completed.
Rope Twirling
Rope twirling will be demonstrated by scouts of Troop 2,, the Rotary troop of Watertown, while pyramids will be built by Troops 1, 2, 6, and 7 of Waukesha and Troop 1, Watertown. The Scout laws will be depicted in pantomime by Troop 15, North Prairie and Eagle, Troop 12, Oconomowoc, troops 1 and 3 of Watertown, and all seven of the Waukesha Troops.
Bridges and towers made of natural materials and set up on the floor of the arena will be featured by the Eagle and North Prairie scouts, by Troop 1, Watertown, Troop 13, Pewaukee, and Troop 5, Waukesha. Games will be demonstrated by Troop 2, of Watertown and Troop 4 of Waukesha . All troops will participate in the opening assembly and the closing campfire scene.
Make Plans
The entire program is in charge of the general exposition committee headed by Dr. F. E. Smart, Waukesha, as chairman. Other members of the committee are A. H. Lehrkind, Frank McAdams, L. W. Hutson of Watertown; T. T. Cronin, J. Bosshard, and Forrest Matheson of Oconomowoc; Dr. Fred Schmidt, Eagle; Rex Hoyer, North Prairie; W. W. Williams, Pewaukee; Paul Stouffer, J. H. Waite, Karl Klug, P. H. Harder, Harry Hansen, and R. E. Oakes, all of Waukesha.
A meeting of the entire general committee will be held at Oconomowoc a week previous to the exposition at which time all final assignments will be made by the chairman. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, January 22, 1931.
Watertown Scouts May Join Waukesha Council
A luncheon was held in the Hotel Washington, Watertown, this afternoon to formulate plans for the affiliation of Watertown with boy scout activities in Oconomowoc and Waukesha.
A committee of Waukesha men was sent to meet with scout council heads of Watertown at the luncheon. J. E. Worthington, J. F. Thomas, and G. A. Haverstick are the local men who comprise the committee. Walter Dixon, scout executive, of the local council, accompanied the committee.
If Watertown's scouts affiliate with the Waukesha-Oconomowoc council it will be materially strengthened in numbers and activities. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, January 22, 1931, page 8.
The End of Potawatomi Pre-History
Potawatomi Area Council formed on April 23, 1931 serving Waukesha, and parts of Jefferson, Dodge and Walworth counties.
Annual Scout Camp Closed
Successful Season Enjoyed by Campers (From WF Friday's Daily)
The Boy Scout camp on Blue lake near Palmyra was closed this week after the most successful season in Waukesha and Jefferson counties. Scouts from Waukesha, Watertown, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Eagle, North Prairie, Palmyra, Whitewater, Fort Atkinson, and Janesville attended the 1931 camp. Thought the camp capacity was estimated at 50 campers per week, an average of 55 campers were maintained throughout the six week camping period.
New activities introduced this year made the camp of great interest to those scouts who attended. The success which was achieved with riding horses this season has made the members of the camping committee desirous of furnishing more horses and saddles for the 1932 camp. Handicraft in leather and basketry was started the past season and will be enlarged upon at winter camp with the introduction of craftwork in metal celluloid. Plans for the 1932 summer camp will provide for the addition of new buildings and equipment, which will supplement that which is owned by the Potowatomi council.
Arrangements are being made by Walter Dixon, scout executive, for the winter scout camp, which in all probability, will be held at the present campsite, during the Christmas holidays. The winter camp will be maintained for four days and will include the following activities: skiing, skating, hockey, hiking and handicraft.
The camping committee of the council will make a trip of inspection of neighboring camps during the coming two weeks. Following the inspection tour a report of the 1932 camp and the 1932 suggested plans will be presented to the council at its meeting in September. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, August 27, 1931
Potawatomi Council Second Annual Dinner - Jan. 14, 1932 in Watertown, council
member from Menomonee Falls expected to attend. Waukesha Freeman, January 7,
1932
Menomonee Falls - A Boy Scout organization is being sponsored by the local
Rotary club with the following committee in charge: H. S. Rutherford, chairman;
W. S. Goode,; Dr. W. G. Domann and Joseph Cooke. Fifty-eight boys from the
village and adjacent rural community turned out to the organization meeting at
the high school Wednesday evening. Walter Dixon, Waukesha, Scout executive,
assisted with the organization. Robert Jacke, a former Scout, will be the local
Scout master and A. T. Jacobson will assist him. This organization will be a
part of the Potawatomi area.
Waukesha Freeman, Feb 4, 1932
Menomonee Falls Scout Troop No. 17, which is sponsored by the Rotary club sponsored an exposition and invited boys from Sussex, Templeton, Merton, and North Lake to attend, and see the work of scouting as it is carried on by the Scout Troops of the Potawatomi Area council. Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, March 10, 1932
Menomonee Falls Scout Troop No. 17, which is sponsored by the
Rotary club, will be presented with their charter, which is one of the features
of the evening's program. The Scout troop has an enrollment of thirty-eight
scouts, and is under the direction of Robert Jacke.
Waukesha Freeman, March 10,
1932
Summer Scout camp was at Wood lake (Camp Oproki on Wood Lake near Mukwonago)
Boy Scouts of Waukesha and Jefferson counties will give a fourth
showing of their Annual Scout exposition in Menomonee Falls on Saturday, March
22, 1932, at 8 pm.
Boy Scouts to Be Guests at Game Marquette-Drake football game in Milwaukee,
Saturday, Nov 26, 1932. Free admission.
Leland Quits Scouting Post
Edward H. Leland, 153 Wilbur ave., boy scout executive of the Potowatomi area, with headquarters in Waukesha for the last six years, Friday announced that he has resigned his position here to take over in the same capacity as head of the Egyptian council with headquarters in Herrin, Ill.
He will report to his new office Jan. 29, and his wife and two children will join him several days later. He agreed to make the change last week but no public announcement was made until last Friday.
In his work in the Potowatomi area, which covers
Waukesha county, and parts of Jefferson, Walworth and dodge counties, Leland has met with unusual success. Membership, including cub and sea scout enrollments, and the annual budget have doubled under his charge. Before coming to Waukesha he spent four and 0ne-half years as assistant scout executive in Milwaukee.The Egyptian council is the largest geographical council area in Illinois, covering the southern 15 counties. It was formed recently by the merger of several old councils, and Leland's first job will be on reorganization.
Charles Nelson, Jr., Waukesha, newly elected president of the Potowatomi area, will name a personnel committee which will interview candidates, recommended by the Chicago boy scout regional office and choose Leland's successor.
It is expected that a new executive will be chosen early in 1940. there will be an area board meeting Jan. 18 at which time Nelson will name the complete list of area personnel and the program for 1940. The Waukesha office of the area located in the freeman building, will remain open full time under the care of Miriam Hale, Leland announced.
Waukesha Freeman, Wednesday, January 3, 1940
Menomonee Falls – The Explorer patrol troop 17 of the Potowatomi area will travel to Chicago April 19 and take part in the Region first aid finals. The teams competing in this meet will come from Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. The Explorers will be one of six troops representing Wisconsin. This is the first time in the history of the Potowatomi area that any troop has been eligible for the Regional meet. The boys on the local team are Bill Domann, Wesley Goode, Jr., Don Buck, Clyde Tinder and Ted Crusius. The Explorers’ 91 per cent in the sectional meet and their four-meet average of 97.5 per cent qualifies them for this meet. Waukesha Freeman, April 16, 1941
Scout Commissioners Plan Year’s Activity
Members of the Potawatomi area council commissioner’s staff met Monday night at the Avalon hotel to map activities and training objectives for the fall and winter months, according to C. J. Caldwell, council commissioner.
Caldwell reported that nation-wide round-up program will get under way at once. This project will be to prepare the Scout movement for full peace-time service to the community and to youth. To make this program possible, and enlarged commissioner’s staff will be developed at once to bring more boys and scouting together.
According to Caldwell, the Waukesha community Chest plays an important part in making scouting possible. It is through the chest’s annual financial support of the program that it can be carried on in this community. Twenty-two Boy Scout units, including cub packs, Boy Scout troops, and Senior scout units are prepared to handle an ever-increasing membership, Caldwell said.
Each public and parochial school in Waukesha and Westowne has scouting. By checking with each school, a boy can find what night the neighborhood unit meets.
Waukesha Daily Freeman, Wednesday, September 24, 1946
Potawatomi Area, scout executive, C. W. Woodson. Waukesha Daily Freeman, Thursday, October 30, 1946
Saturday, May 24, 1947, Potowatomi area scouts staging an outdoor Circus at Haertel Field
Carl Martin, Boy Scout executive for the Potawatomi area presented the troop charter to Theodore Bies, fire chief, as the fire department sponsors the Merton troop. Those on the committee are: Orville Kaiser, chairman; William A. Weber, Ben Serres, Fred Staus and Mr. Bies.
Scout master Robert Hitchcock, who has been in scouting for over 10 years and has served as assistant scoutmaster for two years. Assisted by Arthur Nelson. Boys who received their tenderfoot awards were: George and John Raffensberger, Donald Serres, Douglas Ellsworth, Lyle Cihasky, John Staus and William Meissner. Waukesha Daily Freeman, Wednesday, May 28, 1947
Links
The Glacier Hills District serves youth in the school districts of Menomonee Falls, Germantown, Sussex/Hamilton, Arrowhead, and Richfield
Palmyra - History
Potawatomi Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
The Potawatomi Area Council No. 651 is divided into four districts - Fox River Valley, Southern Trails, Sunset Waters, and Glacier Hills; this 4th one, Glacier Hills, being that which the above troops and packs belong to. The Council maintains the Harkrider Service Center at N12 W24498 Bluemound Road, Waukesha, WI. 53187 (west of the Waukesha County Airport - Crites Field). Mailing address: P.O. Box 528 Waukesha, WI. 53187-0528. Telephone (262) 544-4881. Scout Shop Hours - Mon., Tues., Wed., & Fri. 8:30am - 5:00 pm, Thursday 8am - 7pm, closed weekends. Call Center to make sure Center is open; open hours may change.