Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the

Philmont Scout Ranch Philmont Scout Ranch is a ranch located in Colfax County, New Mexico, near the village of Cimarron; it covers of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east side of the Cimarron Range of the Rocky Mountains. Donated by oil baro ...

Early history (1910–1950)

On May 11, 1941, the Boy Scouts of America honored Major Frederick Russell Burnham on his eightieth birthday, at

Carlsbad Caverns Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natura ...

, New Mexico. Burnham had only recently returned from Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge which he had dedicated with the Boy Scouts in Arizona after a long campaign to save the

Desert Bighorn Sheep The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The Bu ...

. In 1918, the Albuquerque Council (#412) was founded. It changed its name to the Bemalillo County Council (#412) in 1926. The council changed its name again in 1927 to the Rio Grand Area Council (#412). In 1934, the Rio Grande Area Council became the

Northern New Mexico Council Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

(#412). In 1920, the Carlsbad Council and the Roswell Council (#413) were founded. They merged in 1924 to become the Pecos Valley Council (#413). In 1925, the Pecos Valley Council became the

Eastern New Mexico Council Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

(#413). In 1927, the Gila Grande Council (#579) was formed, merging with the

El Paso Area Council Scouting in Texas 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. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stat ...

(#573) in 1930. In 1927, the Kit Carson Council (#574) was formed, merging with the

Rio Grande Council Scouting in Texas 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. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stat ...

(#412) in 1929. Lake in Camp Wehinahpay

Recent history (1950–1990)

In 1955, the Northern New Mexico Council (#412) became the Kit Carson Council (#412). The council changed its name in 1976 to the

Great Southwest Area Council Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

, and again in 1982 to the

Great Southwest Council Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

(#412).

Scouting in New Mexico today

There are five

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

(BSA) local councils in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Conquistador Council

Located in southeast New Mexico, the Conquistador Council office is in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in, and the County seat, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...

Organization

*Chisum Trail District *El Llano Grande District *Oil Patch District *Rio Hondo District

Camps

Camp Wehinahpay Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

Wehinahpay Mountain Camp Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

Dowling Aquatic Base Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Early history (1910 ...

* Camp Jim Murray

Order of the Arrow

The Kwahadi Lodge #78 of the Order of the Arrow serves local Arrowmen.

Grand Canyon Council

Grand Canyon Council serves Scouts in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and New Mexico.

Great Southwest Council

The Great Southwest Council is headquartered in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, and provides

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

to youth in northern New Mexico, northeast Arizona, Utah south of the San Juan River, and the

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

and Mesa Verde areas of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Organization

*Rio Grande District *San Juan Mountains District *Sangre de Cristo District *Sandia District

Camps

The Great Southwest Council's summer camp program is based at the Gorham Scout Ranch, located near Chimayo, New Mexico northwest of Pojoaque, New Mexico. Great Southwest Council is home to

Cimarron, New Mexico Cimarron is a Village (United States), village in Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County, New Mexico, United States, which sits on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population was 1,021 at the 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

's Philmont Scout Ranch, the oldest of the national high-adventure bases operated by the

. Although the Mesa Verde DistrictMesa Verde District
Mesa Verde District of Great Southwest Council, 2009. Accessed 2010-01-30. of the Great Southwest Council includes

San Juan County, Colorado San Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 705, making it the least populous county in Colorado. The county seat and the only incorporated municipality in the county is Silverto ...

, the council no longer owns or operate the

Cascade Scout Camp Cascade Boy Scout Camp is a camp near Durango in San Juan County, Colorado, United States that is associated with Scouting in Colorado. The lodge building, also known as Cascade Lodge or Boy Scout Lodge, was built in 1928 and was listed on the Na ...

located in the San Juan National Forest, north of

Durango, Colorado Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis Coll ...

, and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

South Plains Council

South Plains Council serves Scouts in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and New Mexico.

Yucca Council

Yucca Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico.

Girl Scouting in New Mexico

Three Girl Scout Councils serve New Mexico.

Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council

Most of this district is in Arizona but as the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

straddles the border the portion of it in northwestern New Mexico is also included in this district.

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails serves some 5,000 girls in 23 counties in northern and central New Mexico. It was formed in November 2007 by the merger of the two previous councils of Sangre de Cristo and Chaparral.

Camps

*Camp Elliott Barker located near Angel Fire, NM *Rancho del Chaparral located in the Jemez Mountains

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest

Formed from the May 1, 2009 merger of Zia, Permian Basin and Rio Grande Councils. Serving Southern New Mexico & West Texas.

Organization

Service Centers in New Mexico *

Deming, NM Deming (, ''DEM-ing'') is a city in Luna County, New Mexico, United States, west of Las Cruces and north of the Mexican border. The population was 14,855 as of the 2010 census. Deming is the county seat and principal community of Luna County. ...

* Artesia, NM *

Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern New ...

Silver City, NM Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

Camps

* Camp Pioneer

Scouting museums in New Mexico

The Scouting Museum of New Mexico, formerly run by Dennis Downing was located at 400 South First Street in Raton, New Mexico, is permanently closed. The museum was privately owned at a private facility, displays included Wood Badge, Philmont, Order of the Arrow,

National Jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other W ...

, international

, Scout books and magazines, videos, reference library, and also rotated loaned exhibits. The National Scouting Museum is located at Philmont Scout Ranch, 4 miles south of Cimarron, NM on NM-21. The National Scouting Museum is also home to the Ernest Thompson Seton Memorial Library.

External links

*http://www.conquistador-bsa.org *http://www.gswcbsa.org

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scouting in New Mexico Youth organizations based in New Mexico

Western Region (Boy Scouts of America)

Early history (1910–1950)

Recent history (1950–1990)

Scouting in New Mexico today

Conquistador Council

Organization

Camps

Order of the Arrow

Grand Canyon Council

Great Southwest Council

Organization

Camps

South Plains Council

Yucca Council

Girl Scouting in New Mexico

Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

Camps

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest

Organization

Camps

Scouting museums in New Mexico

See also

External links

References