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 Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...

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 natur ...

, New Mexico. Burnham had only recently returned from

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CPNWR) is located in southwestern Arizona in the United States, along of the Mexico–United States border. It is bordered to the north and to the west by the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, to the s ...

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 ...

. In 1918, the

Albuquerque 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 (191 ...

(#412) was founded. It changed its name to the

Bemalillo County 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 (191 ...

(#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 (#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 (191 ...

(#413). In 1927, the Gila Grande Council (#579) was formed, merging with the El Paso Area Council (#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 (191 ...

, 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 ...

(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, Ke ...

Conquistador Council

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

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 (191 ...

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 (191 ...

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 (191 ...

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

Mesa Verde Mesa Verde National Park is an American national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado. The park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States. Established ...

areas of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...

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 Chimayó is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name is derived from a Tewa name for a local landmark, the hill of Tsi Mayoh. The town is unincorporated and includes many neigh ...

northwest of

Pojoaque, New Mexico Pojoaque (; Tewa: Pʼohsųwæ̨geh Ówîngeh/P'osuwaege Owingeh ’òhsũ̀wæ̃̀gè ʔówîŋgè, Po’su wae geh, which translates to “water gathering place”, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States ...

. Great Southwest Council is home to Cimarron, New Mexico'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 Silvert ...

, the council no longer owns or operate the Cascade Scout Camp located in the

San Juan National Forest The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezu ...

, north of Durango, Colorado, 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 ...

South Plains Council

South Plains Council serves Scouts in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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 Ne ...

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 Raton ( ) is a city and the county seat of Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Colorado border and 85 miles west of Texas. His ...

, is permanently closed. The museum was privately owned at a private facility, displays included

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills ...

, Philmont,

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner Go ...

, National Jamboree, international Scouting, 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