There has been much debate among Scouters and Scout Professionals concerning when the first Scout troop was organized in this area. Everyone could agree on who started the first troop and could even agree on how many Scouts (103) were in the troop. However, they could not agree on when the troop was started. The date 1910 was perpetuated by news stories that appeared over the years in the San Angelo Standard-Times written by former Scouts, Scouters and Scout Executives starting from 1932 on. Even the story written on September 8, 1942, following the death of the first Scoutmaster here, said "Back about 1910 before the Boy Scouts of America had been organized ..." A letter received from Samuel H. Crowthers of San Antonio, grandson of Sam Crowther, to this author dated April 4, 1988, said in part "In all my conversations with members of the family, these things are consistent: 1) Received the Silver Beaver Award, 2) Founded the first Scout troop in Texas, 3) Founded the third Scout troop in the United States." In addition, in a two-page typewritten statement prepared by Reva Terry Crowther about 1970 said "organized a boy Scout troop in 1910. Only two Scout troops existed in the U.S. at that time. San Angelo was the third. These troops were organized under instructions from Lord Baden Powell in England, as the Scout movement in the U.S. had not yet gotten under way." Many Scouters honestly believed this to be correct, even this author, until research of the San Angelo Standard from 1910 through 1931 revealed another story which is presented here.
Meeting Announced
T he first story to appear in the San Angelo Standard regarding
Boy Scouts appeared on Friday evening, July 28, 1911, on page 1, under
the headline "BOY SCOUTS WILL BE ORGANIZED SUNDAY." The sub-title
of the story said "MOVEMENT THAT COVERS 44 STATES HAS REACHED ANGELO" and
under that it further said "OBJECT IS TO MAKE USEFUL CITIZENS OF THE BOYS
- CROWTHER HEADS MOVEMENT."
The story announced a meeting for the purpose of organizing Boy Scouts
to be held at 3:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon at the Chamber of Commerce
rooms. The story further said that "Sam Crowther, head of Crowther
Hardware Company and president of the public school board, is enthusiastic
over the movement and has consented to take the lead, accepting a place
as head of the local advisory board." The story also said
"Applications for membership and affiliation cover 44 states and territories
..."
No mention is made in that San Angelo story, or those that followed,
throughout 1911 and 1912, about a previous Scout troop in San Angelo.
However, in a story that appeared in The San Angelo Daily Standard
on
May 3, 1914, page 6, under the banner "ANGELO BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT TO
BE REVIVED FOR ENCAMPMENT" said "In 1911 San Angelo boasted a Boy
Scout troop of over 100 enthusiastic members and one encampment, a most
successful one, through the courtesy of Lee Brothers, was conducted on
the latter's ranch, but following this event, which all Scouts will remember
as one of the pleasan'est in years, the movement waned and finally died
out."
There were other stories that referred to the 1911 date as being when
the first Scout troop was organized in San Angelo. Organizational Meeting
Fifty members signed up for the first Boy Scout troop in San Angelo
at its first organizational meeting. The meeting was held on Sunday,
July 30, 1911, 3:30 p.m., in the Chamber of Commerce meeting room located
above the Baker-Hemphill Company store, at the corner of Chadbourne and
Beauregard. A number of fathers were present at the meeting.
Harry B. Ogg, bookkeeper and cashier of the business office of the Standard,
who had recently been appointed the local Scout deputy and organizer for
San Angelo and vicinity, gave a 15-minute talk on Scouting. He was
followed by Sam Crowther, president of the school board, who touched upon
many interesting phases of the movement, explaining, among other things,
the approximate cost of the uniform and equipment, the necessity for co-operation,
the fulfillment of all agreements entered into, the opportunity for helping
each other and the world at large, regardless of age, sex, color or condition
of those with whom the members came in contact in the daily association
at home and in public.
Continuing, he spoke of hikes, outings and other forms of recreation
and amusement that would be afforded those who joined from time to time.
One important matter that he called particular attention to was the fact
that Scout movement would not permit any interference with school duties
or any plans that their parents had laid out for them. This talk was
followed by some remarks by Dr. A. H. Seeley and then Penrose N. Ions,
of the firm of Ions & Boulware.
By unanimous consent of all those present, Sam Crowther was elected
chairman and Harry D. Ogg secretary of the present movement.
The next Friday night, at 8 o'clock, was selected as the next meeting time
to be held at the same place.
Fifty members signed up which was half of the number selected for San
Angelo. Each patrol was to have nine members, one of whom was selected
as patrol leader with an older person, a man of mature years preferably,
constitute a patrol. Thus a patrol consisted of ten men. Ten
patrols make a company and ten companies a regiment. Mr. Crowther
and Mr. Ogg were trying to get their full quota of one company, including
ten Scoutmasters and ninety boys. First Patrol Formed
A fter the adjournment of the first meeting of the Scouts, a number of
older and larger boys, those crowding the 18 maximum mark pretty closely,
got together in the law offices of Cox & Cox in the Trust building
and organized the first Boy Scout patrol.
The officers elected for this patrol were: Harry B. Ogg, Scout master;
Mark Woodward, patrol leader; Harry Boertsou, secretary.
By the second meeting, held the following Friday, August 4th, eight
patrols with a Scoutmaster and patrol leader were announced. At this
meeting Sam Crowther was recognized as the "Head or Chief Scout Master"
and that he would preside over the council meeting as chairman ex-officio.
First Patrol Hike
M embers of the Pioneer Patrol No. 1, went on the first hike of the new
troop, leaving the city at 6:20 and returning at 11:20 on August 10, 1911.
They hiked to "Four Mile Falls", returning by moonlight after supper
and a dip in the river. They were footsore and weary but happy and
determined to repeat the performance at the slightest provocation.
One of the Scoutmasters, Spencer Wells, of the Baker-Hemphill Company,
had on display two uniforms and complete outfits for their troop meeting
on August 12. The troop voted to secure the better grade of uniform
displayed.
The manuals for the Scouts were to arrive on Friday night, August 18,
at which time they planned a troop hike to Leedale. However, the
manuals did not arrive as expected. A communication from James E.
MacGrath, managing director of the movement, with headquarters at New York
City stated that a new manual was being issued and would be ready for delivery
within the next three or four weeks.
Appointed to National
S am Crowther was appointed National Committeeman of the American Boy
Scouts which carried with it one of the honors scattered sparsely over
the United States. This group was not the "Boy Scouts of America"
as organized by W. D. Boyce, the Chicago publisher, but a group organized
by William R. Hearst, Incorporated in New York, June 24, 1910, as the "American
Boy Scout", afterwards changed to "United States Boy Scout."
This may well explain why some Scouters thought that Sam Crowther had
obtained the first troop charter from Baden-Powell in England instead of
from the Boy Scouts of America. If the charter was indeed obtained
from the American Boy Scout organization, instead of the Boy Scouts of
America, it could have well been the first charter of that organization
in Texas.
These two groups were not the only Boy Scouts in the U.S.A. at the time.
There were also the "Boy Scouts of the United States," sponsored
by the National Highway Protection Association, the "National Scouts
of America" organized by Co. William Verbeck, principal of a Military
School at Manlius, N.Y. and the "Peace Scouts of California" and
the "Y.M.C.A. Scouts." All of these movements except for the
last one, were more or less military in character as was the first Scout
First Troop Overnight
O n August 25, 1911, ninety-five Scouts departed at 5:30 PM for Concho
Vista (Leedale) for an evening's outing and a swim in the Middle Concho
River. The boys rode out in closed top automobiles to Concho Vista
which is now part of Mathis Field, west of San Angelo. The Standard
was published that Thursday evening "a couple of hours" ahead of time so
that twenty-one members of the Standard's crew of boys could
go on the hike.
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| PATROL MEMBERSHIP UNKOWN
Herbert Taylor Ralph Cobb Duncan Prather Homer Mason Kenneth Amacker Sam Lawhon Rob Day Marion Moon Frank Werst Otho Drake Gordon Black Lee McLemore PATROL NO. 1 (PIONEER PATROL)
PATROL NO. 2
PATROL NO. 3
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PATROL NO. 4
Scoutmaster: C. E. Robison Patrol Leader: Arthur Matlock Lewis Woodward Austin Scott Clarence Turman Edwin Mey Herbert West Earl McMahan Mike Werst Allard French PATROL NO. 5
PATROL NO. 6
PATROL NO. 7
PATROL NO. 8
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